The Inspirational Life Of Dr Swati Piramal - Scientist And Businesswoman

“Whatever you do has to be a legacy for the next generation,” said Dr Swati Piramal in a candid interview with HerZindagi. The Vice Chairperson of the Piramal Group is a magnanimous personality whose journey from a doctor to a businesswoman will be inspiring for generations.

While sitting down for an exclusive interview with HerZindagi’s Associate Vice President, Megha Mamgain, Dr Swati Piramal dressed impeccably in her mother’s heirloom Parsi saree, shared that she has always cared about science, technology, medicine, business and philanthropy. Describing herself, she said, “I am a scientist, doctor, philanthropist and businesswoman.”

With several accolades to her name, Dr Piramal believes that equal opportunities and a fair chance can help women achieve anything that they set their minds to. When she started in medicine, there were very few women who opted for science. Her relatives told her she would waste a seat. However, Dr Piramal’s inspiration to leave a legacy behind for the next generation fueled her passion to do wonders as a scientist, philanthropist, doctor and businesswoman.

Vow For A No Polio Zone: Setting Heart And Mind For A Transformed Society

From St. Xavier’s in Mumbai to Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, USA, it was the beautiful stone buildings which inspired Dr Swati Piramal to “make something that would last forever.” Taking inspiration from architecture, the Director of the Piramal Foundation wanted to leave behind a legacy.

“He became blue in the face,” said Dr Piramal while sharing a childhood incident of her cousin who had a bad reaction to a vaccine. “I saw my mother reach out and find a doctor who saved his life,” she added.

“The respect that the doctor got in my home, I will never forget.” This incident convinced Dr Piramal to study medicine and become a doctor.

She was in the middle of her MBBS when she got married to Mr Ajay Gopikisan Piramal, Chairman of the Piramal Group. And then another tryst with destiny was to shape her journey ahead. “I was driving along Parel (Mumbai), and I saw this little girl who was paralysed from the neck below. I was very disturbed,” she said.

Dr Piramal vowed to have a zero Polio zone in Parel, an area in the city of dreams where migrants came to work in mills.

She mobilised her doctor friends who got on board with a polio eradication and vaccine awareness plan. Dr Piramal had 25,000 polio patients in her clinic, and she brought the number down to zero. “We really did achieve the no-polio zone. That gave me a taste of public health.” This fueled her decision to go to Harvard to study public health. She was 38, and a mother of two but that did not stop her from chasing her dreams. She makes sure to acknowledge the support she had from her family who made sure that the children were taken care of. It was this passion and ambition that has inspired the same values in her children, says Dr Piramal. She came back to India and applied all her learnings to make a difference in the life of people and communities around her.

Diversification, Preparation And Sisterhood

The Piramal name is at least a century old in the textile industry. In January 1982, there was the Great Bombay Textile Strike organised by Dutta Samant, a trade union leader. This was when the Piramal family decided to diversify their business and acquired a pharmaceutical company.

“But I could contribute by being on the board and helping people to understand this new field,” Dr Piramal added. In comparison to the textile business, pharmaceuticals were poles apart. “There we had 25,000 workers, and here (pharmaceutical) we had only 1,500 employees,” she said while comparing the two businesses.

Having fought prejudice that stands in the way for women, it was exciting for Dr Piramal to explore a new business opportunity and see it grow. This helped her establish her own leadership rules. She didn’t depend on tropes like ‘dressing like a man’ or speaking like one, but always made sure to do a lot of preparation before any meeting. She was the first woman president of the Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) in the 90 years of its existence. Sharing her secret to success, she said, “I would call other women, who I knew were on the top of their field and ask for their advice. Not many men do that.”

Depending on the agenda of the meeting, she would phone all her friends, women leaders and CEOs and would ask them for advice and suggestions. “I would read a thousand pages on the subject before I open my mouth,” she added. And that is how she, a scientist, could confidently discuss topics like nuclear energy, building highways and the economy.

Dr Piramal said she was a doctor and knew about science, but she wasn’t aware of all these fields. “But I took it as an opportunity to increase my learning curve steeply,” she said.

She later served on the board of a French-Italian company called EssilorLuxotica. “I was surprised when they asked me to be on their CSR committee to chair and talk about climate change and healthcare,” Dr Piramal added. But she took it as a challenge to learn about the European market and laws. She observed what they were doing in the field of climate change in Africa and around the globe.

Dr Piramal had a strong support of women from other fields. Speaking about sisterhood, she said, “Women naturally network. They network in an office, they network at home because they are trying to do so many things.” She asked, “Why not use this asset in the workplace?”

She also advised, “If you do not understand something, pick up the phone and ask because people are always willing to reach out and help.”

Inclusivity In The Workplace And Boardroom

Dr Piramal’s journey in STEM started three decades ago when there were only a few women in the field. She asked herself how she could get more talented women into the workforce. She worked hard to get more women scientists through the door.

It took her some time but she got the number of women in her research centre to rise from 0% to 50%. “The patents they were filing, nobody could break them. Nobody could compete,” she added with pride.

Dr Piramal quoted Narayanan Vaghul, who laid the foundation for the ICICI Group. He told her, “If you make the workplace more attractive, it will attract more and more women.”

The Vice Chairperson of the Piramal Group decided on the little things that would make offices more inclusive. This includes crèche facilities on the premises, ensuring the safety of women and treating women fairly. She added if an employer treats everyone based on their merit, things start to fall into place and employees start to work to their full potential.

4 Founding Pillars Of The Piramal Group

“We believe that you have to do well in business, but you also have to do good,” said Dr Piramal. The core values of the Piramal Group are - knowledge, action, care and impact. “Everything we do revolves around these values,” she added.

Explaining the four pillars on which the Piramal Foundation is set, Dr Piramal said, “We have to care about the communities around us, we have to make the world a better place, we have to make a positive difference in people’s lives, and we go out of our ways for the underprivileged communities, including kids with special needs, women, people living in remote areas where there are no phones or electricity like flood-hit parts of North-east India.”

She has worked with and for tribal communities. “We have something called Tribal Health Collaborative,” she added. It works for tribal people who form at least 10% part of the Indian population, which is approximately 100 million.

The Piramal Group also has an initiative called Aspirational District Collaborative, which has worked to pull up health indicators (Health, Education and Water) in many areas of India. They were far behind the national average. Dr Piramal has worked towards pressing issues like infant mortality and maternal mortality.

“We believe that the foundation is our core purpose to make the world a better place,” Dr Piramal said with pride.

Don't Miss: Anita Hassanandani On Unsaid Challenges Of Motherhood And More

Leadership Style That Carries Everyone Ahead And Helps Everyone Grow

While speaking about her leadership style, Dr Piramal said, “I like people to know what they are doing, be good at their jobs, build knowledge and expertise in their field, act on the acquired knowledge quickly, correctly and efficiently and act with care and passion.” Hence, the Piramal Group invests in the best technology and favours innovation.

As a leader, this is what Dr Piramal believes in. However, she believes the younger generation has another dimension at their discretion, the digital world. She also believes that it can have a positive impact on healthcare and transform India.

The Piramal Group runs many programmes to ensure diversity and gender equality in the workplace. Their initiative called Ignite oversees performances and how they can get better. It helps men and women to upskill themselves.

In the rural parts of the country, they have the Karuna Fellowship. It caters to women and helps them learn to operate computers and get acquainted with the digital world.

Don't Miss: Ekavali Khanna's Definition Of Motherhood Is A Single Mom Playing Many Roles

Little Flower: Dr Swati Piramal’s Ode To A Girl Child

Dr Piramal imagined a little girl in 2047 when India will be celebrating 100 years of independence from colonial rule. She wrote a poem, ‘Little Flower’, an ode to a girl child of the new India.

Little flower, you were hidden in my heart,

I want to give you hope which is hidden in the dark

My daughter, I have a dream for you

I dream of an India where women are equal

Where my daughter is not one of the missing ones

Where you are strong and energetic

Where you have not have to work miles to get clean water

Where women are not just a deity to be worshipped but a flame for the soul

I wish I could take a quiet corner in your heart, little flower

Where the stars will talk to your of hope, and the sky will bend down to show you the limitless

Where reason makes strong laws to protect you

For fear of losing you, I hold you tight in love and protection, equal to all

The fairy mistress of dreams is flying towards you

I dream of a day little flower, when you my dear daughter, will not be driven by the compulsion of want or fear

Can be well educated and not marry too early and have children after you become an adult

Where worry for food does not cloud your horizon

Where you can earn for your family

Where you and your future children are healthy

Where women are empowered, let them see your face and know you are the future

Go and stand amidst the disbelieving hearts

To create a new India, where you are my daughter are a vital, powerful economic force

Little flower, my song will be a faithful star where the dark moon is on your road

And will give you sight in the heart of things

My song will be like a pair of wings to your dreams

Awards And Accolades: Dr Piramal Has Many Feathers To Her Cap

Dr Piramal’s journey as a scientist, philanthropist, doctor and businesswoman had been inspiring and interesting. She received the Alumni Merit Award, the highest award bestowed on Alumni of Harvard School of Public Health.

The philanthropist received the Padma Shri in 2012 from Ms Pratibha Patil, then President of India. It is among India’s high civilian honours.

In 2022, the businesswoman was honoured with Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour) by the French Government. She has also received a Japan Fellow Award, where the recipient shares their knowledge with others.

“The work that I have done has not only expanded in our country but around the world, and I hope I can make that difference to whatever I do to make the world a better place,” Dr Piramal added with pride.