Eva Ghosh, President of Albee Services Inc, has been an entrepreneur for over twenty years. She has raised private equity, acquired, managed and grown seven manufacturing companies and developed industrial real estate. She is currently focused on conversion of industrial real estate into residential properties in New Jersey. Prior to Albee Services, Eva managed a $500 million real-estate portfolio for Copley Real Estate advisors.

Eva has a dual Master’s Degree from MIT in Real Estate and Urban Planning and an MBA from Bajaj Institute of management in Bombay, India. She is actively involved in the management of several non-profit organizations. She served as a trustee of Buckingham Browne and Nichols(BB&N) School and on the board of the Cambridge Business Development Center(CBDC).

Anu Chitrapu is a Product Manager at a software company in Cambridge, Massachusetts. With degrees in Physics from India and an MS in Information Systems from the University of Texas, Anu has over a decade of experience in the Enterprise Software space. On a personal note, Anu is a writer of contemporary fiction and some of her recent work can be found at www.sulekha.com. Anu is an active member of the Andhra Pradesh Technology Leadership Council (APTLC), The Hunger Project and TiEWIN.

Eva and Anu attribute their success to the presence of strong mentors and an excellent support structure that they were fortunate to receive. TiEWIN is an initiative through which they hope to help other women become successful by providing mentorship and support. The team of TiEWIN is made of several successful women from many different professions from business executives like Nandita Bakhshi to social entrepreneurs like Poonam Ahluwalia.

Lokvani spoke to Eva and to Anu about their careers and TiEWIN.

Lokvani: What is TiEWIN?

Eva Ghosh:TIEWIN stands for “The Indus Entrepreneurs Women’s Initiative”. It is a special interest group (SIG) under TiE Boston. The vision of this initiative is to empower, foster and support the professional development of entrepreneurs.,corporate executives, technical professional, creative artists, small business owners and students aspiring for a successful career. TiEWIN’s primary goal is to focus on issues that relate to women of South Asian descent or women with interests in the Indus region. Our mission is to build a community that will further our members opportunities to start, develop and mange their career and business ventures. The programs and events are offered to both women and men with interest in these issues.

Lokvani: Why did you decide to become involved with this initiative?

Eva Ghosh:I have been very fortunate in having great mentors who have provided excellent guidance. I also have a fine support structure that has helped me succeed. I felt that if we could provide mentorship and a support structure to other women who may lack them, it may help foster their growth and open up possibilities for them.

Lokvani: Could you tell us about your career and the influences that helped shape it?

Eva Ghosh: I was born in an entrepreneurial family. My great-grandfather started the first finance company in Gujarat. My father carried on the entrepreneurial tradition introducing new products in the Indian market. For example he created the first gear and moped manufacturing plant, courier services and loyalty marketing programs for the Indian market. He has been my mentor.

From a very young age my father always had great faith in my abilities. In 1980 we put together a fund that I used to start Albee Services Inc in New York. Albee has acquired and managed a diverse portfolio of companies in the North East. We also have a continuing interest in developing and investing in real estate assets.

Lokvani: Many women from Gujarat tell me that the Gujarati society expects women to follow the traditional role of being a housewife. Women often go against family wishes to pursue a career. But in your case it was your father who encouraged you to start your business and provided the support. How did this happen?

Eva Ghosh: My father is a visionary. He always placed full confidence in the role of women. A major mentor for me was Mrs. Sharma who my father had hired to hold a very high executive position in the company, over thirty years ago. Interning under her was one of the most significant educational experiences of my life

Lokvani: You are married to Shikar Ghosh who also is a very successful entrepreneur. You have two children. How do two busy and successful entrepreneurs manage to take care of their family and careers?

Eva Ghosh: It is a challenge and I will not say it is easy. But we have a support structure in place that makes it feasible. The support structure and assigning of priorities have made it possible for me take care of the family and my business.

Lokvani: Are you planning to share ideas on what worked for you to inspire women through TiEWIN?

Eva Ghosh: TiEWIN is not just about sharing ideas. We certainly will address professional issues from a women’s perspective by organizing events that create an arena to educate. But we also hope to provide a support system, offer mentorship programs and to build a forum that cultivates new ideas and visions. We hope to bring resources and contacts that women can use to advance in the careers.

Lokvani: Anu , could you describe your background and what made you join the TiEWIN team?

Anu Chitrapu: Like Eva, I also attribute my success to the encouragement and support I received from my parents. My father quit a well paying job to start his own consulting business at a time when entrepreneurship was not looked upon in a positive way. Not only is he very successful but he taught all his children to also take risks and make things happen.

I was also fortunate to have worked with Shikhar Ghosh at ibelong – he has been a mentor to me and has given me a lot of valuable advice on career related issues.

When Eva proposed the TiEWIN concept to me, I felt it was a vehicle for me to give to other women what I have received in my life. Through TiEWIN I have met people like Eva, Nandita Bakhshi, Poonam Ahluwalia, all of who have shown by example that women can successfully balance their home and career – these women are a constant source of inspiration to members like me.

Lokvani: What type of people do you hope to help through TiEWIN?

Eva Ghosh: Our goal is to help any woman who would like to advance in their careers or businesses. We hope to provide mentoring programs and professional development workshops that build on skills. As it develops, I would like TiEWIN to become a venue where South Asian women can meet each other, share their experiences and provide a supportive community.

Anu Chitrapu: In fact, our mentorship program already has a couple of success stories. One group of women received advice on how to raise money for a non-profit initiative; another group has been set up with a member who is helping them with their business plan.

Lokvani: Could you tell us about your kick off event to be held on Thursday?

Anu Chitrapu: It is primarily a brainstorming and networking session. We want to hear from the attendees, what issues they face in their professional lives, what challenges prevent them from realizing their potential. Poonam Ahluwalia, a social entrepreneur and Sabita Singh, an eminent lawyer, are our featured speakers. Poonam will talk about how she reentered the work force after a hiatus of 8 years, what challenges she faced and what helped her get to where she is now. Sabita will talk about the challenges she faced and how she became successful in what is traditionally a male dominated field. We will take all the information we gather at this session and design our programs and events based on it.

Lokvani: Any special comments that you would like to share with our readers?

Eva Ghosh: We would like all women to come and join us. Not only will these women benefit from meeting like-minded women but they can also participate in shaping TiEWIN programs to have maximum impact. We are in the initial stages and this is a good time for women to join this initiative. So whether you are a woman looking for help with your business or career, or a person who can provide guidance to other women, we would like to hear from you.

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