In the inaugural episode of The Power of She, USISPF speaks exclusively with Zia Mody, Managing Partner of AZB & Partners and one of India’s leading M&A lawyers and a doyen in India’s corporate law world.
In a candid conversation with USISPF’s Akshobh Giridharadas, Zia speaks about her formative years, growing up raised in the Baha’i faith, where gender equality was espoused as a fundamental tenet. This shaped her worldview and gave her a firm foundation and conviction to face and tackle the challenges posed by a largely patriarchal society back then.
Zia speaks about the mentors in her life, none more so than her father, the legendary and late Mr. Soli Sorabjee, a venerated legal mind, former Supreme Court lawyer, eminent jurist, human rights activist, and former Attorney General of the country. Law ran in the family veins, as Zia touched on the father figure that he was, his influence and sagacity to the young Zia when she was studying law abroad and her return to India and finding her voice among male peers in the courts of then Bombay.
Pursuing law was always her calling, but her mother was determined to give her daughter opportunities she had never had, which led Zia to study abroad. Zia touches on the juxtaposition of emotional intelligence with intelligent quotient and how these have been complementary in her legal and entrepreneurial journey with AZB Partners.
She discusses the formation and growth of AZB & Partners, emphasizing the firm’s commitment to quality, agility, and strong ethical foundations. Zia gives us a macro perspective on India, from her younger days to the changed country that she sees today, especially in the realm of the changing dynamics of public service, emphasizing the importance of good governance and the role of bureaucracy in the country's development.
She speaks about ways to achieve gender parity in economic growth and the challenges women face in the workforce. She emphasizes the significance of work-life balance, risk-taking, and mentorship for young women leaders and lessons for posterity. Zia speaks about learning through adversity and the importance of delegating to the next generation.
Tune in for an inspiring conversation on resilience, purpose, and building a meaningful career.
#ThePowerOfShe
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