Anupama Venugopal, Senior Partner at VRC Legal, a corporate law firm based in Bangalore, is a trailblazer in the true sense of the word. A strong and highly respected player in the world of corporate law, Anupama has scripted her own success.
Currently heading VRC Legal, Anupama has overcome the toughest barrier of all – her gender; law has traditionally been a male-dominated sector so gender stereotypes proved to be a hurdle at the very start of her career in 1998. Not one to be disheartened however she countered these challenges by scripting her own outstanding success story as an entrepreneur in 2011 when she set up her own full-service corporate law firm catering primarily to subsidiaries of European companies in India. She had earlier worked with Dr. Kainth & Associates as partner and in 2013 took over the firm, heading and steering the firm to newer heights since then.
Delivering Legal Services
VRC Legal set up in November 2011 advises on a wide range of issues, primarily foreign investment, general corporate matters, real estate and intellectual property. However what makes their services unique and special is the finely customized and completely practical solutions that they provide to their clients, while tuning to the specific circumstances and requirements of the matter. Add to this their guaranteed timelines and punctual delivery of services and, most importantly, the close personal involvement of the partners into every aspect of the work, it is no wonder that several among her marquee clients tell her “We’re delighted to see a woman heading such a top-notch firm!”
However, it is important to note that the accolades are not about her gender alone – it is really the high degree of competence, professionalism and skills that Anupama brings to the table as a very capable leader and decision maker.
Commitment to Principles
As founder, Anupama believes that her most important mandate is to ensure unflinching adherence to the fundamental principles of the firm, whether with regard to employees or to their clients. She is proud that her very talented team reflects the highest standards of integrity and ethical practices that are the bedrock and pillars of the firm. She never compromises on correctness or quality of services even if it means several additional hours frequently being put in by her and the team in delivering the assignments.
Her Inspiration
In a ruthlessly competitive field, making a mark as a strong and successful woman calls for both grit and grace which Anupama has in ample measure; qualities she says she has learnt first hand from her mother.
“My mother has been a pillar of strength for me and a role model as well. Though struck by financial hardships and fragile health she has never given up. Through every single adversity I have seen her going with admirable determination and zeal. I owe all my successes to the values and discipline she has inculcated in me.” says Anupama
Developing Personal Potentials, Abilities and Skills
Anupama is an excellent mentor, coach and a keen learner, motivating her team to consistently deliver excellence to her clients on every project. Having learnt to thrive on challenges, she manages administration, business development and delivery departments with aplomb as she wears many hats. This has helped her take sound informed decisions that benefit her clients. “ I was lucky I was trusted to learn on my own during the initial years of my career” she reveals. This early experience has instilled a very hands-on approach in dealing with challenging situations. “This approach helps me deliver added value to my clients’ businesses which they appreciate very much” says Anupama. Her customer-centric direct approach means that she is able to put herself in her client’s shoes to completely understand the pros and cons of the particular situation from their perspective and thus provide them with complete information and options for an ideal solution.
The Secret Ingredient – Time Management
Indeed it is Anupama’s focus, attention to detail and quest for excellence in all her endeavors that has taken her to the top. She believes in exceeding client expectations with full and faultless execution, promoting a sense of achievement and deep satisfaction. However Anupama’s secret ingredient for success is her superior time management skills; not for her rushed deadlines or regrets of lost opportunities!
She walks the talk in her personal life as well and fine-tunes her schedules to include each of her priorities. “Multi-tasking comes naturally to women and we have some great role models who prove that balancing work and personal commitments is easy if one learns to prioritize.” she says.
Being impeccably organized herself, she is out of the office at 5.30 pm on most days and spends quality time with her family. For stress-busting a daily gym workout is her drug of choice; for relaxation it’s a daily hour with a book that she loves!
The Future of VRC
Anupama is passionate about her work is confident that the unstinting support of her founding professional partner, and her very committed associates will make her vision for VRC Legal a reality in the near future. She shares a close rapport and bond with her every one of her employees who she has personally nurtured and is happy to see them grow along with the firm.
To Women Everywhere – Don’t underestimate yourselves!
A balance of creativity and pragmatism are quintessential qualities of every woman, she feels. All that is required to be added to this is self-confidence. Anupama says “Women definitely are every bit as capable as their male counterparts; there are no real barriers to achieving their dreams, especially with regard to their careers or entrepreneurship.” Therefore a passion to learn and perform, a dedication to excellence, and the refusal to see oneself as less capable or unequal are the most important attributes of a successful woman, and she hopes that more women come to recognize and inculcate these qualities as they forge ahead on their professional paths.
Source :- Inspiring Stories of Indian Women Leaders in Business
