Kamini Shah started her career with the Unilever group as a management trainee from a village in rural UP. She had to undergo a mandatory six-week stint in a village, to understand the difference between India and Bharat.
One day, a woman went into unscheduled labour and Kamini was shocked to see the mother-in-law step back from assisting her, when the baby was a girl! It was then Kamini realised her privileges. Mainly, the importance of education and financial independence. Today, Kamini is a well qualified and richly experienced finance executive.
Supportive Work Environment
During her growing years, the lucrative careers were engineering and doctor. Her father, a chartered accountant himself, enrolled her in a CA programme, which she took like a “fish to water.” Kamini’s career has played out in the newer India which was consciously trying to be more gender inclusive. Most of her experiences have been positive. For instance, when she was expecting a baby, her manager used to ensure she got picked up and dropped home if she had to stay long hours. However, she cautions that there is an unconscious bias towards assuming that women, after marriage and children, will not take up difficult roles that require travel or long hours of work. This bias should be addressed, she says.
Opportunities to learn leadership skills have moulded her career the most. As she progressed in her career, she moved from leading teams of ten people to over a hundred and across global environments. In the teams that she leads, gender balance is ensured and she goes the extra mile to mentor and nurture women. “This does not mean we give easy roles to women,” she highlighted.
Flexibility in work
Kamini believes organisations are on the right path by making careers more flexible, permitting hybrid working and remote working. “Finance is a career where women can have more flexibility in their working lives. This flexibility has not come at the cost of productivity. Organisations should continue their women-friendly policies and provide sabbaticals where women can upskill themselves,” stressed Kamini.
The direction is right
Environments with more women tend to be more empathetic and courteous and at the same time opens up multiple perspectives. Pay disparity for women employees is always a concern. Kamini says, “while the gender based pay gap exists, it can be overcome by looking at the role the woman is applying for, rather than the breaks she might have taken.” She suggests that these policies can be applied in both public and private sectors. “Organisations are moving in the right direction. Most of our mothers had not worked but we have been given the opportunities to chart our own course. This is a positive trend worth nurturing,” she concludes.
