She Struggled With Depression At 22. She Is Now One Of India’s Youngest CEOs

"I was born with a crooked neck. If that wasn’t enough to single me out–I was always the new kid in the school,” said Radhika Gupta CEO of Edelweiss MF in a post that has gone viral on social media.

She shared how she was bullied at school for her Indian accent. Adulthood was no easy. She faced a string of job rejections after college. But she turned her life around and became one of India’s youngest CEOs at the age of 33.

Challenges

Her father was a diplomat and so, she was always on the move. She was also compared with her mother who was a very stunning woman.

“They compared me to my mom, who worked at my school. She’s a stunning woman, and people always told me how ugly I looked in comparison; my confidence plummeted,” she said as quoted by Humans of Bombay.

She was 22 when she faced her seventh job rejection. She couldn't take that and decided to take her own life. “I looked out of the window and said ‘I’ll jump’,” she recalls.

Suggested Reading : I Wanted To End My Life In 2017, Says Soumya Kaushik

Turning Point 

Her friends were alerted and called for help. Radhika Gupta was taken to a psychiatric ward and she was diagnosed with depression. Soon after,  she bagged a job at McKinsey and that was the turning point in her life.

At 25, she wanted a change and moved to India to start her own asset management firm with her husband & friend. Her company was later acquired by Edelweiss MF and they began looking for a CEO. She applied and was chosen. With this, she became one of the youngest CEOs in India at the age of 33.

Accepting oneself is the key

Post that, she connected with a lot of people by sharing her story with them. This is, according to her, her way of letting go of my baggage. She also came out with a book, 'Limitless' to talk about her journey.

What is her biggest achievement? According to Gupta, her biggest achievement is accepting her imperfections and being cognizant of the fact that they do not make her less beautiful. “So now, when I receive comments on my appearance, I just say, ‘Yes, I have a squint in the eyes, & a broken neck. What’s unique about you?’” she says.

During a conversation with SheThePeople, Radhika Gupta had shared her views on financial independence of women. She said," I’ll tell you a small story that happened few days ago. My mother is a highly educated woman who went to St. Stephens and then married my father. A few days ago we were having a conversation and she said if there is one thing I would do now if I had to relive my life (and I’m about to become a mom so we have these very emotional conversations) I wouldn’t marry till I was financially independent. She said I’ve no regrets about the life I have and your father is a wonderful man. "

She added, "The meta point is it is very important to earn and have your own identity which is what she said about marriage. The second is if you’re smart enough to earn your own money and manage your house you’re wise enough to invest it. Indian women have been phenomenal savers in this country. We’ve managed households very well, we’ve managed careers very well, perhaps we don’t take the last step to invest and I think it’s only laziness and self-confidence that come in the way. The answer is that this is not something worth outsourcing go out and do it."