Chennai: Swiggy (NSE: SWIGGY/BSE: 544285), India’s pioneering on-demand convenience platform, recently organized the 2026 edition of ‘She The Change’ in New Delhi. This flagship initiative, with the tagline ‘From Vision to Venture’, celebrates women who are redefining India’s culinary and business landscape.
The Chief Guest, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, along with Sriharsha Majety, Co-Founder, MD and Group CEO, Swiggy, felicitated 28 women from the F&B industry across two categories—Entrepreneur of the Year and Chef of the Year. These awards recognized their contributions to culinary innovation and business success.
The honorees included Akshaya Murali (Geetham Veg Restaurant) and Divya Parwani (Pind).
In 2012, Divya Parwani launched Pind in Chennai, recreating the warmth of a Punjabi pind (village)- offering guests the unique village experience- from food to decor. Divya strongly believes in empowering women and creating opportunities for them. At Pind, she has many women staff members — providing them a safe, supportive, and growth-oriented environment within the hospitality industry.
Geetham was started in 2022 with Akshaya’s father’s vision as the inspiration. It has since expanded to 19 outlets in Chennai, with Akshaya playing a key role in shaping the brand’s growth while preserving its founding values.
Talking about the same, Akshaya shared “Our journey has been strengthened by the support of Swiggy, who have helped us take our food beyond our outlets and into countless homes across the city. Their seamless delivery network allows us to share the same freshness, care, and quality we promise in-store, right at our customers’ doorsteps. More than just a delivery partner, they have been an important part of our growth – helping us reach more people, serve more moments, and carry our vision forward with consistency and trust.”
She The Change was a curated gathering of pioneers, disruptors, and visionaries from India’s food industry reinforcing Swiggy’s commitment to empowering women entrepreneurs in the F&B sector. Swiggy currently has 70,000 women-run restaurants on its platform, and as per internal estimates, these entrepreneurs are generating close to 4,20,000 jobs, with each restaurant employing an average of six direct employees