When Shivangi Agarwal stepped into the world of FMCG sales six years ago, she was an anomaly — a pharma graduate in a field dominated by MBA-engineers. Perhaps more notably she was a woman in an industry where sales floors and market visits were overwhelmingly male spaces. “So on all fronts, I was an odd person; even in terms of gender.”

She didn't choose sales as much as she found herself in the thick of it, navigating the limited choices available after her degree. She hadn’t anticipated how deeply she would come to love the game — the thrill of the market, the art of persuasion, and the satisfaction of seeing her strategies unfold into results. 

The early days were anything but easy. “I used to get asked things like, ‘What are you doing in the market?’ Or told, ‘“Going shop to shop doesn’t suit you.’” She had worked hard for her degree, earned her placement in a prestigious FMCG company, and yet had to prove she belonged. “I was asked, ‘Is this why your family made you do an MBA?’” They were disheartening words. 

Looking back, she laughs at those doubts. Not because they were funny; but because of how much she has grown since. “I actually laugh at those people that doubt the capability of a woman to do sales. They think so probably because they haven’t seen enough women doing that particular job every day.” 

These initial struggles have shaped her to be the leader she is. “My journey has been very enriching; from building my self-confidence to now handling a team of different people right from the age group of 25 to even 45 years old.  So that’s helped me not just frame my people skills but also develop me as a person to be ready for any task.”

In her career, Shivangi couldn’t help but notice that women brought a unique sense of ownership to their work. “I believe that women in sales tend to be much better than others or at par with others because there's a genuine sense of ownership, which is very much inherent,” she argues.

At Godrej, the flexibility to shape her work, experiment with decisions, and manage both professional and personal responsibilities has made the journey smoother. “If there’s effort from the organization, women return the favour by giving back that effort multifold,” she says. 

For Shivangi, sales isn’t just a career — it is a natural extension of who she has always been. “I'm an elder sister in my family.  So I've always been that child who is available to take on a task or lead any sort of conversation. I think that has indirectly helped me to take initiative at the workplace as well.”

Shivangi’s career mantra is one she believes in, and swears by: show up, push forward, and let your work speak for itself.