Hear from Women in Business Leader- Anuja Ghosh, Head-HR at SBICAP Ventures

Q1. What is your success story and what advice do you have for aspiring women leaders?

Anuja: I started my journey as a Management Trainee in Human Resources back in 2007. From that point to shouldering the responsibilities of the human capital management as Head of Human Resources for more than a decade has been an exciting and challenging journey. When I look back, in the last 17 years of my career, my personal and professional life is entwined and interdependent. To succeed and grow as a professional I have been very lucky to have received support from my family, friends and my work colleagues and seniors at all times. I have been fortunate to work with wonderful, knowledgeable seniors and peers who have guided, mentored, and promoted me from time to time. At home I’m blessed with a supportive family who keeps encouraging me to fulfil my career goals and helps me prioritize and balance my life. With two kids work-life is a constant juggle, however both are important and together makes me a complete individual.

Virtues that have been the guiding light in my career are hard work and dedication, humility, integrity, fairness and compassion. As an HR professional I believe success of an organization is closely associated and measured through effective talent strategies. Empowering employee growth, creating an agile and resilient workforce, navigating change, enabling diversity and inclusion, creating a progressive and human centric culture with focus on employee wellbeing are some of the areas that has helped bolster employee satisfaction and productivity in the companies I have worked for.

Advice for aspiring women leaders:

Don’t compromise on your dreams. Till today there are still very few women who get an opportunity to make it to the CXO level. Talented women in the workforce resign at mid-career for various personal and professional reasons. Still there is a perceivable pay inequity when it comes to gender. Despite various practical challenges and complexities, try not to give up or be forced to choose. While having a supportive ecosystem always help, be confident and persistent to find alternatives to manage both career and personal life. Most importantly be sure and true to yourself and pursue the path/choice that makes you happy and if you have tasted success in your journey, remember to give back to the society in some manner. Above all as you grow in your career, don’t lose your humbleness, be grounded and compassionate towards others. Another piece of advice is that invest in self and keep learning new skills.

Q2. What are your specific achievements or milestones that you are particularly proud of?

Anuja: I believe that I have been an early achiever and my self-belief, efforts and passion towards work helped. However, job satisfaction or success to me is not just the designation, money, or benefits. To me success, not just as an HR professional but as a human being is when I know that I’m trusted, my ability to influence decisions, having a say in business and larger organizational matters and when I feel that I’m considered as an approachable and compassionate person who is able to balance people priorities and business needs in an efficient way. An important measure of success for me is when I’m remembered fondly, and people keep in touch and seek advice even when I’m no longer in the organization.

Q3. What do you think are the success factors for a successful women leadership programme?

Anuja: A women leadership program should help an individual excel in leadership roles. Hence it is important to identify and develop the leadership qualities that will be needed in the future of work. Equip the participants in the areas of managing “self” “team” and “ecosystem”. Focus on behavioural training, leadership styles and leadership qualities such as self-awareness, situational awareness, communication, change management, nurturing talent, innovation mindset, continuous learning, networking, and influencing skills, vision etc. Provide personal grooming on being assertive, handling conflicts, negotiation skills, public speaking skills, how to tackle workplace biases etc. ?It is also important to cover aspects of future technology as well.

About the Women Leadership Development Program: https://www.peoplebusiness.org/women-in-businss-leadership.html

Our program aims to empower and nurture the leadership skills of women professionals over a transformative 5-month journey. Participants will be drawn from various sectors, creating a rich and dynamic learning environment that fosters cross-sectoral collaboration and learning.