Having completed her Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) program from the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India and a PG Diploma in Business Administration (PGDBA) from the ICFAI Business School (IBS) Hyderabad, Vanitha boasts of a long career spanning close to three decades during which she has handled key financial functions at Raasi Finance & Investment Ltd. and Anjani Portland Cement Ltd., prior to joining Elico Ltd. She was the first Chairperson of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for Telangana in 2014 and since then has taken up many positions at the state, regional and national level. As a founding member of Divershefy, she works tirelessly to create opportunities for women on Boards and in C-Suites.
Women Entrepreneur interacted with Vanitha, where she shared insights about her leadership journey so far and the various facts of women entrepreneurship. Below are the excerpts from the exclusive interview.
How has your journey been so far as a women entrepreneur and a business leader?
My role has been evolving over the last three decades. I have had stints in operations, supply chain and marketing along with Finance and Human Resources. Currently, at the corporate level, I oversee strategy too. I have noticed a severe dearth of women representation across industries and business functions. I guess my passion for women empowerment has risen from these noticeable inequalities and biases. Very few women get the opportunity to voice-out their concerns and I have made it a point to call out instances where women are underrepresented to highlight this issue. There are a lot of issues that need to be addressed at the grassroot level to enable more women to shoulder responsibilities and get into leadership roles.
Tell us about the importance of women empowerment in today’s business landscape.
It is evident that the playing field is not level for women across the world. Men get to enjoy more opportunities than women everywhere, and the UN report on gender parity claims that for gender parity to exist in the world, it may take more than a century. Therefore, women empowerment must be the priority agenda for every entity – be it the government, corporate sector, or communities. It is a known fact that diversity on corporate boards lead to better financial outcomes. Many countries that were led by women have navigated the pandemic crisis more skillfully than countries led by men.
What are the factors that a person must consider before deciding a career goal and objective?
Despite women getting educated in STEM and other disciplines, the percentage of women at the workplace is slowly declining over the last two decades. This is a very alarming trend for a country like India. I strongly believe that right from early childhood, kids need to be educated and made aware that it is the responsibility of every person irrespective of their gender to start contributing to our economy once they come of age. The socio-cultural context plays an important role in inspiring the next generation to create a suitable mindset to participate in the country’s journey towards becoming a developed economy
How do you manage your work-life balance as a women leader? Also, what are your strategies to overcome any gender-specific hurdles in the business world?
There is no perfect ‘Work-life balance’ and for working women it’s actually a misnomer because they are burdened with a major share of the household chores and care giving responsibilities. Trying to achieve the balance can create stressful situations that could lead to burn out and usually women’s careers are the first item to get sacrificed. Unfortunately, patriarchal societies such as India, do not groom or train the male members of the family to pitch in and do their share of the domestic duties. Despite these constraints, I believe in setting my priorities straight and taking time for what matters the most to me. I ensure to balance my professional and personal priorities so that both areas get benefitted. Of course, efficient time management, delegation and team building skills play a significant role in providing a reasonable work-life balance for me. Also, I feel that we need to ensure that the division of household chores and care giving responsibilities among every family member, irrespective of their gender should be practiced in every home and family. This will enable more women to stay in the workplace.
Like many other women, I too had to face a lot of challenges initially, wherein my own family members weren’t happy with me working. However, I held my ground and learnt to balance various aspects of my life, which finally made them realize my potential and accept me for what I am.
What is your advice to women aspiring to start their entrepreneurial journey?
Every industry requires the best talent in order to be successful. If talented women are left out of the talent pool, it would deprive the corporate sector of valuable resources. Every gender brings their own value and perspectives that contribute positively to the bottom-line. Research has proved that diversity in thought and practice benefits organizations.
Entrepreneurs whether men or women need to be resilient, confident, patient, empathetic, determined, have a growth mindset and be open to continual learning. Women entrepreneurs need to have an extra bit of resilience to tackle all obstacles especially gender discriminatory biases without getting deterred and learn from every situation/scenario that they come across.
