It is the new generation in which women are now bringing remarkable changes to India’s economy with their impeccable leadership capabilities and being the role model for the entire community that looks forward to breaking the barriers and building an empire of their own. One such courageous, unstoppable personality is Dr. Jyotsna Suri, who took the initiative to lead by example and empower other strong and competent women.
A recent study carried out by IIM (A) has found out that the boardroom of Indian Corporate Sector has very few women as part of it – only 5% of the women can make it to top management positions in the corporate sector, while 7% have made it to senior executives. The study further indicated that only two companies had 3 women in top management roles, and only 9 companies had 2 women in top management positions. Considering the remaining companies, 21 had one woman, and 76 had none.
The figures speak loudly about how challenging it is for skilled and brilliant women to reach the place they deserve. Dr. Jyotsna Suri, the Chairperson and Managing Director of The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group, remembers her journey and the challenges she faced while working tirelessly to make The Lalit Hotel one of the largest hotel chains in India.
Dr. Jyotsna Suri remembers how her perseverance, tenacity, and never give up attitude made her reach the pinnacle of her professional journey. This encouraged her to create an ecosystem for other women to rise and shine.
Dr. Jyotsna Suri understands well what a woman has to go through to build her name in a patriarchal society; that is why she focuses on boosting their confidence by providing them with opportunities to recognize their potential and excel. The Lalit Group, under her guidance, has 40% of women at the Board level and 50% at the Corporate level. Besides this the Group’s hiring policies are also aimed towards ensuring that women are recruited in even numbers across all levels and functions. The Group has also actively taken up the cause of hiring acid attack survivors and giving them an opportunity to earn livelihood with respect.
Dr. Suri believes in strengthening the women’s community; thus, the Lalit Group takes initiatives to consider local women, their artwork, culture, and food. The Lalit Group provides locals with training and opportunities to work, opening doors for millions of talented ladies to uplift the economy and become independent.
The Lalit group also conducts events that celebrate womanhood. The events are held at the workplace to inspire and motivate women who contribute to the group’s success. The Lalit Group is also working towards increasing its overall women’s employment rates to 25% across the Group level. The Lalit Group is leveraging women to sharpen their skills, build their personalities, and inculcate leadership to set a benchmark of success in society with their phenomenal work.
Dr. Suri believes that women are great at handling multiple things simultaneously, which acts as a plus for any business that wants to grow and touch the sky of success. Women have an excellent ability to deal with adversities, especially when it’s about the struggle to deliver exceptional and impressive results in different domains while keeping an eye on providing the best end result.
In addition to promoting opportunities for women within her brand, Dr. Jyotsna Suri also champions for women empowerment on other platforms, such as FICCI. These initiatives are also promoted by FICCI in taking steps to spread awareness about women’s entrepreneurship, supporting the community to lead the life of their dreams.
Dr. Jyotsna Suri, past president of FICCI, has supported many events that fostered Women’s Entrepreneurship. One of them was the FICCI Ladies Organisation FLO which released a collection of stories of 150 Women achievers named Entrepreneurship Against All Odds. The book focused on how these women overcame the roadblocks to build their name and worked hard to create a successful brand in the market.
The leading lady, Dr.Jyotsna Suri, firmly believes that a country will progress only if every community is given a chance to enhance their skill set so that they can nurture the nation’s economy with their dedicated efforts. Under her valuable guidance, the Lalit Group also believes in standing up for the unnoticed talents of society, the LGBTQIA community and the specially-abled by providing them with job opportunities.
Leadership is not just about leading a firm or an organization alone; it is all about giving opportunities to people who possess skills but lack possibilities. It is also about adding value to people’s lives who work diligently to accomplish your mission and vision. Dr. Jyotsna Suri is a real-life example of aiming to bring gender equality in the corporate world and encouraging women to be the entrepreneurs they always wanted to be.
