Tables have definitely turned for Radhika Gupta, as once she was bullied at school for her Indian accent, rejected by a string of jobs, but finally made her way up to being one of India’s youngest CEOs.
The Chief Executive Officer of Edelweiss, Radhika Gupta, did not have a rosy childhood, as she was teased for her crooked neck and Indian accent, but now she stands proud as one of the youngest CEOs of India. She recently shared her story on Humans of Bombay.
She shared how besides her appearance, she had other qualms, as she was always the new child at her school, having lived from Pakistan to Nigeria. Her accent was made fun of and she was named Apu, a character from the Simpsons. She was also compared to her mother, who worked in the school and was utterly gorgeous. She was called ugly in comparison, which shook her self-confidence pretty badly.
Radhika had also considered suicide at 22, after her 7th job rejection. She was about to jump out of a window when her friend called for help. She was diagnosed as depressed and put into a psychiatric ward. The only reason they let her out was because she said she had a job interview.
Her life changed when she got a job at McKinsey and at 25, she moved to India to start her own asset management company with her husband and friend. Her company was later acquired by Edelweiss. When talks of appointing a new CEO arose, she was hesitant, but her husband pushed her to go for it, and soon she bagged the job, revolutionizing her role at the mere age of 33.
Till date, her biggest accomplishment remains to be complete acceptance of her body. She describes the squint in her eye and her crooked neck as part of her uniqueness. She further challenges people who have an issue with her appearance, by asking what their uniqueness is.
She says this confidence was attained after she confided in more people about her flaws. It was sharing her story that ultimately set her free! Another one of her accomplishments happens to be a book she wrote called “Limitless”.
