Most often, we have come across articles and surveys reflecting on the lack of industry-specific skills amongst the graduating scholars and budding professionals, leading to a rise in the rate of unemployment. After envisaging the plight of students, especially the women in figuring out their careers, Anupama Ramteke came forward along with two other industry stalwarts, Hiren Kulkarni and Raghunath Giliyaru to lay the foundation of a unique learning platform – Mahika. Helping young women become self-reliant by giving them a head start in their careers, Mahika has emerged as India's first integrated digital learning & placement platform exclusively for women in the white-collar job sector. Holding an MBA in Hospitality Management and a Post-graduation degree in Human Resources from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Anupama started her journey as an HR Professional and has always been certain about exploring the nuances of the corporate sector. After gaining prolific expertise across the distinctive functionalities of Learning & Organizational Development, it was Anupama’s passion that paved her path as a new-age entrepreneur. With a notion to improve the employability and diversity ratio in the corporate sector by escalating more opportunities for budding women professionals, Anupama is pragmatically engaged along with her team of creative phenomena to navigate Mahika to greater summits.

Anupama engages in an exclusive interaction with the Women Entrepreneur magazine.

As one of the co-founders of the organization, what are the different roles and responsibilities that you have to handle on an everyday basis, and what are some of the most pressing business challenges that you face?

My role is primarily comprised of talent acquisition. Promoting Mahika to both urban and rural women in the country, we are doing preliminarily functioning in the state of Maharashtra. We've been meeting and presenting to women students of various universities and colleges and talking about the opportunities in the white-collar job sector. My work portfolio also encompasses building course content and overlooking the Marketing vertical.

According to data, we have more women passing out colleges every year than men. However, we see only 30-35% women joining the corporate sector at the entry level. While the industry is facing both employability and diversity issues, the educated woman of this country is either compromising on doing a low-paying job in unorganized sector or giving up on her dreams due to societal pressure.

The most common challenge that we are currently facing is the lack of awareness in terms of the industry scenario, the job opportunities, pay scale, perks, incentives, the life after joining a corporate sector, and so on. After we have crossed this barrier, I think it will be a bit easier for us to create more demand on our platform. Our mission is to have all women on a single platform, that exclusively addresses the nuances of their career-related aspects. It's a mammoth vision and taking one step at a time, we are currently focusing on women in Maharashtra to conduct awareness sessions and get them registered on the platform.

“Our mission is to have all women on a single platform, that exclusively addresses the nuances of their career related aspects”

Share some of the most significant milestones that you have achieved till now?

In my previous organization, Infinx Healthcare, I rationally engaged to train more than 200 managers including both men and women to take them to the next level of leadership. This was one of my biggest achievements so far. Taking a restricted focus on women's development, I was successful in achieving the learning & organizational development objectives of the organization right from scratch. I have seen the company grow from 350 employees to 4000 employees, and I have experienced every day of it. I have always promotedan ecosystem of learning and development within the organization by conducting engagement programs, leadership assignments and learning festivals. The whole organization, to a great extent, understood the importance of creating a learning culture and it is no less than a milestone for me. I have been awarded for my contribution to the HR, L&OD segment as an experienced industry professional spearheading the organization.

What has been the driving force behind your success as a business leader?

Starting from my parents to teachers and mentors, I think I have got a lot many great people in my life, who have supported and inspired me throughout my journey. I have understood that nothing is possible without hard work and passion. To achieve your purpose, you need to put your heart and soul into whatever you do. As a professional, I thrive to keep a balance between my logical and creative mind in order to achieve my goals. For seven years now, I have been studying Arthashastra under the mentorship of Rajesh Kamath and implementing its leadership and management concepts in my personal as well as professional life. It has been a game-changer in my life since it helps me in becoming a better human being and a better leader.

What sort of impact has Mahika created in the industry so far? What is your vision for the platform’s growth going forward?

Our endeavour is to make every woman of this country self-reliant. Within a short period of time since its launch, more than 5000 young women have registered on our platform and are undergoing pre-hire prep course. Very soon they will be placed in reputed companies as white-collar employees.

We want to continue with our efforts to reach every woman of this country, make her employable and provide job opportunities so that she can make a living for herself, become financially independent and support herself and her family. We are here to enable these women to build a career for themselves by creating aspirations in their minds and by showing them the right path. We want to build a community of women who will take the nation forward.

Drawing from your experience as a successful business leader, what would your advice be to young women and girls who also aspire to become business leaders and entrepreneurs in the future?

Based on my personal experience and the purpose for which I am working, I would advise them to be curious and open to opportunities. Young women must follow their role-models, seek a mentor who will guide them on the right path and be open to new opportunities. No woman should ever give-up on her dreams. Failures and struggles are part of everyone’s life but if you have the hunger to do something great in your life, no one can stop you. Face the challenges and move ahead.

Anupama Ramteke, Co-Founder, Mahika

A creative, self-driven and performance-oriented phenomenon with a deep passion for developing people, business and nation, Anupama holds more than 12 years of experience in learning & organizational development initiatives for women, managers & leadership team.