Bani Anand, National Convenor, CREDAI Women’s Wing in conversation with Leandra Monteiro talks about her journey in real estate.
What led you to choose this professional path? Journey till now.
Real estate would have seemed like the obvious choice for me as it was my family business but while studying Accounting and Finance for my undergrad I wanted to pursue banking. During my first year at the university I wanted to spend my summer interning at PWC or any other consulting firm. However, My father suggested that I intern with him. I was a little apprehensive as I never thought real estate was something I wanted to pursue. I’m sure it was all fated because it took me just two days to realise that I loved the not just the nature of work but also the volatility of the business. We as developers can create magical and magnificent buildings out of absolute barren land, and I found that extremely enchanting.
The journey has been very fulfilling till now. I have enjoyed every part of the process. Real estate in not a job of instant gratification and it will take me a while to realise whether I have done a good job or not. But I’m very excited.
- Has being a woman helped bring a different perspective and synergy to your profession?
In some ways– Yes. Definitely being a woman in my organisation has coaxed me to look at things a little differently. What we have managed is successfully creating an environment for other woman to feel comfortable working in. As a professional , you should be able to work in any industry without worrying about gender stereotypes. It so happens that real estate is largely a male dominated industry. CREDAI Women’s Wing ensures more and more women participation in the realty space.
- What is one major highlight of your career that you would like to highlight?
It’s being five years since I have been working. The one achievement which I am proud of was being awarded the Dada Saheb Phalke Award for women empowerment as this was an award beyond my work.
- One piece of advice you would like to give to young pursuants?
Education is very underrated in India. I would encourage everyone to get a solid degree, so that if as an entrepreneur things don’t work out, you have the alternate choice of pursuing a career as a professional. It’s important to have worked at other organizations so that you can bring something new to the table. This also enforces certain amount of disciple and makes you accountable. Work hard and continue to do so without caring for the outcome, because I feel that the journey is far more important than that destination. It’s all about the CLIMB.
