People are at the core of Shruti Shibulal’s business philosophy. And this is evident in the emphasis she places on talent diversity at Tamara Leisure Experiences, her hospitality venture that will soon complete two decades. Whether at their luxury resorts, wellness hospital or hotels, there is one thing that she has experienced first-hand—the efficiency and value that teamwork brings. She believes the ideal way to bring out the best in people is to build an equitable workplace—where men and women have equal opportunities, understand each other’s challenges and collaborate meaningfully. Edited excerpts from an interview with the CEO and director of Tamara Leisure Experiences: Q. You have shaped Tamara into a responsible brand with a distinct focus on people, planet and profit. How do you strike a balance?Since the beginning, we were clear that if we were to build a hospitality business, it must be a responsible one. People are at the core of our business, and they are the ones who execute our vision. But we also stay process-oriented to make sure that the values built around people, planet and profit are driven through to the end recipients—our guests. When it comes to the planet, it’s about reducing consumption and easing the burden of our operations on the land. From a people perspective, it is about hiring practices and policies that foster a culture of inclusion and diversity. As far as profit is concerned, we want to do well while also doing good. We have been able to strike a balance with the way we have integrated the 3Ps into the system—setting concrete goals aligned with our values and consistently measuring progress to make sure that our commitment stays strong. Q. You started your entrepreneurship journey quite early. Did you experience any bias? I was in a fairly powerful position when I was around 23. So, as a young entrepreneur and leader, I experienced ageism to a greater degree than gender bias. And in my 20s, it motivated me to work harder and push back against some of those assumptions. Even today, it may take a moment for a new acquaintance to absorb my title and then adjust their initial impression of a CEO who appears to be relatively younger than what they expected. That said, it is understandable for young leaders to face this, within reason. Deep knowledge of any craft or industry cannot be earned overnight. So, it absolutely makes sense that age is respected, as it should be. Perhaps, we can also gradually accept the fact that it is not age alone that matters always. Of late, I have also noticed a different kind of bias—lack of true representation in conferences and discussion forums. It’s often the same set of people who are invited and there is hardly any diversity in terms of perspectives, gender or age. The danger of seeking sameness like this is that we are missing out on innovative ideas and fresh thinking. Q. Is India’s entrepreneurship landscape an equal opportunity space?Entrepreneurship is hardly a level-playing field in India. Women still face a lot of bias and struggle to secure funding, irrespective of the industry they want to get into. According to a recent study, ventures with at least one female founder secured just 4.5 percent of all VC (venture capital) funding in India during the 2023-24 period. The most apparent reason for this is the inherent bias about women’s competence in the role of a leader, which we have not conventionally seen them occupy. Studies also show how women’s empowerment actually exacerbates bias—as women take on more high-level positions, they are viewed as a greater threat. As a consequence, women entrepreneurs face more loan rejections and end up paying higher interest rates if at all they get loans. Also, investors prefer pitches made my male investors even when the content is the same. Socio-cultural factors also contribute to women having limited access to financial services, mentorship, networking and other support systems. Q. There are relatively more women in the hospitality industry, but it’s still skewed at the top…There’s definitely a tapering of sorts that happens between the time a woman graduates and finds employment to the time she reaches a leadership position. This is largely due to socio-cultural and personal factors—like marriage, childbirth or senior care. Concerns around workplace safety as well as transportation and logistics burdens add to this. Rigid organisational structures have also made it difficult for women to manage traditional household roles and pursue sustainable, let alone upwardly mobile, careers. Flexibility and a supportive environment where one can work without the fear of negative consequences can be immensely empowering. It’s crucial for leaders too, to be empathetic—to understand the challenges their team members face both at the workplace and outside of work. Women face more challenges than men particularly due to social biases. That said, I wouldn’t want to stereotype because the conversation here has to be around collaboration and providing a holistic experience as a team, not as an individual. At Tamara, we fully acknowledge the value women bring and allow them as much flexibility as possible. For instance, in my direct sales team, we have had reservation agents who work from home. It is not feasible for them to come to office regularly, but they are exceptionally good at what they do. We actively seek to support such women who are a valuable talent pool. Q. Do women leaders bring any unique skill sets to the table?Cognitively, leadership is gender agnostic. And from a skills perspective and thinking perspective too. However, diversity in individual backgrounds and experience can influence the way a leader interacts with the organisation and the external environment. Women bring important skills like heightened sensitivity to inclusive communication, which requires diplomacy, empathy, patience and understanding. They also tend to prioritise collaboration. These qualities are suitable for front office roles and certain other areas of hotel operations. And often, we see women excelling in such positions compared to men. As leaders, we also see women effectively managing reputational risks and prioritising ESGs (environmental, social and governance frameworks). About a quarter of my senior team members today are women. And our focus is to bring more women into leadership roles because they can relate better to the struggles of other women. As part of our career development programme, we identify learning gaps in women and offer them training so that they can move up the ladder. Q. What has influenced your leadership style?I was lucky to have been around leaders like my father and see the reality of leadership, up close. It’s something that can shape you as a leader—offering a long-term vision in terms of who you want to be, what you want to be, how you want to treat people, and the sacrifices you want to make for the organisation. These were aspects I could reflect on and define for myself quite young. Seeing Infosys was obviously inspirational, as it was for many others in the country. I have imbibed a strong sense of its value system and that has profoundly influenced the way I lead. The biggest learning from my father has been that in a country like India, we can be successful while staying committed to our values. Q. Do you think the world of power is designed for men?Yes, I believe so. Traditional workspaces, schedules, career models and leadership styles were designed largely in favour of men, and this can make it challenging for women. However, there is a lot we can do today, given the advancements in technology. For instance, we can offer more flexibility to those who want to work different hours or from different locations in a way that suits their individual needs. For organisations to truly evolve, we need to redefine what work looks like. This begins with basics like well-planned maternity and paternity leave policies as well as childcare support. We can then look at larger changes—perhaps revisit the traditional idea of working at a particular office from say, 9 am to 5 pm. That will open up the ecosystem to a much wider pool of exceptional talent. Finally, it is important to listen to employees—women themselves can best tell you what support they need. Routine surveys and transparent feedback loops are effective ways to achieve this.
First Published: Dec 16, 2024, 11:05
Subscribe Now