The Girl with Broken Neck: Radhika Gupta’s Story
By: Geetanjali
Born with squint eyes and a broken neck, this is what she calls herself, “The Girl with a Broken Neck”, Radhika Gupta. MD and CEO of Edelweiss Mutual Funds, India’s fastest-growing asset management company. Radhika made her debut appearance on television with the reality show “Shark Tank India Season 3”as the newest shark, which aired in January 2024.
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Her life has not been less than a rollercoaster ride, dodging all the potholes she remained resilient throughout her journey. She is an inspiration for many, on this International Women’s day 2024, let’s take a look at the courageous and successful businesswoman Radhika Gupta’s life story.
Biography of Radhika Gupta:
| Name | Radhika Gupta |
| Birth Year | September , 1983 |
| Birth Place | Pakistan |
| Parents Names | Yogesh Gupta(father), Arti Gupta(teacher) |
| Spouse | Nalin Moniz (m.2008) |
| Children | Remy Gupta Moniz |
| Qualification | BSE in Computer Science Engineering (University Pennsylvania), B.Sc in Economics ( The Wharton School), and Jerome Fisher Programme in Management Technology (University of Pennsylvania) |
| Profession | M.D and CEO of Edelweiss Mutual Funds |
| Start-up Name | Forefront Capital Management(2009) was later acquired by Edelweiss Mutual Funds in 2014 |
| Net Worth | Rs.40.1 Million |
Early Life of Radhika Gupta:
Radhika was born in Pakistan in 1983 to a diplomat father and a teacher mother. She has spent her childhood across many countries, including Pakistan, New York, Nigeria and New Delhi, reason being her father worked at the Indian Foreign Services.
Born with squint eyes and a crooked neck (which was due to umbilical cord being wrapped around her neck in her mothers womb, slightly bending her neck), she was at the pinpoint of bullies. In her talks she mentions how she was excluded and made fun of because of her Indian accent, children at school used to bully her and call her Apu a character from a cartoon named Simpsons, which resulted in low confidence throughout her childhood.
Burying all her emotions for years Radhika became depressed, at one point she thought committing the unthinkable, at the age of 22 when she continuously faced job rejections she thought of committing suicide. Radhika thanks her friend who after listening to her suicidal thoughts consulted her to see a psychiatrist.
How Radhika built her Empire:
Despite all these hurdles, Radhika managed to bag a job at McKinsey as a business analyst, later she worked at AQR Capital Management as an analyst. In 2009 she left AOR Capital Management, and started Forefront Capital Management company with her husband and former colleague.
Later she joined Edelweiss MF in 2014, when Forefront Capital Management was acquired by the Edelweiss MF which is India’s one of the largest asset management companies.
Defeating all setbacks, at the age of 33, Radhika became the youngest female CEO of India’s top asset management company “Edelweiss Mutual Funds”.
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Awards and Recognitions given to Radhika Gupta:
- LinkedIn Top Voices in India- 2021 in Finance & Economy – 2020
- Fortune India 50 Most Powerful Women in Business – 2020
- Business Today Most Powerful Women in India Business Awards – 2021 & 2020
- Economic Times 40 Under 40 Business Leaders Award – 2021
- The Impact Creator Award 2021 presented by the Governor of Maharashtra – 2021
- Young Global Leaders by the World Economic Forum – 2022
- Forbes Women Power- Self Made Women’s by Forbes India – 2022
- CII Young Women Leader of the Year from the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) – 2022
- Business Book of the year- Self Help (Limitless) by FICCI Publication Awards – 2023
