From an IIM graduate to a Wall Street banker and now Mrs Earth 2016, Priyana Khuana Goyal has had a truly remarkable journey. Given her presence within the corporate community in India, Priyanka has recently been shortlisted for the *‘50 most powerful women in India’ by world renowned Fortune magazine. She is regularly invited to judge fashion shows, pageants and speak to motivate youngsters.
Tell us about yourself, your background and what you do currently
I’m from New Delhi. I did my MBA in Finance from IIM Calcutta, and then was selected on the campus interview and went to London for my first job at Lehman brothers. After spending time there, I came back to India and got settled here. Now I work as Executive Director of Nomura Securities. I became Mrs India in 2015 and then won Mrs Earth in Jamaica! I love hearing from married women and others that I’m their role model. I believe nothing is impossible for a lady.
Tell us about any current projects or initiatives you wish to promote
I am happy that i can motivate people to achieve things they never thought possible. I regularly support Cancer patients through my shows and I always ensure the sponsors and organisers donate generously for this cause. I also support women only ventures as I believe female empowerment can make changes at the family level which is at the centre of a society and our nation.
What has been your biggest challenge in achieving your success?
I think women can achieve anything they want. Barriers are only in the mind. We need to have the will power and effort and then nothing will be impossible. I think we need to learn to prioritise things and with hard work, anything is possible. I went for the Mrs Earth contest after I had become a mother, but because I had focus and determination, I managed to achieve what I wanted to do.
What has been your greatest achievement personally?
For me, It is family first…before anything else. After I got married, my greatest achievement was when I became a mother.
If you weren’t doing what you do now, what would you be doing?
I would be doing something that keeps me intellectually stimulated and challenges my boundaries.
Who has been your biggest inspiration?
My son is my biggest inspiration. Everyday we learn from children. They teach us to keep trying new things, keep learning, discovering, smiling. My Mrs Earth title happened only because my child inspired me that the sky is the limit and that a new experience is more interesting than an old one. A child forgets bad occurrences almost immediately and keeps moving on and starts laughing soon after. In the same manner we should also leave the bitterness behind and move onto new and beautiful things that are in our life with a smile and an innocence.
What does the future hold for you?
I wish I had a crystal ball. But I do think that I’ve only just begun and the sky is the limit.
