India is catching up but the road is still long, say women leaders

For most women chief executive officers (CEOs) in India, the real job begins after overcoming this one big additional hurdle - to be accepted as the leader

When she took charge of the mobile accessories division of Syska Group, Jyotsna Uttamchandani was staring at a rather unusual challenge. “We are a sales and distribution-focused family business, driven by a sales staff of almost 4,000, and most employees on the field are men. To become acceptable to them was the first challenge,” the 30-year-old executive director at the Syska Group says.

She continues, “They were highly experienced professionals and older than me within the company, and probably had more knowledge about the Indian market, and I was meant to lead them.”

For most women chief executive officers (CEOs)