Bengaluru, 27 February 2026:
Anu Seth is the Co-Founder of Pay It Forward and a seasoned financial coach focused on building financial literacy among students, women, youth, and peri-retirees. With 25+ years across technology, equity markets, and entrepreneurship, she bridges financial capability, leadership, and social impact.
She began her career as a software engineer and architect with Wipro, HCL, World Bank, and ISRO. Her own journey as an “accidental investor” sparked a passion for investor education. Along with co-founders Preetha and Vinita, she designs jargon-free, DIY financial programs that turn complex concepts into clear, actionable steps.
Anu also serves as Vice-Chairwoman, CII Indian Women Network Karnataka (2025-26), and is a regular voice on financial wellness in Mint, The Hindu, The Economic Times, and Prajawani.
CII IWN Karnataka organized their Annual Members Meet 2025-26 on the theme “Rise Together – Connecting Emotions, Collaborating for Resilience, Contributing to Progress”, today in Bengaluru.
“IWN is more than a network, it is an ecosystem that builds courage, language, and leadership identity. When women organise with intent, deepen mentorship, and act collectively, they don’t just advance careers—they influence systems. That is why continued engagement matters, and why Indian Women Network (IWN) will keep shaping confident, authentic women leaders for the future” shared Ms Rajani Seshadri, Past Chairwoman SR & Co-Founder & Director, IndePenn Connections Pvt Ltd
Addressing the Mr Sandeep Singh, Past Chairman, CII Karnataka & Managing Director, Tata Hitachi Construction Machinery Pvt Ltd highlighted “In traditional industries like manufacturing and construction equipment, empowering women is both a responsibility and a business strength. Creating supportive ecosystems especially enabling smooth maternity return-to-work pathways helps retain skilled talent, build confidence, and nurture women leaders on the shopfloor and beyond. When organisations actively encourage women to stay, return, and lead, the industry becomes stronger, more inclusive, and future ready.”
Mr Rabindra Srikantan, Chairman of CII Karnataka State Council 2025–26 and Managing Director, ASM Technologies emphasised that “Women’s leadership is no longer a diversity goal, but a strategic imperative for India’s growth and competitiveness. Organisations that intentionally institutionalise inclusion achieve higher innovation, resilience, and performance. Through CII Indian Women Network Karnataka, we are enabling this transformation by building leadership capability, fostering collaboration, and creating pathways to rise together.”
The occasion also saw the release of the whitepaper on “Women Freelance Professionals in India: Reframing Flexible Work as a Strategic Pathway to Gender Parity” developed by the CII IWN Karnataka Gender Parity & Policy Advocacy Pillar. The white paper spotlights on women’s freelancing as a strategic lever for organisational resilience, inclusive growth, and advancing gender parity.
Aparna Devagiri is the Founder TOMOE Consultants brings over 30 years of experience across the corporate world and entrepreneurship, with deep expertise as an HR professional, people manager, business owner, ICF-PCC coach, and researcher. Passionate about advancing women in the Indian workplace, she works with leaders across industries in India and globally as a coach, speaker, and workshop leader, is the author of The Professional Woman’s Handbook.
At this meet, IWN Karnataka announced the election of new office bearers for the year 2026 -27. Ms Anu Seth, Co-Founder, Pay It Forward has taken over as Chairwoman of IWN Karnataka while Ms Aparna Devagiri, Founder, TOMOE Consultants has taken over as Vice Chairwoman of CII IWN Karnataka for the year 2026-27.
Leading industries including Bosch Global Software Technologies Pvt, Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL), Singularis Wealth Pvt Ltd, SOLIZE PARTNERS India Pvt. Ltd., Tata Hitachi Construction Machinery Pvt Ltd, Kennametal shared and showcased their insights which was attended by over 100 industry CXO’s and stakeholders across sectors.
