Swati Piramal says knowledge, homework helped her counter gender bias; feels men must help women in the boardroom

Dr Swati Piramal is no stranger to being the only woman in the boardroom. In fact, the vice-chairperson, Piramal Group, says she’s faced several challenges in her career on the basis of her gender.

“When I was president of ASSOCHAM, it was assumed that I would not know much about things like the economy, banking, logistics, nuclear energy or manufacturing,” she says.

She used two strategies to counter this hurdle: “Before I met with the RBI governor, for example, I would read around 1,000 pages on the economy and would call in experts — friends who headed banks, for instance — for their insights. Knowledge helped me counter gender bias.”


She believes men can do their bit in the boardroom to help their female colleagues. “There are little things everyone can do to make women feel more secure at the office. This includes talking respectfully, listening to their points of view, accepting that women have dual responsibility of home and work and sometimes sick children must take precedence. Small changes matter,” she adds.