GP Birla Fellowship

The G P Birla Fellowship aims to steer young women leaders on a journey in leadership by opening their minds to a rich and diverse set of learning experiences and move from thought to action and from success to significance. Inspired to be leaders and change-makers of tomorrow and significantly transform the course of their organizations, communities and cities. This unique Fellowship combines mentoring and coaching with reflective dialogue based seminars for emerging women leaders in the 27-35 years age group from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities in India.

The Fellowship equips the young women leaders with tools and resources that help them accomplish leadership goals; Inculcate the spirit of being a part of a safe and trustworthy support group; guide their process of inquiry in developing values-based leadership and provide a platform for collaborative support for each other.

A unique component in the Programme is the “Mentor-Me!” model where the fellows get to work with individual mentors and receive group coaching, in their developmental journey.

The inaugural class was launched in 2018 with 16 fellows, and the second cohort in 2019 with 19 fellows. 4 social ventures have been conceptualized focusing on regional issues and concerns in society.

Individuals should be nominated by recognized business and community leaders in their region and should not be a family member. Self-nominations are not accepted. Nominators are asked to submit a nomination form with details such as the candidate’s age, physical address, email address and phone number, educational background, career path, current position, voluntary community activities and any additional information that will help us evaluate their qualifications for the program.

The aim is to constitute a class of fellows drawn from diverse backgrounds in terms of geography, occupation, ethnicity, race and religion.

Individuals recommended as candidates for the GP Birla Fellowship should be:
  • Between the age group of 27–35 years
  • From a Tier 2 / Tier 3 town
  • One who is committed to participating in the two 6-day residential seminars spread over 12 months.
  • Someone who is at the cusp of leadership positions in Industry/Non-Profit/ Arts or Young Entrepreneurs with at least a 5-year professional track record
  • One who has the willingness to be fully present, authentic, vulnerable and willing to listen to differing points of view with an open mind and heart.
The Fellowship comprises of two on-site residential seminars of 6 days 5 nights each spread over 12 months. By using the time-tested method of text-based dialogue and experiential learning, one does not expect consensus, but rather passionate dialogue around the inevitable tensions that arise in defining and building the “good society.” Dynamic and reflective, the sessions act as a mirror and help to prompt the participants from “thought to action”.
  • Seminar 1: The Challenge of Leadership 6 day convening focusing on the qualities of leadership necessary to master the forces of change.
  • Seminar 2 : The Aspen India Seminar 6 day convening focused on refining each Fellow’s definition of the good society including the respective roles of government and business in building that society and the society challenges of economic growth.
The programme requires a commitment by each Fellow for 2 seminars of 6 days each spread over one year plus the time allocated for individual leadership ventures and periodic informal gatherings. Fellows must attend both seminars in their entirety.
Through the readings that form the basis of the seminars, the Fellows are exposed to a range of “thought leaders” and role models from around the globe and across the ages who have clearly articulated their visions for “a good society” and demonstrated their capacity for effective, enlightened leadership. As they read, the Fellows are challenged to think about their own visions – and about how they measure up as leaders. The seminars encourage a subtle shift in the way of thinking of the participants who stretch themselves towards being more action-oriented leaders and collectively address the common challenges across the country.

Due to the diversity of the group, the participants are challenged to make a greater impact which would permeate beyond their specific fields.

The seminar encourages the young leaders to use their creativity, experience, energy and talent in promoting better understanding, respect, camaraderie, bond and trust amongst each other. It pushes them out of their comfort level, into a space where they thought radically to steer change in their society, organization and at the grassroots levels.

Class 5

Class 4

Class 3

Class 2

Class 1

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