Kochi: Prayaana Labs’ Comeback to Career (C2C) Meet held on September 28 at Calicut Paragon Hotel, Al Karama, Dubai became a gateway for qualified women to get back on the path to reviving their careers after a hiatus. The event was organized by Prayaana Labs, a unique employability, entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem for women, co-powered by SHE, the women’s division of CCCI, Dubai. The event was an enchanting presence of nine resourceful mentors to guide participants who find it difficult to restart their careers after a break due to maternity or family needs. Being the backbone of this initiative to empower women Chandra Vadhana, CEO and Chief Mentor, Prayaana Labs set the context for C2C by focussing on the importance of creating a “women-centric career-oriented culture” quoting experiences from her own professional and personal life. Vinaya Ambadi, Chairperson, SHE Dubai chapter and CEO, Mudra Events LLC welcomed the gathering. Naveen Shetty, HR Specialist, Electronic Government Authority, RAK was the first keynote speaker of the meet who shared his view on the challenges faced and strategies to be adopted by a woman in climbing the corporate ladder. He quoted the examples of his own female colleagues. The keynoter Sameena Khanam, Senior Manager, PR and Communication, Zulekha Healthcare Group, UAE spoke on the topic ‘Choosing a career rightly, especially after a break’ and inspired the attendees by detailing the simple ways to keep oneself career-oriented on a routine basis. She also highlighted the importance of self-admiration and respecting others the way they are. The main draw of the second phase of the meet was a panel discussion consisting of excellent speakers moderated by an enthusiastic Romita Ghosh, MD, Admirus Marksol, India. The topic of the discussion was ‘Setting up a career; Available options, Industry support, Start-up support, Ideas’. Vinaya spoke about the importance of multitasking whereas Sameena suggested ideas for women to make money at home. Being the HR delegate of the panel, Roschelle Poppen, HR Business Partner Aspen Pharma, Dubai drew the attention of the participants to the importance of customising their profile and cover letter based on which position they were applying for. She also spoke about the present corporate policies exclusively meant to hire women or mothers. Divya Puri, Global Human Resource Manager, Intertec Systems, Dubai suggested that finding time to learn and keep oneself updated is a long-term investment especially for a career re-entry. Sabrina Saures, Client Director, Profusion, UAE talked about how she dealt with an identity crisis when she became a mother. Her insights on networking and keeping abreast of latest technologies by attending online courses or trainings took the discussion to the next level. Harish Kotra, Hackathons Specialist, Head of Technology, Tech Evangelist, India emphasised how one can use the online media to showcase talent or skill to others. His views on women as good multi-taskers, listeners and organizers was well-appreciated by the audience. The concluding presentation of the C2C meet turned out to be the most interesting part of the event where Chandra Vadhana shared future plans that Prayaana had for Dubai and how it would help women looking to kickstart their careers again could do so through a fellowship programme.