Lodha Group's Soniya Prithiani Raisinghani believes in empowering her people

Soniya Prithiani Raisinghani, Associate vice president, sales, of Lodha Group
Image: Neha Mithbawkar for Forbes India

For almost a decade-and-a-half, Soniya Prithiani Raisinghani has been working in one of the world’s most challenging real estate markets. She finds it exciting to sell sunsets in Mumbai or the allure of the cultural melting pot of London life in the financial capital of India.

Since she joined the Lodha Group in 2008, Raisinghani has done it all—cold calling, sourcing, closing, referencing, managing broker relations, events and luxury sales detailing. She believes her long stint has allowed her to align her value system with that of the organisation. “With the deep understanding and power of knowledge here, one can relate to the ever-evolving client needs and stay ahead of the curve. Hence, it becomes easier to imbibe the traits and build a team with the same ethos, and at the same time retain agility and adaptability with an ever-changing external environment,” she says.

The Lodha Group was established by Mangal Prabhat Lodha, the BJP MLA from South Mumbai, in 1980. Raisinghani, 38, is the first woman to head sales at the Group as associate vice president. The “entrepreneur with a salary” believes empowerment at work has helped her reach there. And touching the lives of people and helping them find their dream home keep her going.

A black belt in karate and a national level champion, the mother of two handles a team of seven people and ensures they have a happy working environment along with building the ‘I can do it’ belief. “They get the right exposure as I keep them completely involved and empower them to reach their goals. I stand there as strong support to handhold them whenever required,” says Raisinghani, who lives by one mantra at work: Evolve, engage, empathise and own the outcome.

“Soniya has looked after the Lodha Luxury business with great aplomb. Her strength lies in a clear understanding of the luxury product and consumer, which has given her great success. She has managed her team very well. They have developed and grown under her. Her leadership style is leading from the front and involving team members in discussions and deliberations to take the business to the logical level,” says Prashant Bindal, chief sales officer, Lodha Group.

Raisinghani knows each member brings something special to the table and wants to groom them. “I would like to be a strong force in growing the organisation and them personally to greater heights,” she says.