Mandate Diversity Of Gender: Meena Ganesh

Reports cite that gender parity is changing for the worse in India. What are your views and experience on this? 

According to a recent report released by the World Economic Forum (WEF), India stands at the 135th place out of 146 countries in terms of gender parity. While the ranking is a cause for concern, the report also highlights many positive aspects which must be considered. For instance, it notes that India has registered the most significant and positive change to its performance on the ‘economic participation and opportunity’ dimension for women. I would say things have changed but not fast enough. I have been an entrepreneur for over 22 years and when I started, there were hardly any women entrepreneurs. Today, there are many startups but the percentage of women therein is low. There is a social issue that we must consider while addressing the question of gender parity. While women’s entry into the career force is appreciated and encouraged, the focus is still on stability. Startups are not stable and not something that society and families encourage women to get into – it is an unsaid feeling on their part on whether it is really prudent for women to run a large organization where there is a lot at risk and unstable. It is not considered very conducive to a stable life and this thought still exists in the subtext. 

What is your advice to regulators, decision-makers and industry captains on how to grow women in the workforce and senior leadership positions? 

The number of women in the workforce and senior leadership positions has seen an increase but the numbers are still not very encouraging.  

Industry leaders have to put in strong policies that mandate diversity of gender as well as other dimensions. Bringing in a few women in leadership roles tends to create a pull for other women to be brought in down the line.  

In startups, women need to see a lot more role models.  

Women also tend to lack confidence in areas such as sales or negotiation and fund raise, which are traditionally looked at as male dominated fields. However, with the right mentoring and support, it is possible for them to develop these skills. 

Currently, there are several governmental policies that support women and their career growth, but I feel that the change must begin at the grassroots level. Right from the time that they are studying, it is important for educational institutions to educate them on the various aspects of starting their own venture and other skills needed in their professional journey. There are definitely more women in the tech industry and in IITs/IIMs today. The need of the hour is to take this momentum from the educational institutions to corporate hierarchy through continued support and opportunities. 

What are some of the high points of your journey that you believe have shaped the leader you are today? 

In the year 2000, I decided to transition from the corporate world and took the entrepreneurial plunge through my first venture called Customer Asset. Starting this journey was a very crucial turning point in my life and gave me a lot of perspective early on in the startup world. This was also a time when there were not many women entrepreneurs in the startup world. Since then, I have not looked back and have been part of building wonderful startups. With each startup, it has been about going back to the drawing board and restarting. I have had my share of challenges but ones that every entrepreneur tends to go through. One of my learnings that have been very valuable is the need to keep learning. Especially as an entrepreneur, with businesses in diverse fields, the willingness and ability to learn from any and every source. 

Please share one anecdote of a challenge you faced, particularly for being a woman working professional or leader, and how you overcame this. Or any example of when you saw women working professionals face challenges unique to them and how some of these are being addressed today to gender parity. 

When I started Customer Asset, gender was never on the top of my mind as a concern. This is because I was coming into the startup world after a good number of years of experience behind me. However, investors did have a question in their minds about a woman running a BPO business with a baby in tow. What worked for me was that I was very clear about my goals and passion. 

There are a number of young women that I have mentored over the years and I have seen some of them struggle with extremely unsupportive families. Helping them navigate these circumstances has been very rewarding. I have seen many women entrepreneurs not willing to think big and constraining themselves. This needs continuous mentoring and handholding