Superwomen 2022: Stop when needed & be kind to yourself says Ronita Mukerjee

Like everything else, the pandemic has redefined the word Superwomen too. Ronita Mukerjee of Landor & Fitch talks about how the industry has changed, in line with the changing role of women.

Ronita Mukerjee, Executive Director of Landor & Fitch and winner of Social Samosa Superwomen 2022, talks about work-life balance, and other industry trends.

Edited Excerpts:

What do you think it means to be a superwoman in the New Normal? 

In the new normal, a superwoman knows when to stop for a break. She knows it’s ok to ask for help and be kind to herself.

A big part of success is mental health & work-life balance - how do you ensure to create work-life balance for yourself & those around you? 

The most essential part is to set boundaries and protect your time. Don’t expect others to do it for you.

Secondly, schedule time off, exercise time or reflection time; if you don’t schedule it; you will never find time for it.

While a lot has changed for the better in the A&M industry, what kind of challenges continue to exist for women? Especially with the whole WFH & hybrid work situation.

The cultural narrative needs to change overall. We tend to set the bar very high for ourselves and then wear ourselves out working towards it.

While it’s ok for the man of the house to be just good at his work, the woman is expected to be a great cook, wife, mother and worker. Let’s be real and ask for support. We should not be expected to do it all.

Also Read: Superwoman 2022: If you are a creative problem solver then you are my Superwoman says Aksha Sachdev

What in your opinion, helped you excel in your career?

The most important of all was supportive parents and husband. Also being clear about what I want and my future goals led me to the path of success. Honest communication with yourself and the organisation is also an effective aspect of success.

One Superwoman you look up to & why 

No one in particular. I absolutely admire women who are able to find joy and fulfilment in everything they do. You don’t have to wear a suit and rock the board room to be a superwoman.

One thing you would like to change about this industry 

Creative skills to transform businesses require focused discipline and dedication and it should get
the respect it deserves

One thing that this industry desperately needs 

Establish a two-way rating system (Like UBER) where clients rate us, and we rate them on ways of
working, timely payments etc; this will help us have fair discussions on pricing and collaboration and normalise time off.