Tell us a about yourself, your background and what you do currently
I am currently the CEO at Radio City, a Pvt. FM network in India and have been working in the media and entertainment space for the last 25 years. For a large part of my career I have run the organizations like Zee TV, Zoom TV and Lodestar Media, since I became a business head at the relatively young age of 29. I met my husband at college, we’ve been married for 25 years and he currently heads Levis Strauss in India. We have a 20 year old son. I live in Bangalore and work out of Mumbai.
many women cannot cope with the pressures and leave mid-way through the careers, causing serious talent issues in organizations
Tell us about any current projects or initiatives you wish to promote
Since there are such few women at senior leadership roles in India, a few years ago I got involved, almost serendipitously, in various opportunities of providing formal and informal mentoring to young women.
I realized after talking to many women that they want to lead a life on their own terms which does not call for a compromise of either their work or home life, however don’t have a clue how to manage to make a success of both. As a result many women cannot cope with the pressures and leave mid-way through the careers, causing serious talent issues in organizations and long term harm to themselves. This got me interested in giving talks at various events on this theme and helping them arrive at solutions. Which finally culminated into a book “Lady You’re Not A Man – The Adventures of a Woman at Work”
I am currently focused on spreading this message of encouragement so that more and more women recognize that they are not alone in wishing to find a balance . Many of us have attempted and found solutions to the universal problems we all share and this inspires them not to give up half way through their career!
What has been your biggest challenge in achieving your success?
There is no single challenge that comes to mind, but overall I would say that the effort to stay constantly focused and committed to having a successful career though these 25 years in a high pressure job without getting bogged down by either the stresses of the job or of the various pulls that come with having a family has been the big challenge.
What has been your greatest achievement personally?
I would say that my biggest achievement would be that wherever I have worked, I have made a difference to both the organization and the people around me. Whether it was as a trainee or as a CEO I have constantly added value to businesses and people. For example, apart from building Radio City from scratch into one of the leaders in the FM business and creating a profitable enterprise out of it, I have also ensured that it is the best place in which to work in the Media industry.
I do get inspired by the ladies who travel to work every morning on the local trains in Mumbai; who manage their homes, husbands and children single-handedly
If you weren’t doing what you do now, what would you be doing?
I can’t imagine myself doing anything but run organizations since I have no other talents J. Possibly writing and becoming an inspirational speaker?
Who has been your biggest inspiration?
I don’t believe in role-models but I do get inspired by the ladies who travel to work every morning on the local trains in Mumbai; who manage their homes, husbands and children single-handedly; who cut vegetables on their way back, get ready to cook dinner and once again repeat this cycle daily!
What does the future hold for you?
I hope interesting challenges and an ability to keep influencing more men and women in a positive manner!
To find out more, visit her website here
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