Cairn Oil & Gas, part of the Vedanta Group and India’s largest private oil and gas exploration and production company, has been recognised as one of the Top 10 Best Companies for Women in India (BCWI) 2025 at the 10th edition of the Avtar & Seramount annual awards. Released by workplace culture consulting and inclusion solutions company Avtar, the Best Companies for Women in India 2025 study drew participation from over 350 companies, each employing more than 500 people.
The evaluation encompassed key areas, including gender diversity, the recruitment and retention of women, leadership parity, workplace culture, safety, and parental support policies. Now in its tenth year, the BCWI remains India’s most extensive and trusted benchmarking study on gender inclusion in the workplace.
Cairn Oil & Gas: Promoting gender inclusion in India’s energy sector
Oil and gas have traditionally been one of the most male-dominated industries, both in India and globally. Women account for only about 22% of the global workforce in this field. In leadership, women hold around 12% of senior roles, and only 8% of board positions. In India, women are barely 2% of the sector’s total workforce. Long shifts, gender bias, remote field locations, and limited flexibility have made the industry difficult for women to enter and grow within. However, Cairn Oil & Gas is setting a new example for the industry.
Cairn Oil & Gas, India’s largest private oil and gas exploration and production company, contributes nearly a quarter of the nation’s domestic crude. Beyond its role in energy security, Cairn has focused on transforming its workplace culture to attract and retain women professionals.
The representation of women at Cairn
Today, approximately one in five people at Cairn, or around 20%, are women. These numbers include women in operations, engineering, and decision-making roles. Looking ahead, Cairn aims to increase women’s representation to 30% in leadership and 50% across technical and operational roles.
The company has introduced several targeted initiatives. Some of these include the Women’s Retention and Advancement Program, flexible work arrangements, leadership development programs, and ongoing cultural sensitivity training. The idea is to create an inclusive and respectful work environment. These measures aim to support women across different stages of their careers. Moreover, these initiatives ensure equal opportunities in both technical and leadership roles.
Speaking at the award event, Subhadeep Khan, Chief Human Resources Officer, Cairn Oil & Gas, said:
Diversity, Inclusivity and Equity are the cornerstones of our innovation and testimony of our people-first culture. At Cairn, we are committed to leading the transformation of the oil and gas industry that has been traditionally a male-dominated field.
Cairn Oil & Gas takes an award-winning approach to workforce empowerment
In addition to being named one of India’s Top 10 Best Companies for Women 2025, Cairn Oil & Gas also achieved a hat-trick at the Brandon Hall Group™ HCM Excellence Award® 2025 for learning and development. The awards recognised Cairn’s innovative, employee-focused programs with three gold, one silver, and one bronze. It highlights the company’s commitment to empowering its workforce.
Cairn’s learning initiatives aim to build skills, leadership, and opportunity at every level. The Cairn Learning Expedition exposes key talent to global best practices. At the same time, the RISER program develops deep technical expertise for engineers and geoscientists, with over 350 graduates achieving international certifications in the past three years. Early-career employees benefit from the Step Up-Fixed Step program. It is a structured three-year program combining technical training, mentoring, and practical assessments.
What about the new hires?
For new campus hires, the BOLD (Barrels of Learning per Day) program provides induction, technical workshops, and hands-on exposure to industry best practices in health, safety, and quality. Leadership development continues through programs like CAP-el (Cairn Accelerator Program for Emerging Leaders), CLIMB-e (Cairn Leadership Initiative for Managerial and Business Excellence), and Zenith executive coaching, which support growth, technical mastery, and holistic organisational development.
Through these initiatives, Cairn demonstrates that inclusion, skill-building, and people-focused learning create an empowering workplace. By investing in its employees, the company ensures they have the tools, guidance, and opportunities to reach their full potential.
A decade of progress in gender-inclusive workplaces
The Best Companies for Women in India (BCWI) celebrates its tenth anniversary. The initiative continues to highlight organisations that create workplaces where women can thrive and succeed. Each year, Avtar and Seramount identify companies that go beyond policies and actively create environments rooted in equity, safety, and opportunity. These companies, such as Cairn Oil & Gas, have steadily improved inclusion. They are doing it through thoughtful leadership, flexible work practices, and positive changes in their workplace culture.
The 2025 Avtar and Seramount Top 10 Best Companies for Women in India, listed here in alphabetical order, include Accenture Solutions Private Limited, AXA XL India Business Services Pvt. Ltd, Cairn Oil and Gas Vedanta Limited, EY, KPMG in India, Mastercard Incorporation, Optum Global Solutions (India) Private Limited, Procter & Gamble India, Tech Mahindra Limited and Wipro Limited.
Reflecting on the decade-long journey, Dr Saundarya Rajesh, Founder and President of Avtar, noted:
Women’s representation across the best companies has improved from 25% in 2016 to 35.7% in 2025. At the leadership level, women now make up 20% of C-suite positions, compared to 13% a decade ago. What’s truly encouraging is that these efforts extend beyond multinational corporations. Moreover, the share of Indian companies featured in the Best Companies listing has grown from 25% in 2021 to 40% this year.
Cairn Oil & Gas: Redefining inclusion in India’s energy future
The journey at Cairn Oil and Gas Vedanta Limited shows that inclusion is not just a policy but a continuous commitment to creating a workplace. It is about creating a workplace where talent is nurtured, employees receive ongoing upskilling, and careers can flourish. The Best Companies for Women in India study highlights a decade of progress across sectors. It shows that organisations can grow both representation and leadership opportunities when they prioritise inclusion.
Cairn sets a clear example for other companies in traditionally male-dominated industries. It demonstrates that a sustained focus on inclusion and people-first practices fosters workplaces where women can thrive, lead, and drive meaningful change.
Changeincontent perspective
Cairn Oil & Gas represents more than a corporate success story. This story signals a cultural shift in India’s energy landscape. At a time when women constitute barely 2% of the nation’s oil and gas workforce, Cairn’s people-first approach stands out as a model for inclusion. It is a model that extends beyond boardrooms and HR manuals.
By embedding gender parity into technical roles, leadership development, and on-ground operations, the company is quietly redefining what representation looks like in high-impact industries. True inclusion is not achieved solely through numbers, but through intent, and Cairn is proving that inclusive intent can lead to measurable progress.
Also Read: Avtar BCWI Study 2025: How India’s Best Companies Are Empowering Women at Work.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are based on the writer’s insights, supported by data and resources available both online and offline, as applicable. Changeincontent.com is committed to promoting inclusivity across all forms of content. We broadly define inclusivity as media, policies, law, and history. It encompasses all elements that influence the lives of women and marginalised individuals. Our goal is to promote understanding and advocate for comprehensive inclusivity.
