Cynthia Rodrigues

Tata Tea's Sangeeta Talwar underscores the need for family support and determination to scale the heights of success

Glass ceilings do not a barrier make nor prejudice against women an impossible barricade. This has been the experience of Sangeeta Talwar, executive director of marketing at Tata Tea, since 1979 when she first put her best foot forward to scale the corporate ladder. That was when she joined Nestlé as the first woman in an executive cadre. Since then she has been steadily climbing up the corporate ladder.

Veteran of the boardroom, Ms Talwar's progress is a startling reminder that the glass ceiling, a reality of the corporate world, is not impenetrable. She has an interesting explanation for why the proverbial glass ceiling has never seemed formidable to her. She says, "That is the hallmark of working with good companies. I have never been discriminated against." Having worked in different work areas and locations, Ms Talwar's voice, when she utters these words, is full of conviction.

But the glass ceiling has existed at some levels, in most cases covertly. Says Ms Talwar, "It is about how people respond to you. Sometimes people are reticent in their responses, at other times they are belligerent." The attitude often colours the measure of acceptance that a woman receives at the workplace. Often men are uncomfortable with the image of a woman as an equal in business. Ms Talwar's past experiences can vouch for men's discomfort with seeing women sitting across the table to discuss a business issue. That was a time when men were more used to seeing women work as secretaries, when assertiveness in women was interpreted as aggression and frowned upon. "Men were not used to having women participate fully in meetings, much less to being questioned. This is part of the hidden glass ceiling that one encounters," says Ms Talwar.

To have a woman do well in business, and with such aplomb, was something they would take another few years to get used to. Today, Ms Talwar opines, a capable woman cannot be barred from reaching the heights to which her competence and talents can lead her. All she needs is the willingness and commitment to make it big in her chosen field and the complete support of her family. The lack of this support could play havoc with her peace of mind and hold her back as surely as a glass ceiling would.

"You have a certain finite amount of time in a day to portion between your personal and professional life. You can't live in a conflict situation 24x7. You would break down," says Ms Talwar. "The people at home have to give you space and understand you. They have to understand that you have another commitment which is important to you. Only then can you move up the ladder without feeling the emotional pressure of not contributing enough to the family."

Ms Talwar has had her share of difficult choices, especially when her daughter was young and needed her. At Nestlé, she was offered a three-year position in Switzerland. Her husband told her, "Three years in a lifespan of 65 years will come and go. If it is going to be a good move for your career, I think you should go."

Then came the test that proved the strength of those family ties. Her daughter accompanied her to Switzerland; the rest of the family remained in India. Since her daughter was too young to stay home alone, her in-laws would take turns flying to the country on a three-month visitor's visa. At one point, Ms Talwar realised that they weren't even getting a chance to meet because when her mother-in-law was returning to India, her father-in-law was flying to Switzerland. "They did that for two years," she says. "Without their support, I would have been under tremendous mental pressure. My mother-in-law especially was my big support at home. She brought up my daughter like her own."

In the third year, Ms Talwar had to perform a veritable juggler's act between home and office. The absence of good, inexpensive domestic help and the lack of time meant that she had to be creative in fulfilling her household responsibilities. Besides, work required that she be out for a week every month. "You're short on everything so you just focus and do your best. I used to cook a meal, portion it into boxes and make a menu for the family. My daughter would then pull out the food, defrost it, heat it in the oven and serve it. She learnt to fend for herself and be aware of things around her," says the proud mother.

On another occasion, her husband had to be admitted to hospital. Ms Talwar was attending to him that night but she also had a meeting to attend the next morning. "I put a lamp on the floor," says Ms Talwar, "and sat down to write all the points that I wanted discussed at the meeting. Then I requested a colleague of mine to pass by the hospital and pick up my work."

The commitment and the skills that helped her thrive at office were the same ones that helped her survive the chaos at home. "I get by with a good dose of time management and people management skills," she laughs. "As you grow up, you learn that humans are interdependent. You need to manage your environment well to get that support."

Management and organisational skills become extremely important, especially in India, where the men rarely share equal responsibility. Says Ms Talwar, "You're managing a huge range of people, their emotions and requirements along with business. You're taking a lot of decisions every minute of the day, and they have tremendous business implications. Besides, when kids are young they need to talk to the mother more than to the father."

Through it all, certain beliefs have upheld her spirits and sustained her through the pressures of doing well on the personal and professional front. "Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm," says Ms Talwar, her tone rather than her words expressing the excitement she feels about her work.

Her strengths have taken her far, leading her on a journey from being product manager in Nestlé India to rising to the top of the ladder in Nestlé and then moving to Mattel as CEO. At Nestlé, this capable woman was responsible for launching Maggi and making it such a huge success. And yet she left that success behind to join Tata Tea. "I wanted to be part of the largest Indian corporate I admire. I felt that this was a company that had tremendous balance between being a successful business enterprise and offering returns to the shareholder, without forgetting about other stakeholders. It also believes in returning to society in full measure as it returns on the bottom line to its shareholders," says Ms Talwar. "I think the Tata Group has clearly demonstrated a very strong commitment to society. And I see it in my daily work."

In return, Ms Talwar contributes her mite by being true to her assignment and by delivering whatever she promises. "The leader," she says, "is first a team member. A certain amount of bonhomie and a consultative approach lead to better results. Every individual has a point of view and it is important to take these views into consideration."

This approach and an attitude of determination encourage Ms Talwar's male colleagues and teammates alike to think of her as "one of the boys". They also help her to forge ahead, secure in the confidence that no glass ceiling can prevent her aspirations from growing.

Uploaded on May 13, 2005