Important to remove bias rather than woman tag: Female top bosses

New Delhi: Women in corporate India believe that removing the bias attached to women entrepreneurs and leaders is more important than shedding the tag itself, as females in the workforce are a role model for others who follow in their footsteps.

On the occasion of Women Equality Day, women leaders in tech, that PTI spoke to, said their journey reflects opportunity, determination as well as a responsibility, and hence they would not want to shed the "woman" label. Mintoak chief product officer Rama Tadepalli said it would be better to "retain the woman tag and remove the bias." "I don't want to actively shed the label, as I've come to understand that when a woman achieves success, whether as an employee, entrepreneur, or in any capacity, she assumes a role with both opportunities and responsibilities." Edelweiss Asset Management Limited MD and CEO Radhika Gupta said.

This entails being a role model for other women who observe the journey and the generations that follow, she added. SUGAR Cosmetics Cofounder and CEO and Shark Tank India investor Vineeta Singh said, "As a female entrepreneur, I strongly believe that being acknowledged as a woman in the business realm isn't a negative designation. The objective isn't to erase the 'woman' label, but rather to transform the narrative that surrounds it." Vineeta said networking has been male-dominated historically, which can put women at a disadvantage.

She also pointed out how there is a perception that women are less capable in certain industries or leadership roles. "To address this, I focus on building a track record of accomplishments and emphasising on my expertise," she said. Salesforce India Chairperson and CEO Arundhati Bhattacharya shared in a recent media roundtable how sometimes she is "still addressed as Mr Bhattacharya", flagging personalisation concerns.

Notably, her designation at India's largest bank SBI was Chairman, according to her LinkedIn profile. "So if you look at even the top management picture that was there when I first came in (at Salesforce India), I was the only woman with it," Bhattacharya said. She added: "I will still say that we have a long way to go especially this is true of our technology teams and sales teams." Bhattacharya shared that the leader of their enterprise team as well as the chief operating officer at Salesforce India are women. As the awareness builds, companies are taking conscious steps to address the gender gap, say industry representatives. "I believe that as a country, we've made significant progress in increasing women's representation in the corporate setup. Companies are actively addressing the gender gap... At STL, women consistently excel in roles that were traditionally male dominated, from manufacturing to STEM fields and more," Anjali Byce, Group Chief Human Resource Officer at Sterlite Tech said.