Women’s Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WICCI) has announced the launch of a Financial Literacy and Management Council (FLMC) under the leadership of Ms. Nita Menezes, Founder and CEO of Financially Smart &MoneyPrastha.
Ms. Nita Menezes will lead the council as the National President. She will be assisted by her National Vice President Ms. Bharti Athray, her National Council Members and State Heads spread across the country. The Council is established with a mission to spread financial literacy amongst women and empower them to make financial decisions.
Nita brings over 3 decades of experience in diverse fields as a financial mentor and coach. She is passionate about financial literacy and is on a mission to make the complex- “Simple”, empowering 1 million individuals, especially women globally to make smart financial choices.
Nita Menezes commenting on the launch of the WICCI Financial Literacy and Management Council said, “When it comes to global financial literacy, 70% of women are illiterate compared with 65% of men. In India, the gap is wider, with 80% of women compared with 73% men, according to the Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services Global Financial Literacy Survey 2015.These Statistics were an eye-opener.
Over the years, women have made awesome progress in various economic aspects. However, they still trail men when it comes to financial literacy.
Financial literacy is the combination of financial awareness, knowledge, attitude, skills,behaviour and tools which are necessary to make sound and informed financial decisions.Be it an emergency,unforeseen circumstances or unfortunate events, financial literacy is the key ingredient that helps any individual build your life on your terms.I truly believe that if we want to build an equitable world where everyone has the freedom to dream, work and feel financially secure then we all need to have more money conversations and ensure we have financial literacy from the grass root level which is children and women.That’s why I decided to start the Financial Literacy and Management Council.”
Though we have progressed towards a modern society, and budgeting &money management comes naturally to women, they shy away from making financial decisions due to lack of sufficient financial knowledge. Further, the lack of financial literacy is not restricted to rural women. Urban women earning good salaries also lack financial literacy and depend on their fathers or husbands for investment decisions. Thus, it is crucial for women to start educating themselves about savings, investments, and financial planning.
The Council aims to fulfil its mission by
1. Improving the financial wellness of women through communities.
2. Introducing financial literacy as a curriculum in schools.
The key focus areas of the council will be to
1. Host local and national events, upskilling online and offline workshops, and seminarsto empowerwomen to take independent financial decisions for themselves, their businesses and families.
2. Build networking platforms for women to empower peer to peer learning and manage their finances better;
3. Mentoring women entrepreneurs and professionals to lead financial conversations in their organisations.
4. Support the government’s initiative of making Indian women and youth to be truly “AtmaNirbhar”.
The WICCI Financial Literacy and Management Council comprises Academicians, Content Strategists, Digital marketers, Content Creators, Financial Experts, Coaches and Trainers. The tenure of this appointment is with immediate effect until the end of Dec 2022and is extendable with mutual consent.
Members of the National Council
Nita Menezes, National President, Founder & CEO, Financially Smart & MoneyPrastha
Bharti Athray, National Vice President, Partner – Creative at Source Graphix
Aishwarya Magesh, Co-Founder & COO AbleKart, Founder MER Careers and Mentor
Divya Shah, Brand Strategist, Content Marketing Strategist
Doli Bhanushali, Project Manager- Hridayam Soft Solutions Pvt. Ltd,new software project developments.
Dr. Ruby Bakshi Khurdi, Author: How to Engage Learners in VLE?Influencer, TEDxSpeaker, YouTuber, Expert Trainer, Women of Impact
Dr. Shunila Joy Chauhan, Principal, Witty International School
Fatema Agarkar, Founder at Agarkar Centre of Excellence (ACE)
Ginee Wadhawan, Founder, Daughters are Blessings Foundation (non profit), Mentor association, Cherie Blair Foundation, UK
Kavita Sanghavi, Principal, SVKM’s CNM School, Mumbai;
Monica Swamy, Certified Global Career Counsellor, University of California; ICF certified Life & Career Transition Coach.
Mugdha Kalra, Chief Content Strategist, Flyx Bakstage; Co Founder, Not That Different; BBC100Women 2021
Nabomita Mazumdar, Founder Nabomita.com, media tech platform, mulitple awards
Neetha Sanjay, ICF ACC Life & Career Coach, Mentor, Speaker, Author, Board Director Nonprofit (Past)
Niharikaa Naresh,Social Sector Specialist & Strategy Expert
Ritu Wason, Founder & CEO at Educrossroads Consulting
Sanaya Dhamodiwala,Communications expert, Designer, Branding & Social Media expert
Savitha Hosamane, Culture Creator, Author, Podcaster, Active Meditation Facilitator
Shalini Sankar, Winner of Corporate Excellence Award, Woman Leadership Award, Sales & Marketing Strategist
Sonya Dutta Choudhury, Journalist and the author of ‘Career Rules’, Founder of Sonya’s Book Box
Richa Pathak – Head -Digital Marketing – Founder at SEM , Digital Marketing Expert Helping Businesses Become Brand
Shweta Powar – Head – PR- Founder & CEO – ARIA Communications
Nominated State Presidents –
Dr. Parul Sharda, Head of Department (Management) at Indore Management Institute, Indore; Resource Person, Centre for Conflict Management
Dr. Svetlana Tatuskar – Ph.D, Masters in Commerce (Financial Management), Accounting Technician, (ICAI)
Lopamudra Priyadarshini, HR Professional with extensive experience with reputed financial organizations.
Nitu Mohanka, Registered Valuer (S&FA) and Chartered Accountant, Expertise in Business Valuation, Financial Modelling, Deal Advisory, Corporate Finance, Financial Planning and Accounting.
Premsai Samontoray, Leadership Trainer & Corporate Facilitator, Emotional Intelligence Specialist, NLP Master Practitioner, Certified Executive Coach, Director @Enhance Life Skill, Speaker, Youth Mentor
The Financial Literacy and Management Council expresses its gratitude to WICCI for giving us a platform, with special mention to Dr. Harbeen Arora Rai (Founder and National President, WICCI) and MsRitu Singh (Director General, WICCI) for their constant support, encouragement and guidance at every step to set up this council.
