In our industry, most leaders are women. My team is also largely driven by women. For me personally, my wife Ena has been a pillar of support.
With the huge number of responsibilities that I am entrusted with in a day, as the CEO of IPG Mediabrands, chairman of BARC, former president of Ad Club, or former chairman of ABC and MRUC, my work-life balance has always been a challenge. Amidst all this, Ena has been my support system, as she understands my work ethics and nurtures them. She understands me like no other.
Her faith in me was reflected best when I was offered the role of chairman of BARC. While a lot of people around me were trying to convince me to take up the responsibility, we both were hesitant since we knew about the huge workload and complications that came with it. However, after speaking to industry veterans about the role, Ena encouraged me to take it up. She believed that I was capable of acing this role. It was a big support for me back then because she believed in me even when I didn’t.
Ena and I have been married for over 40 years now. She used to run a play school in Mumbai and has devoted most of her life to the kids there and raising our two kids mostly by herself because those were the days when I would leave for work at 8 AM and come back at 11 PM.
One of her best qualities is that she doesn’t lose her calm easily and deals with challenges in a very collected manner. Secondly, her way of prioritising friends and family is impeccable. For all of us surrounded by Ena, we know we have someone to rely on at all times.