Jalandhar/Noida: 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.
