Priti Sureka at her office in Emami tower. Picture: Rashbehari Das

As the only woman director on a board of 15 at the Emami Group, Priti A. Sureka proves that glass ceilings are only there for the smashing. The daughter of Emami Group co-founder R.S. Agarwal, she was at the numbers game right from her teens.

“I had an interest in my father’s business since I was in Class VI. I used to go to my father’s office from my school [Loreto Day School, Bowbazar], I used to go to the factories with him… I was just drawn towards this entire business and its various facets,” said Priti sitting in her office at Emami tower, off the Ruby roundabout on the EM Bypass.

But being born into a business family did not mean a ready chair for the English honours student from Loreto College.

“There was a lot of criticism within the family, and snide remarks, but fortunately for me, my parents are quite open-minded. And I think where there is a will there is a way,” smiled the mother of two, who formally joined her father’s business when she was in Class XI.

“Sometimes the remarks disturb you, sometimes they make you more determined, sometimes they can also agonise you. But after all these years I think it is wise that a woman should ignore them,” she smiled.

But what is it like being the she-boss at a predominantly male workplace? “Apart from the regular business challenges, being a woman poses some stiff challenges. Now I have overcome them, but initially people tend to be dismissive of a woman boss. The male ego, clinically and primarily, is not suited to taking instructions or advice from a woman. When I joined the business, there were not many women in this field. I am talking of the late 1980s. Things have changed now, but at that time it was a major issue,” she admitted.

Priti credits her husband Raj for helping her get back to work after marriage and motherhood. “He is the opposite of the stereotypical Indian male. He is very, very broad-minded. He believes in sharing all duties and does not believe that office is a man’s domain and the house a woman’s. This made life much easier for me,” laughed Priti, who has been married for 19 years.

Speaking about her children, son Rohin Raj, who is studying in the US, and daughter Avishi, who is in school in Ooty, Priti says it’s her daughter who has already decided to follow in her mother’s footsteps. “She’s 16 now and she’s all set to join work and carve out her own business. I have ensured there’s gender equality between my kids. I see around me women telling their daughters, ‘You must learn kitchen work’. Fine, a girl needs to know her way around the kitchen, but I feel a boy also needs to know that.”

Striking a balance between work and home is every career woman’s bugbear but Priti says “proper planning” helps her do it all. “And once in a while, also take time off for adda during work!”

In the coming months and years, Priti plans to “strengthen the existing brand and launch new brands”. According to her, consumers are changing fast, as is their mind and “it is important to spot the trend and deliver value products.”

Priti calls herself a proud Calcuttan. “I think ours is a unique city — vibrant, pulsating with life and parts of it singing the songs of decay. Having grown up here, I love this city. I would really love to see Calcutta take pride of place in the international market,” she smiled.

Her last word on being a lady and a leader? “I think women are as good as leaders as men, if not better. I think women make fantastic leaders. I have seen the women executives here and I think they have more of a point to prove to themselves, their male colleagues, and the male bastion in their families and elsewhere.”

Priti’s favourite Emami brand ambassadors

lShah Rukh Khan: For Fair and Handsome, he was absolutely a bullseye choice because every man wants to be a dream man for his woman, and Shah Rukh Khan is the dream man for every woman. He is the king of romance, the Badshah of romance. Men also in some way want to be a Shah Rukh Khan.

lAmitabh Bachchan (Emami’s BoroPlus Antiseptic Cream, Himani Fast Relief and Himani Navratna Extra Thanda Cool Oil): He is an icon, a legend, an authority. His persona goes beyond films. He is a person of literature and great social consciousness as well.

lKareena Kapoor: She is the No.1 heroine and we had Kareena for our BoroPlus lotion. It’s all about protected and healthy skin, and it has to be protected from the elements. Kareena personified that.

lSourav Ganguly (was earlier associated with Sona Chandi Chyawanprash): He was ruling the cricket field and still is the Dada of Bengal.