[100 Emerging Women Leaders] Meet Edelweiss’ Radhika Gupta, who believes failure is not the end of the world

Radhika Gupta, the Managing Director and CEO of Edelweiss AMC, is the youngest CEO of the company. 

But that isn’t all to her accolades. She is the only woman head of a major asset management fund and has set up the country’s first domestic hedge fund. 

“I am one of those people who chose to build a career in a space very different from my parents. My father was a diplomat, and my mother is a principal of a school. They did not have corporate exposure. I didn’t see myself in the business world,” Radhika tells HerStory in a conversation. 

An ambitious person in life, Radhika says, “I find that some amount of ambition and aspiration is important, especially in young women. I don’t think we celebrate ambition enough in India.” 

She says her journey is a product of self-discovery. As a diplomat’s daughter, she did her education all over the world. In fact, she is the first in her family to study abroad. Her first job was at Microsoft, she then moved to McKinsey, and later joined a hedge fund on Wall Street. 

In 2009, she returned to India to start her own asset management company and became the CEO of Edelweiss AMC. At the age of 33, she was the youngest CEO of a company.

Radhika went to business school, dabbled in the tech and consultancy world for some time, and eventually found her niche in finance management. 

In her 20s, Radhika had been at campus placements at the University of Pennsylvania, where she faced continuous rejection—seven times precisely. 

She doubted herself a lot for her failures. And sadly, she tried jumping off the 19th floor of a building. But as luck would have it, she found her courage. 

“In retrospect, I see that those weren’t the only rejections in my life. I’ve realised rejection is very normal, especially if you are an ambitious person. Life is about remembering that nothing truly is the end of the world,” she says. 

“I come from capital markets, and every time there is a major financial crisis, people assume it is the end of the world. But markets teach you a life lesson—nothing is truly permanent. Things come back, and you have to find it within yourself to come back,” she adds. 

Now, Radhika chooses to talk about her challenges, seek help, and practice gratitude. “If you look at your life and career over a five to 10-year-old period, you realise there is much to be grateful for.” 

However, being the odd one out, even if it is another gender, can be a tough ask. 

“What I don’t obsess over is how many times I have spoken in the room. But if I do have something valid to say, I find a moment to say it. If I find that I haven’t been heard, I would raise my hand at the end of the meeting and put my point of view. In your industry, if you acquire a certain stature, if people will respect you for your work, they will listen to you,” she says. 

Despite being the only woman head of a major asset management fund, Radhika believes that money management isn’t an alpha male career path as it is made out to be. 

“People automatically visualise aggression, glamour, and the “Wolf of Wall Street”, but that isn’t about money management. It is a big responsibility. You are managing other people’s hard-earned money, and fund managers are people who take on that responsibility very seriously,” Radhika explains. 

And, she realised this after joining the firm. It is a nice industry; it gives a lot to women and is extremely flexible, she adds.  Today, Radhika defines herself as a young passionate Indian woman trying to maximise the unlimited opportunities that India has to offer. 

Advising women leaders, Radhika says, “Have incredible ambition, have big dreams in whatever sector you pick, and just go for them!”