[100 Emerging Women Leaders] From rejecting a job at Microsoft to becoming CEO of Adroit Auto at Shriram Automall: Journey of Jyoti Jain

Jyoti Jain has seen it all.

“I had started working when I was in school. I picked up different kinds of jobs, and there was no opportunity I let go of—door-to-door sales, call centres, and executive roles to later, leadership roles. I was sure that I had to keep myself going and even, set an example,” she tells HerStory.

Today, she is the CEO of Adroit Auto at Shriram Automall India Limited. Her journey—encompassing the ups and downs of corporate life, the journey of a woman leader, and everything that it takes to reach that level—began in 2004 while Jyoti was in fact still studying. 

A self-proclaimed ‘complete Delhite’, she hails from a middle-class family in Delhi.

Jyoti says she wasn’t ever a studious or academic student and, in fact, calls herself a back bencher. “In Class 12, my class teacher called my parents and told them ‘your daughter cannot do anything in life, and you simply have to get her married’. I want to tell other parents of other children: do not judge a book by its cover.” 

Adding that your marksheet doesn’t define you, she says it is about your skill, attitude, and passion. If people don’t score well, they generally feel disheartened but that isn’t the end of the world. There is a lot one can achieve in life. 

A commerce graduate, Jyoti armed herself with an MBA degree as well, and chose the automotive industry as the sector intrigued her. By then, she had already tried her hand in IT, finance, and other sectors but Jyoti wanted to do something different and challenging. 

In fact, she had turned down an offer at Big Tech giant Microsoft for her choice. While it was initially a trial, the journey has been exciting, she says. “I didn’t even realise it has been over 11 years. I started as one of the junior people in the organisation.” 

“I wouldn’t say it was easy. Yes, there were challenges. In the initial days, it took time for people to adjust to a woman working in this sector. But I decided to focus only on the task at hand. I picked up whatever came my way. If I needed to work 24X7, I did that; I shut out all the noise. If I needed to go to the shop floor, I did that. I travelled 25 days [in a month]. I was completely hands-on. I never let any bias—mine or others’—to get in the way,” says Jyoti. 

However, she adds that biases exists even today but adds that we are now on the path of change. “I myself initiated a 60-men team on the yard. While there was a lot of doubt by different people, I pushed forward, and now people are supporting this.” 

People will always try to demotivate you and bring you down. But never get distracted, says Jyoti, adding that it is important to focus with your ideas and goals. After all, there are no shortcuts to hard work.