The executive chairperson of Antara Senior Care and second-generation entrepreneur on the "business of empathy", why women having the freedom to choose matters, and how mediocrity won't take people far at the workplace
Tara Singh Vachani, Executive chairperson of Antara Senior Care
Image: Amit Verma
It would have been easy for her to join the family business after studies, but Tara Singh Vachani chose a difficult path. The executive chairperson of Antara Senior Care saw the untapped potential in the senior living space and went on to nurture it into a thriving business. The second-generation entrepreneur (she is the daughter of Analjit Singh, founder of the Max Group) believes that embracing the feminine energy within can shape both women and men into more transformational leaders. Understandably, women are at the core of her venture, which she aptly calls the “business of empathy”. Edited excerpts:
Q. In what way have your experiences in the senior living and care industry shaped you as a leader?
Initially, the challenges were simply about me not having enough experience of building a business and stepping into an ecosystem where ‘senior living’ did not exist as an industry category. I faced additional challenges of being a ‘young’ entrepreneur, of being a ‘woman entrepreneur’, and having a family business background.
The challenges specific to Antara were different. The first was about creating awareness about the need for a category like senior living. Second was recognising the importance of financial health and capital management for the business. Third was proving why I deserved to be given the opportunity and funding to build a business from scratch.
Today, we are in a high-growth environment. I am also a mother of two young girls, and passionate about philanthropy and working in the early education space. The challenge now is figuring out where to focus my energy and motivation and how to balance it all, so that each thing I nurture can grow to its full potential.