LIFE LESSONS

VISHAKHA RM

A successful chartered account and mother of two, Vishakha RM, 50, has carved a niche for herself in the non-life insurance sector in the last 25 years. “It wasn’t easy to continue working after both my children were born. Dividing my attention between work and family was difficult and there were times when I was ready to quit my job. My mother, however, encouraged me to keep on going. Eventually, I figured out how to strike the right life-work balance,” says Vishakha. Not only did she continue with her work, she also went on to play an instrumental part in setting up the bancassurance (a partnership between bank and insurance company) channel for Birla Sun Life Insurance and IDBI Federal Life Insurance. Having overcome the struggles of being a working mother, she is now keen to lend a helping hand to other women at the workplace. “Women are an important part of the workforce. Not only are they capable of working extremely hard, but they also bring with them a humane touch to every project they undertake. To encourage their career, I think it’s important to not just provide them with flexible timings and adequate maternity leave, but also to offer the same to men who have working partners,” says Vishakha.