As an organisation, we are committed to enhancing the representation of women in frontline roles – a sector traditionally dominated by cisgender men. Women in these positions have consistently demonstrated strong professional skills while engaging with customers. To support the skills that our women employees bring with them, we launched “WINGS – Where Dreams Take Flight,” which is a programme designed to facilitate their career growth within our organisation.
Over the last three years, through our targeted recruitment initiatives within our flagship programmes, our diversity representation of women and people with disabilities has reached 48% in the Gallop programme and 49% in the Gurukul programme, the Group’s major campus hiring initiatives.
As first movers in the frozen food industry, we welcomed our inaugural WINGS batch at GFL in April 2024. Our journey with this team has generated for us valuable business insights, enhanced sales performances, and a stronger market presence. Building on this success, we recently welcomed the second batch with 12 enthusiastic sales trainees from across India.
We also organised a WINGS power workshop which included classroom sessions, market visits, and on-the-job training to prepare trainees for their future roles. Balram Singh Yadav, MD, Godrej Agrovet addressed and offered valuable career guidance to the trainees. Parmesh Shahani, Head, Godrej DEI Lab and Megha Goel, CHRO, Godrej Properties Limited shared their insights on DEI in the workplace and the work that must be done to build on it. Ahana Gautam, CEO, Open Secret vividly shared how she navigated her entrepreneurial journey as a woman in the industry and further discussed why career ownership matters and must be a priority for any woman.
Through WINGS, GFL remains keen on making our workplace conducive for women to flourish in.
On December 9th, 2024, we welcomed our first cohort of WINGS trainees at the Animal Feed division. This group of 10 talented women, all recent graduates with a B.Sc. in Agriculture, have joined us from diverse regions including Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. They even successfully completed an intensive fifteen day in-house training programme at our Tumkur Unit, gaining valuable insights about the animal feed sector.
The trainees are now undertaking a 30-day shadowing experience with seasoned sales team leads. Upon completing their shadowing stint, they will take up on-the-job assignments which will culminate in a final review. Based on their competence, these trainees will be formally appointed as Sales Officers, marking a significant moment in their professional journey.
7 Trainees converted to Sales Officers, and by February 2025, 11 more were appointed as Sales Officers. Further, 9 were shadowing and are now undergoing individual stints at Animal Feed.
On October 14th, 2024, Creamline Dairy Products Limited proudly launched the WINGS programme at Godrej Jersey. At CDPL, WINGS began with an extensive search – from over 400 students across 17 college campuses. Only the most talented made the cut, marking the start of an exciting chapter.
The first cohort of 12 dynamic sales trainees embarked on a two-week induction which included leadership interactions, classroom learning, and workshops. They were also introduced to field operations and manufacturing processes through on-site sessions. Building on this success, a second batch of 13 trainees joined shortly after, bringing fresh perspectives and enthusiasm to the programme.
Today, 22 ambitious sales trainees are on the ground, actively learning and training through a well-structured framework. Their journey includes one month of shadowing seasoned professionals, followed by two to three months of real-world projects to prepare them for their future roles. With frequent touchpoints, such as leadership interactions and regular project discussions, we work for their continuous growth and alignment with organisational goals.
At GAVL-OPP, we are committed to empowering the next generation of agri-business leaders through real-world training and mentorship, and the WINGS Agri-business Traineeship programme at GAVL-OPP is one such initiative through which we are making it happen.
We recently onboarded 14 women with a background in BSc, including Agriculture and Horticulture students from YSR Horticulture University, KL University, and Nuzvid Horticulture Diploma College. These trainees are gaining valuable on-site experience at the Extension Department. They are predominantly focusing on extension and nursery activities at our GAVL-OPP locations in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Through WINGS, our trainees are immersing themselves in the agri-business industry and acquiring essential skills that will shape their future careers.They are already making an impact, and we are prouder than ever to support their growth and career development.
Text and Image by GAVL’s DEI team
Through the WINGS sales trainee programme, we have been able to impact 124 women from 50+ campuses across 20 locations and 5 Godrej Agrovet businesses, addressing the shortage of women in agri-sector roles.