Shoolini University has won the 2026 International Coaching Federation (ICF) Coaching Impact Award for Project Pragati, an initiative supporting rural women through coaching and entrepreneurship. It received the Distinguished Coaching Catalyst award in the Social Impact category.
The award recognised the university’s work in helping women build confidence, make informed decisions and develop locally rooted micro-enterprises. Project Pragati brought together professional coaches, student mentors and 27 rural women to identify livelihood options and work towards greater economic independence.
The programme followed a three-part model. Professional ICF coaches, known as ‘Saarthis’, provided individual coaching, while students and mentors, called ‘Sahyogis’, offered guidance and enterprise support. The rural women, known as ‘Sakhis’, shaped the programme through their aspirations and business ideas.
The initiative was led by the university’s Centre for Leadership Coaching (CLC), headed by Prof Payal Khanna, under the leadership of Vice Chancellor Prof Atul Khosla. Since 2021, the Centre’s coaching network has reached over 1,400 students through 369 coaches across 22 countries. It has also extended coaching to underserved communities.
Prof Atul Khosla described the award as a proud moment for the university. “Through Project Pragati, we support women in the communities around us as they build confidence and work towards financial independence. Universities have a responsibility to contribute beyond the classroom. This award recognises the work our coaches, students and mentors have done alongside these women,” he said.
Prof Payal Khanna credited the women, coaches, mentors, and the university with the recognition. “The finalist recognition initially carried my name; the final award carries the name of Shoolini University – Project Pragati. That change means a great deal because this work was never mine alone. It belongs to the 27 women who believed in what they could achieve, the coaches and mentors who supported them, and the institution that made the programme possible,” she said.
The 2026 ICF Coaching Impact Awards recognised contributions across four categories: Coaches, Coaching Education, Organisations and Social Impact. Alongside Shoolini’s Distinguished Coaching Catalyst award, Argentina-based Fundación Multipolar’s ‘Coaching en Zapatillas’ received the Emerging Coaching Catalyst recognition in the Social Impact category.
The award celebrations took place in Lisbon, Portugal, in October 2026.
9 October 2026