Juhi Kashyap is Deputy General Manager (Procurement) at Godrej Foods Limited. The following excerpt is from an interview conducted by DEI lab members Gayatri Shanbhag and Rajeev Anand Kushwah.
“I had to complete two tests as part of the interview to join GFL,” Juhi recalls of her hiring process. “I was given a day time slot. But as a mother of a young child, with my husband in the armed forces posted in another city, mornings meant taking care of my daughter. I made a request for a night slot and also suggested that I was open to do it on a Saturday or Sunday, since my mother-in-law would be around to help. Roshni S Iyer, who was handling my interview, was very accommodating of my request. Concerned about my well-being if I spent the night doing these tests, she made space for me to do them on Saturday. That’s it! On Saturday morning I handed over my baby and sat in front of the computer, made it through the interview, and landed the job.”
Juhi Kashyap is currently the Deputy General Manager for large-scale procurement at GFL, and has been working at Godrej One since September 2024. She is a retired Lieutenant Commander who served in the Indian Navy for a decade, where she was the only woman at her posting. She is also the first veteran from the Indian Navy joining Godrej.
She shared with us an account of her experience as a woman serving the Indian Navy.
“It was a challenging time for me to navigate the armed forces when I first joined; but neither did I hold myself back from it, nor was I held back from my superiors. While it was a transitional phase for me, it was also a transitional time for my superiors, of having a woman officer for the first time. But at no point did they resist me being there. The companionship in the armed forces is very strong. We can speak our mind freely to each other and even though I was a woman officer, my opinions relating to the career development and health management of the officers I was leading was always heard and respected. I did not have to fight my way through.
It was different with the 100 officers I was managing, who were men coming from different backgrounds, some of them not used to seeing a woman in command, and many didn’t respect me simply because I was a woman. So, in that sense, I had to put in more effort than my counterparts who were men. But when I showed up with my professionalism, the system was very respectful of me.”
While Juhi deeply misses the uniform and serving in the armed forces, she has embraced the culture at GFL, too. She still operates to a clock tuned to her discipline while in the Indian Navy, which is something she likes, as a mother of a young child – but she finds the flexible working hours to which she now has access to at Godrej Industries Group.
Skylab Kumar is Procurement Accountant at Creamline Dairy Products Limited (CDPL). The following excerpt is from an interview conducted by DEI lab member Gayatri Shanbhag.
At Creamline Dairy Products Limited (CDPL) - GAVL, Skylab Kumar feels valued for the skills he brings to his team and to the organisation, and at the same time he feels his personhood is respected in and within the workplace.
Working at CDPL has been extremely fulfilling, Skylab says, “My managers ensure my work experience is comfortable, and I also give my best work every single day.”
Skylab, who has been living with a disability since 2011 joined CDPL in 2012. He joined as an MIS executive and later shifted to the accounts department where he is now a junior manager owing to his immense practical knowledge and expertise in the field. He currently lives in Chennai.
“My superiors at CDPL have been extremely supportive of me and have not interfered with where I work from. They have given me the choice to work remotely whenever I need to, which is very important to me. Most times, I work from home but when I am needed at the factory for important meetings I show up.” Skylab’s colleagues commend him highly for his work ethic and efficiency in checking off his deliverables. The company has felicitated him with GEM awards, as well as a Long Service Award for a decade of service. “My company values me because I am good at my work and I always get my work done on time. My accounts are always on time,” he added confidently.
What also remains significant to Skylab is that he has access to insurance policies and benefits despite working in a hybrid format. He also explained how it was the first time he learnt about and had access to an anti-sexual harassment policy in the workplace which he values immensely. “The care that Godrej provides is everything an employee ever needs,” Skylab remarked.