Neha Bagaria, Founder and CEO of HerKey, addressed the audience at the highly anticipated HerRising 2024 event through a virtual call. Speaking from the US due to a medical emergency, Neha Bagaria shared a deeply personal account of her career journey, inspiring the crowd with insights on balancing life’s pivotal moments with professional growth.
In her keynote, Neha Bagaria explored the four major life stages many women experience, explaining how marriage, motherhood, and personal relocations shaped her career. “When I went through marriage and mobility, relocating from Mumbai to Bangalore, I had to shut down my first company to join my husband’s family business, Kegel. Later, motherhood came, and a baby gave birth to a mother. I completely stopped working for three and a half years and became a full-time mom.”
She reflected on how this period led to profound learning, shaping the current phase of her professional journey with HerKey. Neha Bagaria shared how these experiences taught her valuable lessons in resilience and leadership: “Today feels different. I have learned so much from HerKey’s journey and from the inspiring women I have met along the way.”
Bagaria outlined five critical lessons for navigating career and life challenges. First, she emphasized the importance of building strong teams both at work and home, noting the incredible support from her HerKey team during her absence. “They picked up the baton and ran with it,” she praised. Additionally, she credited her husband for stepping up as a true partner, echoing Sheryl Sandberg’s mantra: “Be the right partner at home.”
One of her key messages was the importance of seeking help and leaning on support systems without hesitation. “I have unabashedly reached out to friends, family, colleagues, mentors, and even investors for help,” Bagaria said, encouraging other women to do the same. She also stressed self-care: “Put your own oxygen mask on first before helping others,” she urged, highlighting the need for women to prioritize their well-being.
Her advice resonated with the audience, many of whom are navigating similar stages of life and work. Bagaria expressed her solidarity, saying, “I know I’m not alone. So many women are going through these life stages, and we can be stronger together.”
Bagaria ended her address with an enthusiastic call to action, encouraging attendees to fully engage with HerRising 2024 and make the most of the networking opportunities, both in person and on the HerKey platform. “Unabashedly go out there and showcase yourselves,” she concluded, as she promised to join the event live later in the day.
The HerRising 2024 event in Gurugram featured a lineup of speakers, offering learning, inspiration, and opportunities to connect with like-minded professionals dedicated to women’s empowerment and career advancement. Earlier in the day, Muru Arjunan, CTO, of HerKey, welcomed the audience and touched upon the 4Ms of a woman’s life- Marriage, Mobility, Motherhood & Medical Care. That’s why usually a woman’s career graph looks very different from a man’s. Muru also dwelled upon the importance of allies in a woman’s career. For every HER she needs a ForHer and HerKey brings both together on a common platform so that every woman gets what she needs to advance in her career and beyond with the power of communities.
Priyanka Gill, Venture Partner at Kalaari Capital and Co-founder of The Good Glamm Group, captivated the audience with her keynote address titled Shaping Your Success: Strategies #ToBeHer and Thrive in Dynamic Careers. She emphasized, “Success in today’s ever-evolving landscape requires not only resilience but also a commitment to continuous growth. The journey to be her is about embracing every challenge as an opportunity and carving a unique path to thrive.”
The event also witnessed the unveiling of a report titled The Broken Rung: Challenges in Women’s Career Progression. This report, a collaborative effort between HerKey and Prin. L.N. Welingkar Institute of Management, Bengaluru, shares insights into the systemic barriers hindering Indian women from advancing to managerial positions. Offering data-driven insights and actionable recommendations, the report aims to pave the way for greater gender equality in the workplace.
