Tripti Shinghal Somani – Empowering Women To Dream
Tripti Shingal Somani is the synonym of the saying ‘Real Queens fix each other’s crown’. She is the Managing Director and CEO of KGS Advisors. She is also the curator of the Womennovator series (a virtual incubator for women), Rasoi Queen, and Queens XI Cricket League, all of which stem from her desire and passion to help women.
From being a Chartered Accountant and postgraduate in law to working in various multinational organizations such as PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Grant Thornton (GT), World Bank (on behalf of GT), etc, she has accomplished so much in such a short span.
She has single-handedly managed the MIT global startup workshop as a local partner and was recognized as an outstanding fellow for the same. She is also the founding Chairperson of the Confederation of Women Entrepreneurs, Delhi. Her articles “Make in India’ and ‘Budget’ were published by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME ministry), India in their monthly newsletter. She is known for her relatable, motivational, and inspiring TEDx talks.
Her kind, soft-spoken, polite, and warm nature makes it easy to relate and communicate with her. Let us get to know more about Tripti Shingal Somani who makes multi-tasking seem so effortless and graceful.
1. In many interviews, you mentioned yourself to be a shy and sensitive kid who was an average student. I am curious to know, what caused such a sudden shift in a little girl to go from shy and sensitive to literally breaking the glass ceilings as we speak.
I think it is circumstantial. From shy to someone who is an extrovert, this drastic change happened because there was a demand for it. I am very passionate about working and supporting the environment and women. We feel blessed and life seems to be perfect but we also know that everyone is not able to deal with the same situation in the best possible way. I have overcome that phase of my childhood but I believe that there are people who need not overcome it. I always believe and trust God who helped me overcome it. Things changed when I was caught cheating in an exam when I was at school, I have talked about that incident in my TED talks as well. That was when I started working and studying. It took years for me to overcome it. When I started working on my project which was a social initiative, I came across people whose problems were much bigger than mine which pushed me to speak up for others. I think that brought a change in me to become an extrovert.
2. You have always told us about who you are and how you want to be known not just for your titles but much more than that, just like your father. Can you share with us how your father has impacted your life?
My father has impacted my life a lot. He is not with us anymore. I lost him just 2 months before my wedding in a road accident and he just spoke to me five minutes before the accident. He had called me and I told him that I would call him back because I was at the office. I regret that I didn’t speak to him when he called me. He had just confirmed the location of my marriage. The one thing that I appreciate about him is that he was exceptionally good with relationships. Wherever, whoever he met, he would neither forget them nor will they forget my father. He remembered everyone’s birthday, anniversary, and numbers and at that time there were no phones. He was amazing at relationship-building. He has friends throughout the globe. Secondly, he was very passionate about everything. He did not differentiate between people who were rich and poor. He always said that everyone is equal. He was very religious. We used to chant the Gayathri mantra for hours. He used to travel a lot being an entrepreneur and knew how to grab the best opportunities. Everything thing was available for us at home but he was also philanthropic. At that time we were too young to understand that relationships are more important than materialistic goods.
3. As a woman in what most people say is a ‘male-dominated’ field, you were able to break all stereotypes that are usually tagged and expected from a woman and I am guessing the journey would have been one big adventure. What was the thing that kept you going even when you took the “road less traveled”?
We have to be strong enough to make sure that what we believe, we are sure of it. Many a time, I had also come across a situation wherein I was very adamant about whether I should have this or the other. Sometimes I also felt that maybe the thing I was trying for as a woman may create an imbalance, but it is incorrect to say that the field is a male-dominated one. There are instances wherein I was not promoted even when I was rated as the top performer by my partners. I believe that if someone is not promoting you, there could be multiple reasons, and being a female should not be one. So it is us who take it that way but being an entrepreneur myself, my honest opinion is that being a woman alone cannot be a reason to stop anyone from promoting you. So a lot of people sit back saying that they were not promoted because they are a woman but that could not be a reason at all, believe me. As an entrepreneur, I can say that we will not stop the promotion of a woman just because she is married or she is blessed with a baby. If you can make your presence felt and contribute to the organization’s growth, then you have earned your position.
4. You are very passionate about womennovator. Did the idea of womennovator stem from your struggle?
Somewhere everyone wants to have their babies, right? Business is also like this, you want your baby, your name. It was circumstantial. I was with the Confederation of Women Entrepreneurs, who were working in the South at that time. One of my relatives proposed that I head north and then I started. I was very passionate about it. There was a difference in opinion on what should be promoted in the organization. I was not satisfied with the way the association worked, by taking memberships. So I thought that I needed to avoid the membership fees and that there would be more concrete results. So we created womennovator, it is a virtual incubator where we go to different cities and different sectors and conduct competitions like India’s Got Talent we select six women from every location and sector and we do their incubation. We talk to them regarding the challenges they are facing. We then incubate them for ten weeks. Then we see how we can give them a bigger push.
5. ‘Influencer’ is a term regularly used nowadays. Even in womennovator being an influencer is a key part. In this growing social media age, what role according to you does an influencer play?
Womennovator influencer is very different from a social media influencer. We do have influencers who are not at all on social media. So for us, an influencer could be anyone. They could be cleaners, sweepers, professionals, or an actress. More important for us is how he or she is inclined towards supporting other women, an influencer can be a he or she as we are not restricting an influencer to be only her. They should have a circle to bring at least thirty women around a round table in ten minutes. So these people irrespective of their background, can be influencers because they can bring a change or can impact a particular community. Whether a celebrity or a sweeper, for me it hardly matters.
6. MD & CEO of KGS advisors, curator of Womennovator series, Rasoi queen, and Queens XI cricket league, being some of the hats you juggle. How do you make it seem so effortless?
Oh, it is not effortless believe me. You should ask my team, they hate working with me is all I can say. I make them work like a machine and if they don’t I make their lives hell. So I don’t think it is effortless. It is effortless on the outside but inside it is crazy and I know that. I tell my team that you can forget this life and pray for your next life. (Laughing)
But you can see our reach. I mean some organizations have been there for the last 20-30 years, even then you will not find a reach of 100 cities and 90 sectors. So now people who have amazing Facebook and Instagram following are reaching out to us to be a part of our influencer team. So this is what is important.
7. Trying to make the world a better place for women in whichever way possible for your daughter was something you said in an interview. Being a recent mother to a baby girl myself, I can understand where you come from. But have you seen any progress in where women stand in these years and from your perspective are people ready to accept this sudden shift?
It’s a very difficult question and I will give a very diplomatic answer. So what I have seen is usually North Indian women are very lazy, which means bringing them out of their comfort zone is a challenge. Unless something unfortunate happens, they are not ready to move out of their comfort zone. So I call these people a waste of time because they have time, they can create things but they are not doing so. They are sitting back and watching TV, spending more time with the kids. Kids are also getting irritated and they ask for some space. Then they feel demotivated. Women are working, even in the manufacturing unit in South India. Here we hardly find women in the service industry. So the GDP of India can surely be pushed if we can convince our women population, who have the time to create things, to come forward to contribute to the real GDP. They have to be told that they are worth more than just taking care of the family.
8. Did you always aspire to be a Chartered Accountant since childhood? If not a CA, what would have been your next career choice?
I wanted to be a journalist in the criminal branch, an investigator, or a police officer like they used to show in criminal TV shows in those times on Doordarshan and all. But I went with Charted Accountant. I got 99 marks in my 10th boards. I went into science. Then I went to my principal’s office saying that I don’t want science, I want to opt for commerce. So he laughed out saying that you are the first person who has come with a request to move from science to commerce. I felt so much pressure in science as I was preparing for IIT. I got into DPS RK Puram Delhi in commerce but I came back to Bareilly saying no, I want science, and then again in Bareilly shifted from science to commerce again. It is all destiny how things turn out in your life.
9. You would have come across a lot of naysayers or critics throughout your journey. How do you handle or face them?
I love my critics. My best friend was my worst critic. But I was happy, at least he told me things how they were. If you are the topper of the school, people usually sugarcoat what they say. So he used to be sarcastic and critical of whatever I was doing. Some critics help you. They make you ready, you may feel uncomfortable but they are just making you ready for the worst. They are your well-wishers to be very honest. In every girl’s family, the best person in your life is your mother-in-law, because they ensure that you are not doing anything wrong. They tell you in advance that you should not do this. (Laughing) So healthily taking criticism is important, you can take it positively or negatively, and if you keep yourself busy then it’s all fine.
10. If given an opportunity, what is the one message or advice you would give to a 10-year-old younger self?
Why I can’t give a proper answer for this because all misfortunes lead me to be who I am today. If I had not been caught cheating in an exam at school, I would not have topped my school in the following years. Similarly, when I lost my Dad, my life completely changed. So all the work I have done after my Dad’s accident has been on the social front. The unfortunate moments in my life have led to some powerful changes in my life. So, I don’t know what I would say to my younger self.
On behalf of the SheSight Team, we are extremely grateful to her for taking the time and effort from her busy schedule. We wish her the very best on both personal and professional fronts.
Written By-
Anita R Nair
Associate Editor
