Chitra Ramkrishna, National Stock Exchange

For anyone connected with this great nation, there is no doubt that we have entered a very interesting passage of time. Time and again, people have labelled India as a developing veloping nation. Today, the fact remains that the collective confidence of individuals and corporates is surging to a new peak. The rise of women is visible. The unprecedented rebellion against tradition has meant oppressive family structures (at times) are now set for structural change. Women are now a force to reckon with.

Like NSE, where one-third of the workforce comprises women – even at the entry level, we try and consciously hire people only on merit – many corporates are gender agnostic. I always believe that our women are unique in many ways as they come with stronger social values, ethos, diversity, resilience, etc. Beyond corporates, our own lawmakers – both at Central and several state governments – are also addressing legislative issues related to women, child care, employment conditions, etc.

When I joined IDBI, I found my seniors were extremely encouraging, and I realised that it really didn’t matter if you were a woman as long as you were competent. You just had to raise your hand, take on the challenge, and then nothing could stop you. Mentorship is very important in the initial years, but it doesn’t matter if the mentor is a man or a woman. The advice they give you through your career life stages is what makes the difference.

When you are a new professional, one of the things you learn is that you should have an open mind to learn from everybody. I have learnt a lot from my seniors at IDBI. Secondly, one has to be patient and not expect results immediately. Sometimes you have to sow and it takes time to reap, but eventually you can. So, patience is something that is very important. ~