The trials and triumphs faced by women
in the workplace are very much common. This was the topic of emphasis by
Anuranjita Kumar, Chief Human Resources Officer of Citi South Asia during the
panel discussion hosted by the School of Business on 11th February
2015 and moderated by Assistant Professor Ms. Khyati Shetty.
Kumar has not only had a career in
banking for twenty years, but she has also worked across Asia Pacific, Europe,
Middle East, Africa and USA. The whole experience was a cultural assimilation
for her and additionally, it helped her note certain observations. According to
her, the reasons for less number of women in the field of investment banking,
is two fold.
“One is that the kind of culture that
operates is more conducive to men, be it the working style or leadership style.
The second is also extraneous because sometimes when you look at the clients,
they’re uncomfortable dealing with women and it isn’t easy for women to deal
with the clients,” said Kumar.
 |
| Khyati Shetty, Assistant Professor (left) in conversation with Anuranjita Kumar, Chief Human Resources Officer, Citi South Asia (right). Source: Javed Roshan |
Though she admitted that there are
instances wherein stereotypes impact women and there are unconscious biases at
play, Kumar pointed out that a woman is not there at the workplace to please
everybody. Rather, the individual should start with herself first, instead of
letting the negative aspects get to her.
When asked to comment about the fact
that men head 95% of companies worldwide, Kumar said, “I don’t know how
comfortable women are with power. Having power is a heavy experience and you
have to know how to leverage it properly.”
Kumar also spoke about her book, ‘Can I
Have It All’ as it reflects the three crossroads in a woman’s life; marriage,
mobility and maternity. “This book is not about an extraordinary journey, it is
about an ordinary one. It is not my story, it is the story of other people I
met along the way as I transcended my journey.”
By Revathy Rajan
The writer is a final year Media & Communication (Journalism) student.
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