On 22nd May 2020, Jahnabi Phookan was appointed as the 37th National President of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) Ladies Organization (FLO). She took over the position from Harjinder Kaur Talwar at the 36th FLO session in the presence of Om Birla, Lok Sabha Speaker. She was the founder member and founder Vice Chairperson of FLO North East chapter in 2007.
FICCI FLO:
i.FLO is the oldest women-led and -focused business chamber of Southeast Asia and the Women’s wing of the apex chamber FICCI.
ii.FICCI FLO represents more than 8000 women entrepreneurs and professionals across 17 chapters across India(Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kanpur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Mumbai, Northeast, Pune and Uttarakhand) For more than 37 years of experience, FLO promotes economic empowerment and equality in opportunity for women.
iii.The Objective of FLO is to encourage women to promote their talents, skills, experience and energies in many sectors.
Key Points:
i.Jahnabi Phookan, was working to empower women with entrepreneurship capabilities and excellence in profession and enable them to face new challenges and increase opportunities.
ii.She worked for the women weavers of Assam and since 2014, she runs her own signature line as Tribal Heritage and Lahe Looms.
iii.She was the co-founder of Jungle Travels India (JTI, 1989) and Assam Bengal Navigation Company in the field of hospitality and travel.
iv.From 2012 she was a member of National Board of Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship and Skill under the Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Skill Development
v.Phookan with her partner in 2008 started a platform ‘KONYAK’ for artisans and weavers of Northeast India with a collection of handlooms, handicrafts and artefacts of the region.
Highlights and achievements:
i.She was an alumnus of Calcutta University and Indian Institute of Mass Communication(IIMC) and US Government Exchange Program.
ii.She initiated the ‘Iconic Women of Northeast’ Award to honour five women across diverse genres in Northeast overcoming difficulties to achieve their dreams.Ms Phookan is also a member of the National Board of Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE) now under the Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Skill Development, since 2012.
iii.She received the FLO Outstanding Women Achievers Award in December 2013. Doctorate of Letters (D.Litt.) Honoris Causa by Assam Downtown University in 2018 for her outstanding work and contribution in eco-tourism and women empowerment.
About FLO:
President – Jahnabi Phookan
Sr. Vice-President – Ujjwala Singhania
Executive Director – Rashmi Sarita
Established in – 1983
Head Office – New Delhi