‘Make yourself heard’

A woman can achieve any goal that she sets her eyes on. Just like Dhvani Kamdar, Assistant Vice President at Knight Frank, a real estate agency and consultancy. She recently featured in ‘India’s top 100 influential women in Finance 2019’ power list by Association of International Wealth Management of India. 

Talking to Kamdar, who has been featured under the category of ‘Promising Leaders below the age of 30’, we find out how women are capable of deciding and building their own future.

An alumna of Meghnad Desai Academy of Economics, she says that she really feels lucky to be placed this way. “I believe it is my hard work and dedication coupled with the guidance I received from my colleagues that made this feat possible.”

Since a young age, Kamdar wanted to get into the field of Economics. “I knew I had a calling for it which was the reason I was keen on getting into Meghnad Desai Academy of Economics. And that has helped me climb the career ladder with much poise and confidence,” she says. 

Do many women take up a career in Economics? Kamdar says that it is a known fact that the industry is male-dominated. “But on the brighter side, women of today are picking up challenging jobs in Economics.” 

She points out that many women actually do get a degree in Economics but opt for jobs in banks to maintain a balanced work and family life. “But in recent times, there has been a drastic change in the way women are looking at Economics since there are more career options and tremendous growth,” says Kamdar. 

When asked if it is difficult for women to survive in the industry, Kamdar says that it is very important for women to be extremely outspoken in the industry. “We women have a voice, we should just know to use it and stand up for our own beliefs,” she advises.

There are obviously a lot of biases when it comes to workplaces but Kamdar considers herself lucky because she never had to face anything as such. “It is daunting to stand in a boardroom full of men and be heard, but it is up to the individual to be confident enough to make their opinions heard,” she believes.

Since Kamdar is the AVP at such a young age, she says that age is just a number. “It is just in the minds of the people. There are times when people older to me report to me, so there is definitely a way to handle it and that is with respect,” she points out.

Leadership has no gender, she feels. “A leader needs to have the right skill set to guide their team. Gender does not play a role here; good qualities and substantial knowledge about the field and industry does. A good leader makes a good team which is so important for the betterment of any company,” she says. 

When asked about her future plans, Kamdar confidently says that she wishes to be the best version of herself every day, climb up her career ladder and make the best of the opportunity that she has got.