What are the challenges and perks of handling age-old legacies? If you come into a position of power through a position of privilege, how do you make sure that you earn respect, more so if you are a woman? These and many more questions are what Daughters of Legacy seeks to answer through the stories of twelve successful women who grew up with strong business lineages. How a New Generation of Women is Redefining India Inc. by Rinku Paul and Puja Singhal.
Joint Managing Director (JMD) MBD Group, Sonica Malhotra, Bhairavi Jani, Executive Director SCA Group and Divya Modi Tongya, Co-founder Smart Global Group and were in conversation with Rinku Paul on the occasion of the launch of the book.
Speaking on the occasion, Sonica Malhotra, JMD, MBD Group said that leading a legacy business comes with its own challenges.” Expectations are high and you should not be nervous but aim to outshine expectations. We must strive to push ourselves ahead to the next level that not only benefits us but also benefits the people walking along with us. Divya Modi Tongya, Co-founder, Smart Global Group added that “You have to enter a legacy business with the thought that this was not created by me, that I am privileged to have this opportunity and I have to see how I can add value.”
Some of the others stories featured in the book include those of Ashni Biyani, chief ideator, Future Group, who looks at herself as a co-creator of the business rather than just a legacy bearer, Manasi Kirloskar, executive director and CEO, Kirloskar Systems Ltd, admits that she is hugely privileged in inheriting a large business, but also goes on to point out that she could lose everything overnight if she isn’t competent. And non-executive chairperson of Thermax Global Meher Pudumjee’s acceptance that legacies can sometimes feel like a burden comes close on the heels of the realization that there is nothing more that one can do except to give one’s best.
Chosen from a wide cross section in terms of scale of business, roles and hierarchy, these women have not only kept the legacies alive but also gone on to carve a niche for themselves as individuals beyond their famous last names. Clearly for all of them legacy is far more than mere inheritance.
Rinku Paul is an internationally certified life coach and a proponent of women leadership and an inclusive work environment, and has brought together her love for entrepreneurship and writing in her published works. Her previous books-Dare to Be: Fourteen Women Who Gave Wings to Their Dreams and Millionaire Housewives-were released to acclaim. Her passion project is ‘Dare to Be Conversations’-a podcast series and a platform for women to be a part of stirring stories and breakthrough ideas.
In her previous avatar, Rinku has had a corporate career spanning over sixteen years with the news channel Aaj Tak, a part of the India Today Group, till she decided to pursue her dream-impacting people’s lives.
Puja Singhal, having spent more than a decade living the corporate life, strategizing on how best to marry business and people as an HR specialist, decided to take a break to focus on her family and other love, writing. Having co-founded a writing studio, The Muse, and published two books, Dare to Be and Millionaire Housewives, along with Rinku Paul, she is now back to juggling corporate responsibilities along with family duties and, of course, writing. Puja holds an honours degree in political science and an MBA in human resource management.
