Tata Steel Announces Winners of ‘Women of Mettle’ Season 9, Honours India’s Young Women Engineers
Chandigarh, October 11, 2025: Tata Steel today announced the winners of Season 9 of ‘Women of Mettle’, a flagship scholarship programme aimed at increasing the participation of young women in India’s manufacturing workforce. This edition of the competition received over 3,300 registrations from more than 55 premier technical institutions across the country.
Swarnima Patel from IIT Roorkee was declared the winner; Shrishti Shreya from NIT Jamshedpur bagged the first runner-up position, and Diya Adiga from ISM Dhanbad secured the second runner-up spot. The theme of this season was “Leading the Future – Operational Excellence meets Emerging Technology.”
The 3-member jury from Tata Steel that adjudicated this year’s competition comprised Sandeep Kumar, Vice President, Raw Materials; Padmapal, Chief Blast Furnaces, and Jaya Singh Panda, Chief Learning & Development and Chief Diversity Officer.
Congratulating the winners and the participants, Sandeep Kumar, Vice President – Raw Materials, Tata Steel, said: “Season 9 of Women of Mettle has once again shown the incredible creativity and determination of young women engineers. These youngsters are not just solving technical challenges—they are getting moulded to shape the future of manufacturing in India. Tata Steel is proud to provide a platform where talent meets opportunity, mentorship fuels innovation, and the next generation of leaders receive hands-on experience in building a smarter, more inclusive industry.”
Participants registered either individually or in teams of two. Out of 2,600+ teams—a 10% increase from last year—the top 50 teams were shortlisted based on cognitive and domain expertise covering mechanical, electrical, metallurgy, mining, and other areas.
Selected 50 teams spent a month working on projects under the guidance of Tata Steel mentors. A pre-finale round reviewed detailed case-study presentations, from which 10 teams advanced to the Grand Finale. The Grand Finale was live-streamed on YouTube, enabling wider visibility of the students’ efforts.
The top 10 teams received ₹2,00,000 each along with opportunities to join Tata Steel as Technical Interns and to receive Pre-Placement Offers. Teams ranked 11-50 are eligible for summer internships and pre-placement interviews, subject to eligibility.
‘Women Of Mettle’ provides young minds with exposure to cross-functional challenges, mentorship from senior leaders, and real-world industrial problem-solving. Alongside this initiative, Tata Steel also runs ‘QUEERious’ for the LGBTQIA+ community and ‘Ananta Quest’ for persons with disabilities, reflecting its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Through these initiatives, Tata Steel continues to connect students and academia, offering India’s brightest young talent the opportunity to shape the future of manufacturing.