Life story of Pizza Delivery Girl who became CEO of a global brand company

No one gets success easily. It takes a lot of hard work and following the right strategy generates the fruits of success. If we try to measure the factors of success, it is 10 percent luck and 90 percent hard work. We are sharing here with you an inspiring story of Manisha Girotra who started with nothing but now has everything.

Manisha Girotra spent her childhood in the quiet hills of Shimla. When she started her career in investment banking some 17 years ago, she reminded the days when businessmen she met would hesitate to shake hands with her. Traditionally, men who kept up their etiquette would rather do a ‘namaste’ and wonder what they are supposed to do with a women entrepreneur like Manisha Girotra.

She now stands tall taking up roles as the Managing Director and Chairperson for Swiss bank UBS in India. In a country like India, where there still exists some gender inequality, Manisha Girotra managed to be on the list ‘The most powerful women in business in India.’

She completed her graduation from the Delhi School Of Economics and she was one among those freshly hired 50 employees of Grindlays Bank. She was then absorbed into their investment banking division. At the same time, Manisha started pizza delivery job.

Manisha got married to Sanjay Agarwal at the age of 24 who heads the finance department at Deutsche Bank in India. Manisha too had to go through ups and downs as her husband was posted in Delhi while she had to leave for Mumbai. One year later, she was welcomed by UBS bank in investment banking in Mumbai.

She got her first success when she became the CEO at UBS at the age of 33. She gave birth to a baby girl who filled her life with joy. Her daughter’s name is Tara. 

However, she had now more responsibility after her daughter came into the world. She had to work for 20 hours with a baby which was difficult for her.

This was the toughest period of her life. She revealed that after four months of her delivery, she along with her daughter would pack the bags and go to work with her. She would keep her in a hotel beside the office and would juggle her work and nurse the baby.

After 20 years of service at UBS, she finally decided to leave the job to help her ex-boss set up at Moelis. And now, she is the country head CEO of India for Moelis and Company.

She bagged many titles to her kitty which included “Young Global Leader” in 2010 by the World Economic Forum, she was one of the “15 Women To Watch In Asia” by Forbes in 2008, one of the “50 Women To Watch” in the annual Wall Street Journal survey in 2007. 

Manisha has set a great example in front of the people who consider themselves unlucky and never stop complaining that luck doesn’t favour them. She has scaled her business from zero to heights like a pro and her hardwork and persistence is an inspiration to the youth.

Writer, historian, and activist Dharam Sikarwar is a very active author The Youth. He writes on national and international issues, environment, politics. He is an avid book reader as well.