The men in my life

It was the summer of 2010. I was working in California. Something about work was eating me up. “You don’t look happy. Something needs to change and YOU need to be the one who makes that change” – I came to terms with some harsh truths when Ashwin Rangan (my life mentor) pushed me to change my priorities & I entered the unknown waters of entrepreneurship.

Cut to 2012. Jombay was in its infancy. A group of 20 year olds faced a board room of investors regularly. At one such meeting, one of our early board members, Rajan Mehra gave me some pointed advice – “Hire more women. It will shape your company and culture for years to come”. His words really defined how we approached leadership at Jombay.

Over the years, our entrepreneurial journey progressed and I started thinking of adding children to the mix. I struggled with making up my mind about whether it was the “right time” to have kids. “Everything has its own natural progression, may it be work, kids or life in general” – Nickhil Jakatdar (a dear mentor) gave me the courage to make another leap of faith! 2 Boisterous boys later – I’m glad I listened!!

I was fortunate to have these allies, all three men who gave me the right advice at the right time. Even at home, barring my 22-year old niece, I am surrounded by my father, husband, and 2 boys! I believe that for us to correct the gender imbalance at work, for the longest time yet, men will need to continue to act as allies.

Our hope with the 1000 Women Leaders Program is to enable a large community involved in strengthening the cause of women leadership – including a tribe of strong women leaders and an equally strong set of male allies supporting them along the way!

Please join us in spreading the word and standing up for the cause!