One thing that no one had ever imagined before 2020 was that major events and activities would all have to take place online when a global pandemic hits. Working from home had always remained a discussion item on the agenda of achieving work-life balance, but it was never carried out to the extent that we have seen this year.

If there is anything positive at all that could come out of the global pandemic, the year of 2020 has seen global capital allocators and asset managers moving to facilitate impact investing from just a concept to an integral part of their investment processes. The world has also begun to understand impact investments are not only about addressing environmental issues, but also improving people’s lives by increasing the supply of essential goods and services.

While data might have suggested women in Asia have made more progress in being elevated into powerful roles in the financial services industry than in other parts of the world, the asset management world is still a boy’s club, especially in markets such as South Korea and Japan.

From struggling with low self-esteem due to a birth complication that left her neck with a permanent tilt to becoming the only female head of India’s first domestic hedge fund, Radhika Gupta’s story is a triumphant celebration of resilience. But the very fact that she is the only woman heading a fast-rising fund among the 45 odd mutual fund houses in India gives her the reason to believe the Indian asset management industry has a long way to go.