CELEBRATING THE POWER WOMEN OF INDIAN REAL ESTATE

For Tara Subramaniam, leadership was shaped less by barriers within the workplace and more by the world beyond it. She considers herself fortunate to have begun her career at HDFC Ltd, where gender was never a defining factor in professional growth. Under leaders like Deepak Parekh, Deepak Satawlekar, Pradip P. Shah and K.G. Krishnamurthy, she found a culture where opportunities were based on merit, allowing women to progress through the organisation on equal footing with their male colleagues.

"I have been very lucky to have started my career at HDFC Ltd, where there were absolutely no gender biases. Going up the corporate ladder for women was as easy, or as difficult, as it was for men," she says.

Outside the organisation, however, reality often reflected the biases of its time. In the early 1990s, while working in wholesale lending, Tara frequently encountered clients who overlooked her presence in meetings, chose not to shake hands or directed their questions to junior male colleagues instead. She understood that many were simply unaccustomed to dealing with women in senior corporate roles, but those experiences only strengthened her belief that credibility is earned through competence rather than assumptions. While she acknowledges that conversations around gender equality have advanced considerably, Tara believes meaningful change is still a work in progress. Larger professionally managed organisations have adopted stronger policies around hiring, promotions and remuneration, but she feels unconscious bias continues to persist, particularly in smaller businesses. Women are still routinely questioned about marriage and motherhood during interviews, she points out, while men are rarely asked similar questions.

"The conversation has evolved and is still evolving, but there is a long journey ahead. Women continue to face questions that men simply do not, and that reflects how much work still remains," she says.

Those experiences have also shaped her perspective on leadership. Tara believes women bring valuable balance to boardrooms because they often approach challenges, analyse situations and weigh decisions differently. Diverse viewpoints, she says, lead to healthier discussions and stronger outcomes. At the same time, she recognises that women leaders frequently have to make greater efforts to establish credibility and ensure their voices are heard. The strongest influence in Tara's personal journey, however, came from her late mother-in-law, Vijaya Dabholkar. By embracing her as a daughter, managing the family with quiet strength and supporting her career without ever being intrusive, she gave Tara the freedom to grow into an independent professional.