After graduation, Shikha Gupta joined Mahindra Finance as a MIS Executive. A few years later, she was told that she was being moved into a new role, in the receivables department. Being the only woman in this team, she was anxious and hesitant to join. She wondered how she could do a job she had no experience in - collecting dues from customers.
However, her seniors encouraged her to embrace the new role. Once she decided to give it a try, she gave it her 100%. The result was visible in the very first month! Shikha achieved a 98% collection efficiency and earned praise not only from her department but the organisation at large. Today, she wonders if her seniors saw potential in her when she couldn’t herself.
Amidst the turbulence of the COVID-19 pandemic, Shikha emerged as a guiding light, teaching digital payment methods to her customers to ensure seamless EMI transactions. Her commitment to serving others extended beyond professional boundaries, as she navigated the complexities of managing over 120-150 customer contracts while shouldering familial responsibilities alongside her elder brother.
We are proud of Shikha’s courage and are sure that her story will encourage more women to take on tough roles fearlessly.
How did a Mahindra associate train customers to use digital payment methods during the pandemic? Read more to find out:
Mahindra Rise presents #SheIsOnTheRise - stories of women who make the world better every day. We kick off the series with Shikha Gupta.

Determination gives you the resolve to keep going in spite of the roadblocks that lay before you.”- Denis Waitley I’ve been proudly calling myself a Mahindraite for a whole decade now. Though many things have changed, one thing which has remained constant is my will to keep going no matter what roadblocks lay in front of me. I joined Mahindra Home Loans in 2013 as a Customer Service Officer and was soon promoted to Loan Officer. Over the years, as I kept learning and improving, my work got recognized by the leaders and I got bigger responsibilities. Under my leadership as a Branch Manager, my branch has received R&R for Best Branch five times and has been a top performer in both business and collection for the past 4 years consecutively. However, having had to face extreme hardships, this hasn’t been an easy journey. After I lost my husband, I was left with a child to raise and my mother to look after. Without the family support that I needed, coping up was hard. But, joining Mahindra gave me the courage to improve my circumstances and take charge of my life. Thanks to the support I’ve received here, my son has completed his BE and is now working in Tech Mahindra, Chennai. Today I feel grateful to Mahindra for enabling my family and I to truly Rise.
#InternationalWomensDay #EmbraceEquity

If I succeed, I will be happy and if I lose, I will be wiser. Giving up on a task without even trying has never been my way of doing things. Having joined the Mahindra Group as a Graduate Agri Trainee merely six months ago, I sometimes find it hard to believe how far I’ve come from being a newbie trying to understand the market to becoming a go-to solution provider for my dealers and sales teams. Tractor sales requires immense technical knowledge & high sensitivity towards customer needs. It entails long days in the field with hectic travel schedules. But, even in the most exacting situations, I always strive to be bold and face them head on. I put my best foot forward with a smile. As the only female in the Punjab team, I used to face a lot of bias from dealers. They would say, “Yeh kal ki ladki humein kya sikhayegi”. But with my diligence and the guidance of my seniors who believed I could take on every challenge on the field, I was able to rise above these stereotypes. The same people now look up to me for help whenever they are struggling. They now find my hard work endearing and my passion infectious. This makes me hopeful for the future as I look forward to contributing to the vision of transforming the lives of our farmers.
#InternationalWomensDay #EmbraceEquity

There’s no such thing as failure, only results. When I started my journey as a Client Partner at Tech Mahindra, I got the opportunity to chart the growth strategy for key accounts in the Enterprise Americas business. My team and I learnt that exponential growth needs unwavering focus and determination. With a three-pronged strategy around IT Services, Business Towers and Infrastructure Growth, we needed to be focused and tenacious to accomplish results. Being resolute was what drove me to achieve the hefty target of 100 million in three years. My team has taught me a lot; our passion and a ‘never say never’ attitude has helped us achieve 2x growth for the last 2 years. We have a very diverse team today that is based out of 7 countries across the globe. Making the most of the capabilities of my team to create valuable synergies helps me focus on solutions and achieve our goals, especially with the support and guidance from the leadership. Being in sales entails a lot of travel and I am blessed to have an incredible family that has supported me every step of the way. ‘Accepting No Limits’ is a core principle and ‘Customer Delight’ is an obsession.
#InternationalWomensDay #EmbraceEquity

A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes, better than a master of one. Joining Bristlecone as a fresher and being associated with the Mahindra group was a dream come true. Since I joined as a software developer more than 15 years ago, my thirst for learning and the opportunities coming my way helped me amass diverse knowledge across various disciplines. Upskilling continuously helped me to keep pace with the constantly evolving technology and enabled me to multitask well. My ability to be versatile enables me to don various hats of Subject Matter Expert, Team Lead, Solution Architect, Project Manager and People Manager, as per the need of the hour. I was capable of managing my personal life as well as the dynamic challenges of the industry, thanks to a strong support system at home. Some great mentors in the organization helped me realize the importance of knowledge sharing. This helped me build a strong team with similar values as mine. I am fortunate to be able to contribute to the growth of technology in my capacity as a Leader of a Centre of Excellence. With the support of experts from multiple technology pillars who are part of this Centre, I aim to help my teams and customers Rise with me.
#InternationalWomensDay #EmbraceEquity

Belief in one’s ability is the key to success. Electrical engineering is mostly seen as a predictable IT-focused desk job. But being an electrical engineer on a solar power plant fits no part of that description. In fact, it’s an exciting and often hazardous occupation that needs adherence to strict safety procedures. Despite not being strong financially, my father educated all his children on a single salary so we could build good lives for ourselves. From him, I learnt how to always believe in my abilities. I joined Mahindra Teqo as the first female site engineer. I now manage 4 other female workers on the site, training and guiding them at every step to carry out all maintenance activities as per our commitment to technical excellence and the highest HSE standards. It makes me very proud when young girls around me regard me as a role model. Citing me as an example, their families also want them to study well and build a career. I hope to inspire other women to join the field and that they become a part of our ever-growing workforce of competent solar professionals at Teqo.
#InternationalWomensDay #EmbraceEquity