A: My first experience with PE was when I was heading operations for a software business invested partially by Polaris and by a PE. The PE investors attended board meetings and their only focus was on financial metrics. They came from a school that taught them to squeeze out returns using ratios and percentages and did not really care to understand business nuances. I, therefore, did not have a great opinion of the typical investment bankers and consultants, who had never been operators.

A: It is true that investors are fundamentally bankers and consultants and feel more comfortable with people who are cut from the same cloth. Because most of them have grown in this over years, there is a general perception that one needs to go through years of training before becoming the captain of a deal. It does not take much time to learn the enterprise valuations or funding structures.

A: This is a tough question, but let me give an honest answer. There is a very high degree of independence and flexibility at work here. For nearly five years I worked in Singapore but my home was in Jakarta. The fact that I sometimes worked from home on a Monday did not really matter and no one questioned my integrity or work ethics. It was and has always been about the output only. The co-founders are entrepreneurs at heart and have built a firm that behaves like an entrepreneurial business, with a strong sense of ownership. In terms of gender diversity, Everstone has been quite far-sighted in driving the agenda of diversity and inclusion, to bring in and retain talented women. Apart from me, I have women colleagues who lead capital markets, legal, business development, investor relations, and human resources in PE. The Everstone group which includes PE, Real Estate, the green energy fund all have a significant share of women across functions and levels.

A: As women, we have a double disadvantage. We are yet to be treated as true equals at work, which means we work ourselves harder than men to get a seat at the table. At home, however, we are expected to play the supportive spouse and face career disruptions multiple times. I have faced it three times and each of this was when my husband moved. And each time, it was just as I was settled and achieving. I had to quit each of the jobs, and when I got options in different industries or sectors, I just took each of these as an opportunity to try something new and in the process, I actually managed to grow.

A: For sure.. lots! Initially, it was assumptions that I would get pregnant and stop work, then it was that I would not be able to put in the hours with young kids, initially in the tech company, I was not taken seriously as I was not a techie and then in PE that I have no previous investing experience and therefore will not know the financial contours of a deal. Each time, I have had to work harder, focus on my strengths, put aside my ego, prove my worth, and more importantly build a thick shell around me to not get hurt.

A: Still working on it.

A: I built a strong network of women around me who were equally proud and willing to support me to ensure I could work. I leaned on them all the time. My girl friends who kept an eye on my kids, my maids at home, my mother-in-law. My advice to other women is simple- build a strong network at home with other women. They are your cheerleaders and your children will become too as they grow and realize that they have a mother who is happy and has her own identity. Also set up expectations right at the start, get each person at home to contribute don’t feel terribly guilty if you miss seeing your kid’s first tooth fall, or a goal in a match.

A: My dad, who brought me up to be an equal and only pushed me to strive and achieve.

A: It’s okay to make mistakes and fail. It’s what you do afterwards that’s important.

A: I love to run, explore new places, read and just spend time with family. I run long distance, my mind is so clear when I run and I feel so refreshed. I love to experience new things, places, food, and even during the last 12 months of lockdown, I have managed to find beauty in the everyday things around me, a new café, a new experience in the same city.

A: Be willing to learn at every level and from even the youngest member of the team. And lead always from the back.

A: The following:

• What is this business all about and why will it continue to exist and win 10 years later?
• Who is the promoter or founder?
• Who will buy this from us? And why?

A: I believe women can have a lot more than what they have today.

A: Salads, I love to make. Chocolate in all forms, shapes, and sizes I love to eat.