New Delhi, November 08, 2022: The Mahindra Group signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support women’s economic empowerment in India.

This two-year MOU marks a significant step towards achieving the Mahindra Group’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) commitment of impacting one million women annually from 2026.

The Mahindra Group, a global leader in ESG, envisions this partnership to act as a catalyst to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal (5) on gender equality in India.

The MoU was signed by Dr Anish Shah, Managing Director and CEO, Mahindra Group and Mr Hari Menon, Director, India Country Office, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The partnership will work in the area of gender equality, focused on programs enabling women’s economic empowerment which are targeted towards underprivileged women. The scope will entail both organisations collaborating on joint programs and with key stakeholders such as the government, institutions, NGOs, corporates, etc.

Sharing his views, Dr Anish Shah, Managing Director and CEO, Mahindra Group said, “We are delighted that we have found a liked-minded partner in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to further our joint vision to empower one million women annually. This partnership is core to our Rise philosophy of driving positive change in the lives of our communities. Together, we will create a collaborative platform that will provide holistic solutions to underprivileged women across the country leveraging the power of technology, enabling us to Rise for a more equal world”.

Mr Hari Menon, Director, India Country Office, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation said, “We are glad to partner with the Mahindra Group to advance our shared objective of accelerating progress towards India’s national vision for gender equality and women’s economic empowerment. It is exciting to see the ambitious goals of this partnership towards increasing women’s workforce participation and building greater empowerment, in the economy and in society.”

Under this MoU, both organisations will work jointly to undertake research and analysis, implement programs, and measure outcomes, focused on advancing women's empowerment. Women’s empowerment is at the core of bringing about gender equality, poverty eradication, and inclusive economic growth.