Radhika Piramal is the Executive Director and Vice Chairperson of VIP Industries Limited. She is also one of the very few queer women in corporate who have not only been open about their sexuality, but have also taken steps to ensure greater acceptance of queer people in the workplace. While the Supreme Court of India is currently hearing petitions on legalizing queer marriages, Radhika, who married her partner Amanda in a civil union in London way back in 2011, spoke to Asian Voice about her journey to becoming a confident queer leader in corporate, the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and her thoughts on marriage equality.
Radhika's journey:
From the closet to the corporate chair, Radhika's steps were slow. But each of them brought her closer to being a happier person. About that journey, she had the following to tell us:
"Born in 1978 and growing up in the 1990s, being lesbian in India was a stigma. This taboo existed partly because homosexual acts were deemed illegal under Section 377 until the historic Supreme Court judgment in 2018, and partly because families were afraid to accept homosexuality because of society’s judgement. It took me twenty years to fully come out of the closet starting with me first telling my sister in confidence in 1995, all the way to me sharing my story publicly to the Indian media in 2015 at the Godrej Culture Lab in Mumbai. There were many steps along the way such as attending public events as a couple, coming out at work, and being outed by the media. Each time I took a step forward out of the closet, my life improved, as I shunned secrecy and sought respect from society. Over the years I have moved from asking for tolerance to demanding acceptance and respect."
So what gave her the confidence to be openly queer professionally?
"I realized I was lesbian in my early teens in the 1990s. The first person I told was my older sister Aparna, followed by telling my parents, my cousin and a few close friends. I studied at Harvard Business School from 2004- 2006 after which I worked at Bain and Co. in New York. One of the most respected and popular professors at Harvard Business School was an out-lesbian professor. Bain had an internal LGBTQ employee resource group led by senior partners who were all out at work. These senior and visible role models gave me the confidence to come out at university and work. I met my partner Amanda in New York in 2007 and we moved to Mumbai in 2009. We made this decision only after a serious discussion with my parents, in which I explained that we would return to India only if they were comfortable with us being out as a couple. Fortunately, they were supportive and inclusive. We lived together as a couple in our family home and held our civil union a few years later in London in 2011. We chose to hold our ceremony in London because UK law specifically recognized LGBTQ+ couples. Getting formally united under the law in front of hundreds of friends and family was a major public step. My family were a little nervous about media scrutiny and societal backlash, but they ultimately wanted me to be happy, not lonely, and so they supported my civil union by attending it in full force."
D&I for more sensitive corporates:
It turns out that some Indian media outlets publicised Radhika's queerness without her consent. But Radhika, a scion of the Piramal family whose father is the Chairman at VIP Industries, took that experience in her stride to build a culture where employees could bring their full selves to their workplace.
"My civil union was reported in the Indian tabloids, which is exactly what my parents were afraid of, and which overnight made my relationship very public. At first, I was nervous about public opinion, but ultimately being out in the press enabled me to come out to colleagues at work and take charge of my own story. It took some time to sensitize colleagues and teams in VIP Luggage that being lesbian is natural and normal, because this subject is not usually discussed in the Indian workplace. I’m lucky that my family supported me instead of judging me, and my father didn’t feel that my sexuality affected my professionalism."
"The Supreme Court’s landmark decision to decriminalise homosexual acts between consenting adults in 2018 significantly helped educate public opinion in India about the LGBTQ community. Since then, Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) efforts increased momentum across leading Indian companies. D&I and HR leaders from companies across India highlight the importance of accepting all employees as equals who should not face any discrimination or harassment just because they are different from the majority. Many companies have incorporated this principle into their policies and processes. The good news is that there are now many companies in India where LGBTQ+ employees can be out and proud, bringing their full authentic selves to work every day. I am often invited to give D&I talks at leading companies, which I happily accept because I believe that being visible, vocal and out helps improve common perceptions of the LGBTQ+ community."
Radhika's thoughts on queer marriages:
Being educated in Oxford and Harvard herself, how does she deal with those arguing that queerness and queer unions are incompatible with 'traditional' Indian values?
"I explain to employees that although I may be “western” because of my Oxford and Harvard education, and part of the “urban elite” as I was born in Mumbai from a prominent business family, I still want the same fundamental rights as any other member of the heterosexual majority, including the right to marry. Marriage is such an essential part of family life in India that excluding LGBTQ couples from marriage excludes us from society itself. Being allowed to marry under the protection of the law will enable our sense of belonging and help us gain the acceptance we are seeking in society, regardless of our background."
