Urging the industry to collectively strengthen the ecosystem that supports working women and working mothers, Reliance Industry Chairman Mukesh Ambani on Thursday said women are no longer just beneficiaries of progress but architects, leading in various spheres of life globally.
Speaking at the launch of the Hindi edition of former SBI chairperson and Salesforce South Asia President and CEO Arundhati Bhattacharya's memoir "Indomitable: A Working Woman's Notes on Work, Life and Leadership", Ambani said when women of the country become unstoppable, India becomes unstoppable and Bhattacharya's life gives this conviction a human face.
"Arundhati ji's achievements against all odds are a source of inspiration for working mothers around the world. Nevertheless, they also remind corporate India that it still has a very long way to go in ensuring that women get what they deserve," Ambani said.
"Therefore, I wish to appeal to all my fellow business leaders today, let us collectively launch an effective initiative to strengthen the ecosystem that supports working women and working mothers in corporate India," he said.
Ambani requested Bhattacharya and other accomplished "sisters" like her to guide this initiative, adding that Reliance Foundation will fully participate in this with other organisations.
"You take leadership, we will follow you," he said.
"Let us help and empower thousands of in-town women leaders to build and run the new temples of Viksit Bharat," Ambani added.
Ambani said he has always believed in that "Sashakt stree, sashakt Bharat (empowered women, empowered India)", he said, "India is moving decisively from women's development to women-led development."
"Women are no longer merely beneficiaries of progress. They are its architects, leading in business, science, sport, and our armed forces and communities across the globe. I saw this strength in my mother, Kokilaben (Ambani)," he said.
Describing Bhattacharya as a "problem solver", he said "she is a strategic thinker who understands the present and the future clearly".
"I have known Arundhati ji closely through her association with Reliance and now, being on the Reliance board for many years," Ambani said.
Ambani said since joining the Reliance Board in 2018, Bhattacharya has enriched deliberations with her experience and independence of mind.
"She brings optimism into every boardroom discussion with the confidence of a leader who has faced complexity and found a way forward," he said.
"Arundhatiji mastered natural intelligence, which I have experienced and in this age of AI, I still believe that AI can never replace Human Natural Intelligence that all of us have," the Reliance Industries CMD said.
It is often said, "Behind every successful man there is a strong woman", he said, adding, "but in Arundhatiji's case, we can say, "behind this extraordinarily successful woman stands a strong man".
"Arundhatiji's life offers valuable lessons for our families, our institutions and our nation. And there are four in the book -- strength of family values, do not externalise blame, remain a lifelong learner and people and leadership -- that I particularly relate to, because they are also very close to my heart," he said.
"Arundhati ji writes with gratitude about those who shaped her value-system and sustained her in difficult times. I have experienced the same truth. Whatever I have achieved rests on the values I received from my parents, the partnership of my wife Nita, and the strength of my family," he said.
In business, according to him, people often speak of capital.
"Family is our first and most enduring capital -- emotional, moral and spiritual. Hence, the takeaway from this book is simple: always be there for your family, express gratitude, and never confuse professional success with personal self-sufficiency," he stated.
"At that moment, remember the spirit of aparajita (invincible). We may not control every circumstance, but we can always summon our courage, intensify our effort, and rise again," he said.
"Today at Reliance, we are very proud to have many more women leaders at senior levels," Ambani said, adding, "women bring a rare type of EQ, empathy quotient, to negotiate any real-life situation".
"It is now my firm conviction that our world needs more emotional quotient than intellectual quotient, which is to say more women in leadership positions," Ambani said.
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