An award winning financial business development manager Shivani Gopal’s inspiration to launch her social enterprise, The Remarkable Woman, comes from her personal experiences.
Gopal shared her personal story with Fairfax describing how she faced gender inequality, not once but several times, in her field.
She spoke about how a drunken business client licked her on the face after a few drinks.
'My stomach just churned. I actually thought I was going to be sick. I left immediately,” she says.
That decision cost her business.
'It meant I lost a large chunk of business,' Ms Gopal said. 'A woman shouldn't have to make those kinds of choices in the workforce.'
'I was horrified as to how this could have happened to me and why, being such a strong, passionate [believer] in gender equality and having a voice ... did I not say anything? We shouldn't be subjected to this for starters. But when you're in shock, you just don't react the way you want to react.'
Early in her career, when she approached an industry stalwart to be a mentor, she was turned out because the mentor found her ‘too young and pretty’.
"This man actually looked at me up and down in that really overt kind of way. He said, 'No, you're too young and too pretty. Come back to me in 10 years' time'. I was devastated."
Today, Gopal is a financial services manager with over 12-year experience in a male-dominated industry and is on the verge of launching her social enterprise aimed at tackling gender inequality and help women fight it.
The Remarkable Woman sets out to empower women and help them achieve their personal, professional and financial goals.
Her website states that they will offer women to women mentoring, discounts on products and services and regular talks where women can share stories of their successes, challenges and failures.
