Women these days are scaling new heights in every field. We feature a few achievers to know more about them.
Pursuing her passion
Shubhangi Gole is a person who keeps her various passions at the forefront. “I am an archaeologist who took up fashion designing as a career and landed up being a passionate dancer. My career started in 2008. Today, Queen Anne’s Label, our clothing brand, is designing and supplying designer clothing to the STOP brand. We are into manufacturing and supplying of kids’ Western wear at a pan India level,” says Gole.
Chasing goals and dreams is one thing but it is equally important to see how much one contributes to society, believes Gole and works towards it. “I have created a platform to provide employment to women from low income group. Today, they are not only self sufficient but they have also developed great confidence,” she points out.
As for her philosophy in life, Gole says, “My philosophy is, ‘Your attitude determines your altitude’. I believe that smart hard work is the secret ingredient for success.”
Infosys chairperson and author Sudha Murthy is Gole’s inspiration. ‘So much to do, so less done’ is the phrase that motivates her everyday.
Investing right
Vaishali Bhagwat, a Commerce graduate, works as a financial consultant and advisor. “I have undertaken advanced training programmes like NISM, LIMRA certification, that helped me progress in the investment sector and equipped me with the knowledge of financial products, customer relationship management, customer satisfaction, etc,” says the consultant who has clientele from Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand etc.
When asked why she chose the finance sector, she says, “I would thank SIMACES International Interdisciplinary Learning Centre (previously known as SILC) for my career in financial advisory. I used to do stock trading and was earning well. Once I attended a seminar on “Opportunities in share market and mutual fund” at SILC and decided to appear for various share market exams. This increased my awareness in finance. Once a client of mine lost their main earning member. I facilitated the Financial Security (the income protection plan) for them. The gratitude in their eyes gave me a feeling of being on the right career path.”
Speaking of her motivation, she says, targets, recognitions, challenges and uncertainty of the capital market motivate her. “My family members encourage me and help me to expand my business,” she concludes.
Creativity at its best
Priyanka Raajiv is a fashion designer and embroidery exporter who has 18 years of experience in the field. “Apart from designing clothes, I export Indian embroidery to Europe, Middle East, Australia, USA and a few more. Till my 12th, I thought I would become a doctor, but due to tough times I went through at a young age, I dropped the idea. I opted for the creative side as I thought I would be able to express well through creative ways,” says the designer.
“I did my Masters in textiles from Delhi University, I was more interested in the cultural aspect of clothing and that motivated me towards designing,” she adds.
Raajiv draws her inspiration from life, her surroundings and nature. Currently, she is actively involved in creating sustainable fashion. “My love for my life motivates me the most. Because I saw some difficult incidents and didn’t want to see anyone suffering at all, I understood how important it was to seek inner joy and peace. This thought keeps me motivated everyday,” the designer says.
Her mother, whom she lost when she was only 22, is her inspiration. “She died because of illness and the way she handled her illness was commendable. It made me understand the love for life.”