Every rose comes with a thorn. Behind every success is a long struggle. Every sparkle only gets brighter by battling some of the other darkness. Radhika Gupta said she had low self-esteem as she was constantly compared with her mother during her school years. After being bullied at school for her Indian accent and crooked neck, and facing a string of job rejections after college, Radhika Gupta turned her life around and climbed the corporate ladder to become one of India’s youngest CEOs at the age of 33. She shared her inspiring story with Humans of Bombay.
Radhika Gupta, the Chief Executive Officer of Edelweiss MF, has shared her inspiring journey from being bullied for her “crooked neck” to becoming one of the youngest CEOs in the country. Radhika Gupta told Humans of Bombay that her father was a diplomat. Due to this, she was educated in India, Pakistan, America and Nigeria. Her classmates in Nigeria used to make fun of her for his crooked neck and Indian accent and called her Appu. This is the name of the character Simpson.
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Ms. Gupta said that she contemplated suicide at the age of 22 after she got her seventh job rejection. “I looked out the window and said, ‘I’ll jump.’ My friend called for help! I was wheeled into a psychiatric ward and diagnosed as depressed.
A few years later, she started her own asset management firm with her husband and a friend. The company was later acquired by Edelweiss MF. “I climbed the corporate ladder. I became a saree in a room full of suits” – was how she described her experience. Ms. Gupta said that it was her husband who encouraged her to take over the reins of the company as its CEO and said, “You’re the best person for the job!” when she hesitated.
“So, I went up to my boss and said, ‘I’d like to be considered for CEO. What I lack in experience, I make up for in passion.’ And a few months later, at 33, I became one of the youngest CEOs in India! I was over the moon!”
