“Leadership is not about having it all—it’s about knowing what truly matters at every stage.” For Sangeeta Kumar, CEO of BNP Paribas India Solutions, this philosophy has defined a journey marked by bold transitions, empathetic leadership, and a strong commitment to gender equity in the workplace. With over three decades of experience in the BFSI sector, Sangeeta’s story is more than a professional timeline; it reflects how leadership is forged through personal growth, risk-taking, and challenging the status quo.

In this candid conversation with People Matters, Sangeeta opens up about the defining moments that shaped her leadership, the subtle and overt gender biases she had to navigate, and how she turned challenges into stepping stones. From her early days in corporate banking to championing inclusive cultures in global capability centres, she offers thoughtful insights on building equitable workplaces, rethinking work-life integration, and empowering the next generation of women leaders to lead unapologetically.

You have over 30 years of experience across top global financial institutions. What have been some defining moments in your leadership journey that shaped you into the leader you are today? Can you share a personal story of overcoming gender-based challenges in your career and the lessons you learned from that experience?

I started my career journey in the BFSI industry as a corporate Banker at BNP Paribas after a stint with TAS (Tata Administrative Services). During my initial client interactions, I did face some challenges. The conscious/unconscious bias was obvious, where, as a woman banker, my recommendations were not given equal weight, mainly because there were limited senior women around the table at that time. However, I did have male allies and mentors in the Bank with whom I could work easily.  I soon learnt to challenge myself and was able to convert many large corporate relationships with good deals.  

As I grew into the role of the Joint Head of the MNC, which was a coveted position for me, I had to make a career shift due to family reasons, so I moved to a role in the GCC of Bank of America. This was a defining moment for my career. I was leaving an exciting and recognized Corporate Banking role for a role in GCC, which had just started making inroads in India. I was taking a risk and moving out of my comfort zone. However, this career move soon broadened my horizons, and I discovered my ability to manage large teams and nurture young aspiring people. Since then, I have never looked back! So, it is all about resilience and continuing to build/discover your skills. As they say, if life serves you a lemon, make lemonade out of it.

Many organisations are working towards improving gender diversity, but progress is often slow. What strategies have you seen work best to accelerate meaningful change?

Most of the organisations have experienced the value of diversity in business and how it is becoming an imperative in today’s times. Gender equity is no longer about equal compensation but about equity of opportunities and access.

In my experience, accelerated change begins when there is a strong commitment from the top to create an ecosystem where equity and inclusion are embedded in the culture and processes of the organisation. These systems and processes must be constantly challenged for unconscious bias and reviewed against benchmarks/best practices.

Some key examples of these are:

1)      Ensuring that the hiring slate has equal representation at all levels

2)      Implementing an inclusive lens to ascertain diversity in talent development and promotion practices to draw out the true merit in the team.

3)      Connecting & listening to women colleagues to understand their challenges and aspirations

4)      Creating psychological safety for employees to navigate through life stages

5)      Sensitisation programs and driving awareness among employee networks, which can be a mirror for unconscious bias

In addition to the above interventions, at BNP Paribas, we have dedicated employee resource groups, networking and mentoring opportunities, curated skilling programmes and more to empower women employees in career progression.

Work-life balance remains a critical challenge for many professionals, particularly women. What steps can organisations take to build a more flexible and supportive work environment?

I think we have moved into an era of work-life integration vs a balance. With the blurring of lines between personal and professional requirements, it is important for us to integrate the two, which will allow us to be in the driver's seat of our career journey. Steer this integration depending on your life stage and needs.

Organisations play a key role in building an inclusive workplace as well as supporting the cultural shift with gender agnostic policies. This helps balance the gender roles in the society. It not only supports women employees but also helps men become true partners and allies in their personal life.

Initiatives like increased time off during life events for both genders, providing support for seniors and childcare, wellness initiatives focusing on physical, mental, emotional aspects, anonymous counselling sessions etc. are a big support for employees through various stages /events of their lives. In addition, investing time in knowing your team and encouraging them to ask for help creates a supportive environment where people feel heard and valued. This is important to draw out the best from them as they are then bringing their “whole self” to work.

How do you personally balance the demands of leadership with your personal life? Any advice for aspiring women leaders navigating similar challenges?

My personal experiences have taught me that balancing, which may seem like a harmonious equilibrium, may set you off on a perpetual race to achieve it. What worked for me was the acceptance that there is no real way to balance these facets of our life; you can juggle them at best.

My approach has been to prioritise different facets at different times and integrate them into my daily life. There will be days when you need to attend a parent-teacher meeting at school, and organisations understand that and support employees on their journey. We have walked a few miles in that direction.

However, the onus also lies on women sharing these responsibilities and striving for equality in all aspects of life, be it work, managing children, or elderly care. My advice is to go for experiences that make you feel ‘whole’ and give everything your best shot. Enjoy and celebrate every aspect of your life guilt-free and stress-free.  Don’t try to be a superwoman all the time; it’s okay not to have it all.

If you could change one thing today to improve the landscape for women in the corporate world, what would it be?

Giving them the power of choice without feeling the need to compromise which helps bring out their best selves. Therefore, it is important to build an ecosystem which fosters this.

At BNP Paribas, we have targeted initiatives for women across levels. We undertake a lot of mentoring sessions for women and male allies through MixCity which is our employee resource group. We have also curated leadership programmes for our women employees in partnership with prestigious institutes in India to co-create an equitable environment at work and give women the opportunity to create their networks.

What advice would you give to young women professionals aspiring to take on leadership roles but facing self-doubt or external challenges? 

My advice would be to use mentors and networks to give you guidance and allay your fears. There are no challenges which cannot be surpassed if you discuss and raise it in a transparent way. Do not expect that someone will understand your challenges, so it’s important to raise them within the safe space provided by your networks. 

At a personal level – one needs to reflect on your own unconscious biases, which are at times self-inflicted because of conditioning or life experiences. With more women leaders today the level of empathy and compassion are improving and “women are being understood better.”  As women we innately underestimate our capabilities and our power to influence and lead.