Godrej DEI Lab Invites India’s Leading B-Schools to Reimagine Women’s Return to Work

Godrej DEI Lab, the diversity, equity, and inclusion arm of the Godrej Industries Group, has brought back India Included on Campus, a unique DEI-focused case study competition, for its second edition. After an exciting inaugural season that saw IIM Trichy emerge as the winning team, the campus roadshow returns to the institute with an opportunity for a new cohort of students to take on one of the workplace’s most pressing talent challenges. This year's case study challenge focuses on women’s returnship programmes, inviting students to develop practical solutions to help women return to the workforce after a career break for marriage, motherhood, or caregiving responsibilities. 

A recent study, The Missing Half, 2026, found that 74% of educated women in India have taken a career break at some point in their careers. Yet, structured pathways for experienced women to re-enter the workforce remain limited, making returnships an increasingly important part of the talent conversation for organisations. The challenge aims to encourage students to look at how organisations can create pathways that support women through different stages of their careers and broadly work on an approach to building diverse workplaces. 

Parmesh Shahani, Head, Godrej DEI Lab and author of Queeristan, said: "We cannot talk about women’s participation in the workforce without addressing what happens when careers take a different path. Whether due to motherhood, caregiving responsibilities, or other life transitions, a career break should not become a barrier to meaningful employment. At Godrej Industries, we are rethinking how returnship programmes can better support women re-entering the workforce, through initiatives such as our research collaboration with CEDA at Ashoka University and broader efforts to create pathways that enable women to return with confidence and purpose. India Included on Campus is another important step in that journey. It gives young minds an opportunity to engage with a real workforce challenge, contribute fresh perspectives, and help shape more inclusive workplaces for the future. Returning to Trichy this year is especially meaningful, as it builds on the momentum of last year’s edition, where IIM Trichy emerged as the inaugural champions. We are excited to continue the conversation and inspire the next generation to drive change."

India Included on Campus Season 1, which was launched in 2025, had students from IIM Trichy, IIM Lucknow, IIM Mumbai, and SIBM Pune working on women’s inclusion and attrition in the workplace. IIM Trichy emerged as the winner for its research-driven case study on strengthening gender inclusivity at Godrej Agrovet. Building on the inaugural edition, Season 2 expands the initiative to a wider group of management students, with the challenge focusing on how organisations can rethink career continuity for women.

The winning team will receive a cash prize of INR 1,00,000, while finalists will get an opportunity to interact with senior Godrej leadership.