Famous Parenting Team Interviewed an amazing personality, a fire brand, and social entrepreneur Ms. Sweta Mangal who is a Serial Entrepreneur and Mother of a Toddler. She is a Director at MUrgency Inc (One Global Emergency Response Network) and co-founder and ex- CEO of Ziqitza Health Care Limited (ZHL).
She is also a trustee and co-founder of LifeSupporters Institute of Health Sciences (LIHS), a leading life support training institute.
Her awards and recognitions include Winner of 1776 World Cup – Washington DC, USA (2016), Winner of Start-Up Grind Competition, USA (2016), CEO India Award – Start-up Category (2014), Times of India Social Impact Award (2013), Spirit of Humanity Award from Americare Foundation (2012), Continuity & Recovery Initiative of the Year in Public Interest from BCI and Deloitte (2011), Excellence in Social Enterprise from ZEE TV (2011), Tata TiE Stree Shakti Award from Tata Group (2009), Special Recognition and Continuity & Recovery Initiative of the Year in Public Interest from BCI and Deloitte (2008), Godfrey Philips Bravery Award from Pratibha Patil, Honorable President of India (2007), Times Foundation Recognition Award from Times Foundation (2006).
Let’s hear it from Ms. Sweta Mangal
Please connect the dots of your childhood that made you the person you are.
I belong to a traditional family in Rajasthan where education and freedom are not priorities for women. My mom got married at 16 and had to sacrifice her wishes and dreams. She was hell-bent to educate my sister and me. From day one, she instilled in us a dream to do whatever we wanted to. A thinking mother shaped my thoughts in childhood and made me question the traditions that clipped the wings of women. She is still the strongest support. In 1997, when I wanted to go abroad to study, I was the first one from my family to go abroad and she stood behind me like a rock.
My Strongest Support-My M0ther
How has your formal education shaped your life?
We belong to Beawar, Rajasthan, where English medium Schools also offered teaching in Hindi only. Mayo College Girls School shaped me. Though the beginning at Mayo was very tumultuous gradually it helped me figure out what I was good at and led to my holistic development. Staying in the hostel at Mayo forced me to come out of my comfort zone. I went to Rochester Institute of Technology, USA for my MBA. Staying in a foreign country on my own made me more independent and a decision maker at an early age. Going to the USA gave me exposure to different cultures and adaptability to work with everyone.
How did you discover your passions?
I wasn’t sure about what I actually wanted to do when I returned from the USA. I took up a job when I returned to India. Education Sector inspired me always as education shaped and transformed my life. I started Mangal Newton School in Beawar in 2007 with my brother to provide quality education in a small town.
I started my career with Zee TV Mumbai, then TATA AIG, and then Marico Industries before turning full-time entrepreneur. Since I always wanted to help people improve their lives I got into Health Care, though by chance.
What gave you the courage to take the road less traveled?
The final trigger to start a venture occurred suddenly when my friend Shaffi’s mother choked in sleep at midnight and there was no medical help available immediately. It gave us the idea to start with an Ambulance service. There was nothing to lose as I was single and doing financially very well, but I wanted to take risks. I thought of giving it two years but there was no looking back once we rolled Ziqitza Health Care Limited (ZHL)
I built it from scratch which is very fulfilling and satisfying because earning more was never my goal. Making an impact was.
“Technology can enable women to find their true voice. Technology, if used for self-growth, can offer avenues to women which were unavailable earlier”. Your comments.
Whenever I feel down or messed up, I listen to a TED Talk or a Podcast which is possible because of technology. I connect with my sister in Paris through my phone. With a phone and a Wifi connection, the sky is the limit for anyone. At Mayo Alumni Meet, I found so many women doing online businesses now. Technology has made a whole lot of difference to women and has given them autonomy to work from home.
How has your motherhood contributed to you as an individual and as a leader?
Motherhood has taught me Patience, I am very Aggressive and Impatient. Now, I give time to my team. I have learned time management. Earlier, I would come back late, my husband too came late. Now I have become more productive. My daughter is only 18 months old yet. I started working full-time when she was 3 months old. I have invested my energy in building the right team at home and office and I keep checking/verifying their work. You have to discipline yourself, your child, and the team. I am sure I will experience many challenges in the future but with the support of the right people, I will sail through.
Talk about three people who have had the most profound influence on you.
My mother, my business partner Shaffi Mather and my husband have influenced my thoughts and my working style. I depend on my brother and sister a lot. I am influenced by our Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi as I appreciate his intent and brand-building acumen.
Please share Ziquitza Healthcare& Murgency with our readers.
Ziqitza Health Care Limited (ZHL), is one of India’s leading emergency medical services providers, which operates ambulances under two models, cross-subsidy and public-private partnership. ZHL manages more than 1500 Ambulances across 18 Indian states and has served 5 million people to date.
Murgency Inc (One Global Emergency Response Network), is a mobile app that connects people in need of emergency medical help to the nearest doctor, nurse, or paramedic. Murgency is supported by the Forum of Young Global Leaders, Harvard University – Asia Center, MIT Sloan Global Health & Stanford Change Labs, and is a member of UNDP Business Call to Action. Murgency has launched a pilot in Punjab in Feb 2016.
Your philosophy of life in a sentence.
Leave a legacy behind – Do everything to do that.
Tell us about your future plans.
I don’t think about 10 years from now. Right now I wish that Murgency should become a Global App available to every connected citizen for medical care needs.
What would you like to convey to those moms who have dreams and ideas but they feel bogged down by family and social responsibilities?
Where there is a will, there is a way. Verbalize your dream and take action towards making it come true. Don’t give excuses and never work according to expectations set by others for you.
My name is Andrea Thompson and I’m a home based freelance writer. I’m 23 years old, married to my best friend, and mother to a wonderfully independent and opinionated 3 year old girl and step-mother to a sweet seven year old boy. I live in a tiny, little town in Kentucky, where I spend my free time fishing with my kids.
Writing has always been my passion, which I followed through high school, and for a while in college. Life happened, and once I discovered we were pregnant, I switched directions; opting for the healthcare industry because of the stability.
Finally, years later, I was in a place where I could leave the day job that never truly made me happy, and pursue my dreams. I’ve built, and am still building, my writing career from scratch. But, I’m passionate and I’m good at what I do. And, in the end, I can prove to my daughter that she can do anything she wants with this life.
