Recently, season 3 of Shark Tank India started airing on TV, and the viewers are already liking it. What they are liking the most, is the refreshing change brought in the form of new sharks as the judges, which includes OYO’s Ritesh Agarwal, Zomato’s Deepinder Goyal, Inshort’s Azar Iqbal, and Edelweiss Mutual Fund CEO and MD Radhika Gupta.
Today we will talk about the newest woman shark on the panel Radhika Gupta, who is one of India's youngest CEOs, and leads Rs 1 lakh crore company, Edelweiss Mutual Fund.
Born in Pakistan, she was raised in four continents because her father was an Indian diplomat. She had complications at birth which ended her having a broken neck for a lifetime, which she denotes as a "weird tilt" to her head.
"I was born with a crooked neck. If that wasn't enough to single me out - I was always the new kid in the school; dad was a diplomat. I lived in Pakistan, New York, & Delhi, before I arrived in Nigeria. My Indian accent was judged; they named me 'Apu', a character from The Simpsons," she recalled in an interview with Humans of Bombay.
The 39-year-old added that she had low self-esteem as she was always compared with her mother during her school years.
While battling it all bravely, she received a scholarship for a dual degree programme at the University of Pennsylvania, where she studied computer science engineering, economics, and management and technology. She topped there and got the award of highest honours, Summa cum laude in 2005.
Despite her excellent academic performance and internships at reputed companies, she was rejected by seven consulting firms during the placement process.
After the seventh company said ‘no’, Radhika was extremely disappointed and depressed and attempted suicide at the age of 22.
“I’d bury my insecurities... At 22, when I got my 7th job rejection, I looked out the window & said, ‘I’ll jump.’ My friend called for help! I was wheeled into a psychiatric ward, & diagnosed as depressed. The only reason they let me go was because I said, ‘I have a job interview–it’s my only shot,” she asserted.
She sailed through it all, and worked at Wall Street in US for four year. At 25, she decided to quit it and shift to India to become an entrepreneur. She began her asset management firm with her husband and friend, which was acquired by a reputed company. She added in an interview, “A few years later, our company was acquired by Edelweiss MF—I climbed the corporate ladder. I became a saree in a room full of suits & I wanted to raise my hand for opportunities. Yet, when talk of hiring a new CEO at Edelweiss MF began, I hesitated, but my husband encouraged me, ‘You’re the best person for the job”, she shared.
Thereafter, success followed and at 33, Radhika Gupta became one of the youngest CEO’s of India in 2017 of Edelweiss Asset Management Co. Her company grew exponentially in just a few years. As per mint, at the time of her joining, the fund house had assets of ₹9,128 crore, this figure rose to ₹1,01,406 crore in January 2023.”
From her rich experience, she advised women.“At some point, we need to start asking for what we deserve. Women just don’t ask enough. Your career is your responsibility. Don’t worry about someone saying no. I felt that I was qualified and deserved it. So I went and asked, and guess what, I got the position. Even after this, I always ask for what I want. Sometimes I don’t get what I ask for, but it’s important to just ask,” said the CEO.
