[100 Emerging Women Leaders] RenewBuy CPO Sulbha Rai’s motto: a professional first, woman next

Being a professional over anything else has always taken precedence for Sulbha Rai. Having worked in the corporate world for more than a decade, she feels that it is the only way to overcome gender bias that exists in pockets of the ecosystem.

“I am a professional first, then comes my gender. This has helped me interact and engage with different kinds of people. Having said that, I do recognise that certain biases stem out from people because of their different upbringings and beliefs,” Sulbha shares candidly with HerStory.

As the Chief People Office at insuretech company RenewBuy, she aims to promote gender equality in the organisation, irrespective of designation and hierarchy. 

Born and raised in Lucknow, Sulbha was determined to follow in her father’s footsteps and become an engineer. However, after completing her engineering in electronics and communications, she married an army officer. This meant that she had to move around the country and put a pause on her career for two years. 

Sulbha came back to pick up her MBA in Human Resources and Finance from Himachal Pradesh University. She joined Ernst and Young, where she worked for almost a decade before she was bitten by the entrepreneurial bug. 

Soon, she started People Matrix, an HR consultancy company, where her clients included SMEs, the big four and other large corporate houses. Among the clientele was RenewBuy, which she would later join in 2018. 

Sulbha’s advice for self-growth is to help others to grow.

“No one can grow if they step on others. Growth can come only when you help others to grow, and that is what makes a leader,” she adds.

On what is the greatest strength of a woman leader, Sulbha says, “Women are naturally empathetic and emotional. It can be leveraged as a strength because that’s how we can connect with people on an emotional level.” 

“People don’t remember what you said, but how you said it. So, be authentic and emotional. There is no need to become “manly”, something that people often ask when we exhibit emotions,” concludes Sullbha.