Eves sashay into boardrooms

CHANDIGARH: They might be the wrong gender as far as industry is concerned, but they have the right genes for business. Daughters Inc is slowly but steadily making its presence felt in the male-dominated world of Punjabi entrepreneurs. They seem to be at home in the board rooms, shop floors and production rooms as they are in the jet set, diamond dripping social scene of Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Chandigarh.

A third-generation daughter from the Rs 14,000-crore Hero group, Shefali Munjal, CEO, Munjal eSystem, was the first woman from the family to join her father’s business. Ms Munjal, who has paved the way for others, said that she had to prove her mettle in the early days. “Developing software for the automotive ancillary and steel sector, I feel proud to do business with my relatives,” she said.

Suchita Jain, who heads the fabric division in Baddi of the Rs 2,500-crore Vardhaman Group is another example. Her father, SP Oswal, chairman of the group said, “It is a progressive step. When a woman becomes an entrepreneur, a new dimension gets added to her personality and she commands more respect.”

Managing director of the Rs 90-crore Crystal Sanitary Fitting, Gauri Singh, always envisaged that her elder sister (now settled in Canada) and younger brother would build her father’s sanitary fitting business. But after her brother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, she took the reign of her father’s business in her hands.

“It was optional for me to join the business. The attachment with my father and the driving urge in me to carry on the business made me persuade my husband, who was in Mumbai, to settle in Chandigarh,” Ms Singh said.

Deepti Mahajan started working as a calling agent in her father’s 40-seat BPO ‘Dr IT Planets’ in Chandigarh during her college days. After completion of her MBA, she is now looking after the 500-seat BPO and call centre at Chandigarh, 200-seat call centre in Jaipur and is overlooking the upcoming 1000-seat call centre and BPO at Noida and a research institute in Banur, Punjab.

“Each day is a learning experience. I would like to carry forward my father’s vision to a greater height,” Ms Mahajan said. To further polish her skills, she is currently pursuing CA from Associate Certified Charter Association, UK and has recently completed a course in customer relation management from the University of Auckland.

In Ludhiana, 27-year-old Shikha Lamba has plans to venture into garment manufacturing. As of now, Ms Lamba is looking after the HRD and handles the purchase segment of her father’s Lamba International, which makes manufacturing synthetic yarns.

“As a 15-year-old girl, I used to visit my grandfather’s factory and gained a lot of experience. By working 365 days a year, I want to prove myself as a competent businesswomen and not just a managing director’s daughter, she said.

For an industry which has its own share of challenges, these businesswomen are there to take up any task. As Ms Lamba points out, “A night raid in a factory is an adventure with my father accompanying me now.” The 6-7 month of lockout in which she saw the factory labour stage dharna was a testing time in her career.