Date:08/03/2005 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/03/08/stories/2005030801560200.htm

Back `Companies must recognise different skills of women'

Our Bureau

AT THE HELM: (From left) Ms Meena Ganesh, CEO, Tesco Plc; Ms Vinita Bali, CEO, Britannia Industries Ltd; Ms Lathika Pai, COO, B2K Corp; and Ms Sudha Murty, Chairperson, Infosys Foundation, at an interactive session on `Women Matter', organised by the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (Karnataka), in Bangalore on Monday. - G.R.N. Somashekar

Bangalore , March 7

"LET'S not try to be a man." Top women achievers in the corporate world expressed the view that women are different and diversity must celebrate that difference.

Speaking on `Women Matter,' a talk organised by the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (Karnataka), Ms Vinita Bali, CEO, Britannia Industries, observed that women bring `different' skills to the table such as collaboration and consensus building ability that companies must recognise and make use of.

"Like men have an old boys' network, we too should get into a similar mindset," she told women executives on the eve of Women's Day. She also felt that corporates should be clear on what gender diversity is designed to do and use it effectively.

Ms Meena Ganesh, CEO, Tesco Plc, emphasised that women have to believe in themselves and the goals that they have set for themselves. "Meet luck and opportunity half-way. Get rid of negative feelings," she advised women. According to her, a career is like a marathon, and "sometimes you run slow, sometimes you are fast, but you have your goal nevertheless."

Ms Sudha Murty, Chairperson, Infosys Foundation, said that 70 per cent of India's women live in villages, are oppressed, live in poverty and have no education.

"But I have made them understand that to succeed, they have to mark some time for themselves everyday and have to be passionate about the work that they want to do." She quoted the Aurangabad example where a group of women has been successful in doing meaningful social work.

Giving equal opportunity early to the girl child is one of the ways she can be encouraged to step out with confidence and self-assurance, said Ms Lathika Pai, Founder and COO, B2K Corp. "Women are very good at parallel processing and we should use this to our advantage," she said.