Genre: Human Interest
Keywords: CEO Edelweiss
“I was born with a crooked neck. If that wasn’t enough to single me out – I was
always the new kid, moving countries every three years,” the 39 year old Radhika Gupta says.
Youngest Chief Executive Officer :
From being bullied to becoming one of the youngest chief executive officers in the country. Radhika Gupta has come a long way. In a latest post by “Humans of Bombay” an online photo blog where citizens, mostly from Mumbai, share their experiences, Gupta, the CEO of Edelweiss MF, opened up about her journey over the years and how she learnt to accept and celebrate herself the way she is.
Bullied since childhood for a crooked neck :
According to Radhika Gupta as her father was a diplomat every three years she was moving countries. She lived in Pakistan, New York, and Delhi before she arrived to Nigeria. She was the awkward new kid in 7th grade, surrounded by students who judged her thick Indian accent.They nicknamed her ‘Apu”, after the character from the Simpsons. And they compared her looks to her mother’s, who worked at her school. Her mother was a tall, stunning woman, and people pointed out how ugly she was compared to her mother.R adhika’s confidence vanished.
Tried to commit suicide:
According to her when she got her 7th job rejection, she tried to commit suicide by jumping from the window of her dorm. Alarmed her friend called for help and she was taken to a psychiatrist and diagnosed as depressed. The only reason they let her go was her interview at McKinsey, which she cleared and bagged the job.
Her life was at the right track but then she had to survive the financial crisis of 2008. Now she planned something new and quit her job in the States. In India she started her own asset management business with her husband and a friend.
Within months her business started growing.
A few years later their company was acquired by Edelweiss MF and they were talking of hiring a new CEO. Radhika wanted to become the CEO and her husband encouraged her to do so.
She told them “what I lack in experience, I make up for in passion.”
In a few months Radhika became the youngest CEO at 33.
The next year, she was invited to speak at an event that changed her life. She shared her childhood insecurities about her looks, her struggles, rejections and her attempt to commit suicide. “I let go of all the baggage I had held on to.” she said. Her talk traveled far and wide, and she was known as the girl with the broken neck.”
It gave her the confidence to fully embrace all her so called “flaws”.
Over the last four years she has the urge to tell her story, so she wrote a book ‘Limitless’!
Conclusion:
Radhika says that her biggest accomplishment has been accepting herself as imperfect but beautiful. Today she is successful and satisfied. When somebody says something about her appearance she says, “Yes, I have a squint in the eyes, and a broken neck. What’s unique about you?” Radhika signs off.
