Express Awards for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE)
The Express Awards for Women Entrepreneurs, currently in its fifth edition, is a unique endeavour that goes way beyond acknowledging and awarding achievers. Instituted by Financial Express, The Indian Express Group, it is backed by an iconic jury comprising; Zia Mody, co-founder & managing partner, AZB & Partners; Preetha Reddy, executive vice chairperson, Apollo Hospitals; Mallika Srinivasan, Managing Director, Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited; Anjali Bansal, Founder, Avaana Capital, and chaired by Deepak Parekh, India Inc.,’s finance veteran and former chairman of HDFC.
Each year, the jury members have enriched entrepreneurs with insights on matters that occupy the mind space of women entrepreneurs as they try to make sense of the informational cascade, deal with complex challenges and also many a time, the shroud of uncertainty disrupting market.
Objective
The objective is to recognise and honour women entrepreneurs, who have not just stood their ground, forged ahead but are today an inspiration to others. The factors that are considered most crucial include both tangible and intangible elements. Apart from the soundness of the business and its growth, factors that also matter include the governance within the organisation, the impact the entrepreneur and her enterprise has had, resilience and sustainability.
The Express Awards for Women Entrepreneurs or just ExpressAWE to some, has seen some incredible winners over the years with their entrepreneurial journeys that continue to inspire many budding and seasoned entrepreneurs (and yes, these are all inspirational stories that both women and men look up to).
CATEGORIES

Beauty & Personal Care

Education & Skill Development

Entertainment

Fashion

Finance

Health & Wellness

Hospitality

Legacy Entrepreneur

Lifestyle

Media

Newsmaker of the Year

Social Impact

Sustainability

Technology

Lifetime Achievement
Eligibility Criteria & Selection Process
The enterprises that have been operating successfully by women entrepreneurs for a period exceeding 8 years.
NOMINATION
SHORTLISTING
SELECTION
BY JURY

AWARDS
Entrepreneurs are nominated by subcommittee members, after which they undergo a comprehensive evaluation based on predetermined standards.

The subcommittee will proceed to select entrepreneurs who meet the criteria for inclusion on a shortlist for further consideration. Following this, the team will submit its shortlisted recommendations to the grand jury, along with detailed reports and justifications for each nominee.

Grand jury members conduct independent reviews and evaluations of each nominee and select winners under each category.

The winners are announced through an award ceremony.

Jury
Deepak Parekh
Chairman,
HDFC Asset Management Company Ltd
and Former Chairman,
HDFC Ltd
Preetha Reddy
Vice Chairperson,
Apollo Hospitals
Zia Mody
Co-Founder and
Managing Partner,
AZB & Partners
Anjali Bansal
Founder,
Avaana Capital
Mallika Srinivasan
Managing Director,
Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited
Winners










Photo Gallery
Video Gallery
Partners
Presenting Partner

Gravittus Foundation
Gravittus Foundation implemented different projects. Under Dental project,completed Dental check-up of 72,823 children from 311 pune municipal corporation schools.Under Eye Project, Eye screening of total 78,298 students from 307 PMC schools were completed. Spectacles were provided and Eye surgeries were performed successfully.
Gravittus Foundation runs awareness campaign called ‘Safe touch unsafe touch project.’ Objective of the project is to spread the awareness related to Safe touch – Unsafe touch amongst school children studying from preschool to 10th std. and to understand issues related to the security of these children. Safe touch – Unsafe touch is an important issue for every children right from childhood to the onstage of teenage. Safe touch Unsafe touch project aims to cover total 6 lakh students from 1000 private as well as public schools all over Pune, Pimpri-chinchwad and ZP area. Till date, total 5,63,535 children from 1,432 schools covered under this project.
Gravittus Foundation is running project in association with UNICEF for ‘Child rights Advocates’ project and Roundtable conference in association with UNICEF also organized every year. With Mpower, a mental health initiative of the Aditya Birla Education Trust, collaboration with gravittus foundation for child counseling cells project.
Urja Awards initiated with a view to recognize and felicitate people who have brought about a positive change in the society. Some of the dignitaries include legendary singer Ms.Asha Bhosle,Ms. Pratibhatai Patil,former President of India; Ms.Tina Ambani-Chairperson,Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital; Ms.Amruta Fadanvis -Vice President- Axis Bank; Mr. Harsh Goenka - Chairman of RPG Group; Ms.Rajashree Birla – Chairperson, Aditya Birla Centre For Community Initiative & Rural Development, Ms. Gauri Khan - Film Producer and Designer;Mr. Adar Poonawalla - CEO of Serum Institute of India.
Co-presented by

World Trade Center Mumbai
Established in 1970, World Trade Center Mumbai (WTC Mumbai) is one of India’s leading trade promotion organisations and a member of the World Trade Centers Association (WTCA), New York. As a not-for-profit institution, WTC Mumbai is committed to advancing India’s international trade, investment and industrial growth through knowledge-led initiatives, global collaborations and business connectivity.
WTC Mumbai supports its affiliated World Trade Centers across India, including World Trade Center Bhubaneswar, World Trade Center Jaipur and World Trade Center Goa, thereby strengthening regional trade ecosystems and expanding global market linkages for businesses across these key economic hubs.
WTC Mumbai is led by its Chairman, Dr. Vijay G Kalantri, a distinguished trade and industry leader with decades of experience in international business, policy advocacy and institutional development. He also serves as a Board Director of the World Trade Centers Association, New York, contributing to the strategic direction of the global WTCA network spanning over 300 World Trade Centers across nearly 100 countries. Under his leadership, WTC Mumbai has strengthened its role as a premier platform for global trade facilitation, policy dialogue and international economic cooperation.
Research and Policy Advocacy form the foundation of WTC Mumbai’s work. The organisation undertakes trade and market research, sectoral studies and policy-oriented analysis to generate actionable insights on global trade trends, regulatory frameworks and emerging opportunities, supporting informed decision-making by businesses and stakeholders. Building on this knowledge base, WTC Mumbai drives international trade promotion through focused B2B and B2G engagements, buyer–seller meets, investment dialogues and inbound and outbound business delegations. Its strong linkages with international partners enable meaningful cross-border market access and collaboration.
Through its Institute, WTC Mumbai delivers capacity-building and executive education programmes aimed at enhancing global trade competencies, regulatory awareness and industry readiness. Complementing this, sector-focused Centers of Excellence promote thought leadership, innovation and best practices in priority industries by bringing together industry, academia and policymakers.
WTC Mumbai further supports entrepreneurship and innovation through its incubator and accelerator programmes, providing startups and growth-stage enterprises with mentorship, investor connect, market access and global exposure. Underpinning all these initiatives is WTC Mumbai’s extensive and diverse network of companies across manufacturing, services, technology, MSMEs, startups, exporters, importers and industry associations. This enables the organisation to facilitate highly focused and outcome-oriented B2B engagements, aligned with the strategic interests of participating companies. WTC Mumbai actively collaborates with international trade and investment agencies, chambers of commerce, industry bodies and government-linked organisations to strengthen bilateral and multilateral economic engagement.
Associate Partner

Runwal Realty: Shaping Mumbai’s Skyline Since 1978
Established in 1978, Runwal Realty is one of Mumbai’s leading real estate developers, with over 50 landmark projects and 35,000+ happy families. Its diverse portfolio spans premium residences, integrated townships, retail destinations like R City and R Mall, and a growing commercial presence marked by marquee deals. The company is known for quality, innovation, and customer-centricity. With a proven track record, visionary leadership, and an ambitious roadmap for the future, Runwal Realty is shaping not just buildings, but lifestyles for generations to come.

























