The Story of Resilience, Entrepreneurship & Social impact
Madi Sharma is the founder and award-winning Entrepreneur behind the Madi
Group – A group of private sector sole trader companies, and some not for profit
organisations, with a philosophy to create innovative ideas tailored to local
action which can achieve global impacts beneficial to society.
Madi titles herself ‘Victim to Changemaker’ as her personal experience has
taken her through the University of Life from a victim of domestic violence and
single parent through to Entrepreneur and inspirational speaker. She
established her first company from her kitchen at home, which grew to two
factories and 35 staff. Today, Madi has been termed a ‘social capitalist’ as she
invests profits from her work into advocacy and the empowerment of others.
Madi has received the honours of Asian Woman of Achievement and UK’s Best
Boss and as well as the Woman of the Decade – Entrepreneur and Leadership,
All Ladies League Award. In May 2018, Madi was listed as one of the
Apolitical’s 100 World Most Influential People in Gender Policy.
Madi is a recognised international speaker, including TEDx Talks. She keynotes
at conferences and lectures in universities on Entrepreneurship, trade policy,
empowerment, leadership, valuing human capital, diversity, gender balance
and corporate social responsibility. As a presenter, Madi has the rare ability to
capture an audience through uncommonly direct and original insights that
engage individuals in her call to action. As a result of the success of Madi’s
speeches she authored her first book Madi No Excuses!
www.madinoexcuses.com and is a freelance journalist.
Madi received a UK Prime Ministers appointment, in 2002, to The European
Economic and Social Committee as UK Member, representing the Employer’s
Group. Additionally, she has been a member of the advisory board to the
European Commissioner Antonio Tajani, Enterprise and Industry, and also for
Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc, in regards women in transport. On
policy development Madi is recognised for her work on gender equality and
Entrepreneurship particularly. We managed to catch her for a conversation.
Rajni Vohra: Can you tell us about your background and how you became interested in
entrepreneurship and social impact?
Madi Sharma : My background has been the foundation of my achievements. I accredit all my successes to my genetic heritage, the strength that was gained from the struggles of my ancestors:
On one side I have my Indian soul, where my great grandparents and grandparents were
tobacco farmers in Hazro, India, pre-1947. My father and his family were then forced to
leave their homes, due to Partition, and travelled to Delhi, where they set up a new life with
only the few things they were carrying. The physical and emotional strengths that my
ancestors had, to find opportunity even in times of despair, are within me too.
I am digressing, but when my father died 2 years ago, as the eldest daughter of 5 girls, it was
me who took his ashes to the Ganges. There, not only did I learn, through all the
ceremonies, about my ancestors and the journey of their souls, but I also saw all their
names, and mine, handwritten in a book held with our pandit ji (priest). I have always
known that I am strong because of the souls around me but seeing the hundreds of pages of
my family history, which go back to my great-great-grandfathers village, made me truly
value the person I am, and the deep roots from where I have come.
Whilst my father was Indian, my mother is Austrian, and her story is not dissimilar to that of
my father. She had to travel in 1944 from Austria to England and report with her sister and
mother to the local Police Station. She was registered as an “Alien”, an untrusted foreigner.
Her father, and her uncle, both Polish, were leaders of the Polish resistance against German
occupying forces. They were fighters for freedom and justice, an inner commitment I have
possessed since the time when I was able to recognise injustice in the world.
So, where does entrepreneurship, feminism and social impact come from? Well, when my
father arrived in England in 1953, he had just £3.00 (300 Rs/-) in his pocket. He became a
bus driver, a coal miner and then set up his own business. Everything I was given as a child
was as a result of the struggles and sacrifices, he had made. However, what I recognised at
an early age was that he was in charge of his choices, his decisions, and he was controlling
his own destiny. All those things inspired me and him the great man he was in the eyes of
others. I wanted some of that too!
My poor father, we were 5 girls! Sadly, most Indian men still want a son – but my father was
gifted with 5 amazing, and now highly successful, women! He had no choice, or should that
be WE had no choice, we had to do everything that any male would do, and hence, equal
opportunities was not even a discussion in our house, it was a given! Hence, I have my
strong stance, that women have equal rights to men, because there are no argument to
challenge it!
Now, I have to backtrack slightly: My Austrian mother adopted all the Indian customs and
chose Hinduism as her faith. So, we were brought up as good Indian girls with all the values
of the Hindu philosophy and Indian culture – It is why I always say my heart and soul are
100% Indian. And yes, I was expecting an arranged marriage, but my destiny was to be
something else ……. because of MY choice! Something I take responsibility for.
I married an English man against my parents wishes. I had 7 years of a great marriage, and
as a result, I have two beautiful daughters Laxshmi Ann and Melissa Darshna. But the last
two years of my marriage were not what I was expecting. I experienced rape in marriage
and violent domestic abuse.
Yes, I am sharing this. Yes, as good Indian women we don’t share our person issues. NO,
domestic violence and rape in marriage are NOT domestic issues, they are societal
problems. NO, this does not only happen when you marry a white man!
So, this is where I gained my strength to be a social impact activist and fight to eradicate
domestic violence. Gender based violence happens to 1 in 3 women, and 1 in 5 men. It
should not happen to anyone! Domestic Violence is a crime. And the reason I talk about it is
because it’s not something that should be swept under the carpet!
As an international speaker, consultant, policy advisor and businessperson I am in a
privileged position – and with that privilege, comes responsibility – A responsibility to speak
out for those who can’t.
Of course, my work doesn’t stop with just trying to eradicate domestic violence, it has
expanded into fighting for any injustice I see. This includes working with persons with
disabilities, ethnic minorities, Roma and those facing human rights abuses. It’s as simple as
this: To turn away from any injustice, is to be complicit in the crime.
So, after finding my inner strength, that of my ancestors, I was able to leave my home and
my abusive husband. I took my two little children with me, and despite having very little to
my name, I knew I was alive. Now it was down to me, my choices, my decisions, my
opportunity to define my destiny. That moment, the moment of my worst day, was also the
first moment of my best life. I have never looked back, but occasionally, I do reflect and say
“Thank you” – I am who I am today because of the challenges I was put through.
A few days later, in poverty, without any qualifications, skills or training, being a single
parent and without any confidence, I started my own business. If my father could do it with
£3, I could do it with 50p, some potatoes, onions, peas, flour and oil! That was the point I
became an Entrepreneur and started making samosas in my kitchen at home.
I am not a victim; I am a survivor.
I am not just a survivor; I am a success.
I am a success because I would not change my life with anyone else on this planet.
Let me ask you all now, what is your definition of success for yourself? And what, in your
past, has given you the strength to know you can achieve the success you deserve?
Rajni Vohra:( pause) I feel very moved after hearing your story of courage, determination to protect your self-esteem as a woman. By valuing your worth and refusing to settle for less than you deserve, you set an example for others and pave the way for a brighter future. To answer your question – To me, success is reaching at the better and greater level of life, from the current point , in terms of maturity, self reliance, learning, career, health , everything! Because that renders me a sense of inner peace and the contentment. Ultimately, the strength to achieve success often comes from within, So did in my case too in the form of self-confidence, determination, and a willingness to persevere through setbacks and obstacles. By believing in myself and taking consistent action towards my goals, I focused on building the momentum needed to achieve the success I deserve.
By the way, you have been involved in various international trade missions and initiatives. How do
you see the role of entrepreneurship and innovation in promoting economic growth and
development?
Madi Sharma :There are two major fundamental economic assets which ALL countries still fail to
acknowledge sufficiently, nor invest in adequately.
The first is women. “Women are the strength of the nation” – This is the mantra for my
NGO The Women’s Eco-nomic & Social Think Tank (WESTT) www.westt.eu,
www.westtworld.com. Women make up 51% of the global population, and for some
reason, governments and internationals institutions choose to refer to women as
“minorities.”
Women are equally as capable as men, if not more competent in most areas socially,
economically and environmentally. It’s a fact that women are more highly qualified than
men now. It’s statistically proven, from US data, that women created more business
following the 2008 financial crisis than men. They also employed more people than male
owned companies. The return on investment from women-owned companies is greater
than that of their male counterparts. When women sit on the board of companies, not
only is the return on investment higher, but the productivity and profitability also
increase, as does the corporate social responsibility (CSR). There is not a single argument
that could justify not having more women in the workplace, nor at the head of both
corporate and public sector institutions – and yet women still remain invisible or rare in
many aspects of society, especially politics.
In truth, there are only two things stopping women from achieving their true potential:
Men and themselves! Why themselves? Because women are failing to take what is
rightly theirs!
For example, something all corporate and public sector institutions should remember –
women have 80% of the purchasing power. That means 80% of decisions to buy
something, including cars and things you may consider “male products”, are decided on
by women. Women hand over the cash! Just think if women stopped buying from
companies who didn’t have 50% women on their boards – how quickly we could change
the dynamics of the business world? Or if women stopped voting for candidates, male or
female, who did not support equality, equity and parity legislation – how quickly could
be change the political landscape?
– And let’s please stop with the victimisation of women and the excuses.
Ladies, there is no glass ceiling, you can achieve the success you deserve, you just have
to know exactly what it is that you want and be willing to work to get it! (Don’t even
worry about the how, it will happen if you want it badly enough).
So, the second asset countries fail to value are its Entrepreneurs. Yes, Entrepreneurs
always get a capital E when I am talking about them because Entrepreneurs are the backbone of any economy. They are the ones who bring growth, jobs, innovation,
community development, and real CSR. Entrepreneurs work tireless to grow their
businesses and invest in their staff and their communities.
Simply put, if you take away all the Entrepreneurs and small businesses from any
country, the economy will collapse. Large companies do not have anywhere near the
collective asset value of small businesses, and yet disappointingly, governments choose
to ignore them. Why? Because there are millions of Entrepreneurs, millions of small
businesses; shops, factories, people working from home, internet businesses; in every
sector of the economy and so there is no ‘one-size-fits all’ model that governments can
use to deal with them. So, they don’t, they just ignore them, to the detriment of the
economy and sustainable growth.
Rajni Vohra: You have spoken about the importance of building bridges between businesses,
governments, and civil society to achieve social impact. Can you give us some examples
of successful partnerships that you have been a part of?
Madi Sharma : As a businesswoman, also as a private consultant, as an activist and as a woman, if we
want to see real change in any area then we cannot do it in isolation – We cannot do it
alone. You need a collective. You need a collective responsibility where every partner
will benefit, otherwise why would they come to the discussion, and where they have a
vested interest, but where each partner is accountable to make sure that action takes
place.
The best example I can give you is one which I initiated in the European Union. I say I
initiated, it was my idea, but I did not lead it because I did not have the ability. However,
the woman I talked to did have the title, competence, and resources to make it happen.
Here’s one of my quotes to consider: “Paying it forward, or making changes, is about
leaving behind the ego, to have an anonymous legacy”.
In other words, do you want to see the change, or do you just want the recognition?
The woman I took my idea to was someone I highly respected. She was the EU
Commissioner for Transport, a former Prime Minister of Slovenia and a woman of
action. She was Commissioner Violeta Bulc.
Ms Bulc and I were on the same flight once, I knew I had less than a few minutes to talk
to her. I took the opportunity and approached her with my idea, just a few key bullet
points. That was just enough for her to see my energy and my passion, and for her to
invite me to her office to explain more of the details.
(You have one opportunity – never waste it – you have nothing to lose, and everything
to gain!)
In the Commissioner’s office, I was able to share with her and her team an idea of how
we could attract more women into the transport sector. I never asked for anything for
myself, I just shared a model of how we could bring businesses, trade unions, academics, policy makers, media and NGOs around a table and ask them to make concrete
proposals to attract more women to the transport sector.
Fortunately, she loved it. I stepped back and let Commissioner Bulc lead with her dynamic personality and passion. And yes, she got the job done! – The number of women in the transport sector has
begun to increase in Europe.
Why do I care about women in the transport sector? I could say I don’t, it doesn’t affect
my life, my business, nor my social impact. But oh yes it does, because I believe in the
right for women to have the same rights as men whatever they are doing. So, if Mrs Bulc
can help the women in transport, then that’s helping me in my cause.
What are you passionate about, and who do you know, or what ideas do you have that
can change a situation?
And I know you want to say, “well you got paid a nice consultancy fee for your work
Madi” – But guess what? I didn’t get paid anything!
You cannot put a value on seeing your idea turned into an action and having someone as
prestigious as Commissioner Bulc not only listen to your idea but adopt it and push it
forward. Priceless!
Rajni Vohra: Very true! Can you tell us about your experience as a member of the European Economic and
Social Committee? What were some of the most challenging issues you faced in this
role, and how did you address them?
Madi Sharma :I was a member of the European Economic & Social Committee (EESC) for 20 years. The
EESC is the EU institution mandated to represent civil society. I was representing
business, Entrepreneurs and women, but working on a wide range of topics that would
later become policy. The EESC is one of the first stages of policy development in the
European Union.
Strictly speaking, it’s an institution which represents business, trade unions and other
areas of civil society. I loved the work, but when you have 3 diverse groups trying to
develop policy from 3 different angels, it rarely works, and so the objective was to find a
consensus, but a consensus of diverse opinions has very little value – As a result, the
work of the Committee was never valued, nor had any value.
Let me share with you one document I wrote for the Committee on gender balance on
company boards – In short, how to get more women on corporate boards by creating
new legislation:
So, I was a member of the Employers Group. The Employers Group is made up of large
corporates, as I mentioned above, small companies and entrepreneurs are ignored, so I
was one of only a handful of small business representatives in the Committee. Of course,
the Employers Group was also less than 25% women. Writing a document to promote
more women on corporate boards was not something they wanted to support. I was
hated for writing that document, not just by the men and the corporates, but by women
who were manipulated by their male colleagues to speak against me. This, despite the
fact that all the evidence, and the business case, highlighted the benefits of having more
women on board, similar to those I mentioned above.
Luckily, I did have the trade unions and the NGOs on my side, even though, in normal
circumstances, they would have been against me just because I was from the Employers
Group. To cut a long story short, I managed to get the document I wrote to be accepted
(with almost all the Employers Group voting against me).
I received a letter of gratitude and praise from the responsible Commissioner, and to
this day I am very proud of myself for being able to stand strong against a torrent of
people trying to stop me. But just to put it into context – That was 12 years ago, and the
legislation has only just been adopted (2022) in the EU because the European Parliament
and the Member States of the European Union could not agree to accept it, due to the
heavy lobbying from industry!
I left the EESC under two very dark clouds, one Brexit – where the UK left the European
Union, and the second because I filed a complaint of harassment against a senior
member of the Committee. As I said when telling you about my own story, if you see an
injustice DO NOT turn away, otherwise you are complicit in the crime. In 2018, I
uncovered numerous cases of an individual morally harassing staff under his control. It
also happened to me and I was able to use what had happened to me to call for an
investigation. The investigation delivered a substantial report, concluding that the cases
I had raised were of concern. This report was passed to the Belgium Courts for criminal
prosecution. What shocked me most during this episode, is that almost all the members
of the EESC blamed me for highlighting the case and damaging the reputation of the
EESC, rather than protecting the victims or dealing with this issue. The crimes continued
because no one had dared to speak out. As the whistle-blower, when I did speak out, it
was me who was targeted, not only by the perpetrator but by other members who were
complicit in the cover up.
I didn’t become a member of the EESC to make friends. My purpose in life is not to make
friends. My mission in life is to drive change to make a better world for everyone.
However, I can admit, it’s lonely and it’s difficult sometimes (most of the time), fighting
for what is right!
So, let me ask you, how strong are you? Can you stand up for what’s right, for what you
believe in, or will you leave it for someone else to do? Rajni Vohra: Had you asked this question couple of years back, I would have definitely given you a different answer, but today my answer is ‘Yes ‘, I can stand for what I believe in; I have gained this strength from my experience and life skills over a period of time and of course, having met strong women like you .
Let me redirect the conversation to another area -Can you share some advice for aspiring entrepreneurs and social activists who want to make a positive impact on society?
Madi Sharma : Gandhi said, “You must be the change you want to see.” Madi says “You must be the
change you want to see, no excuses!” – This is my personal mantra.
Accept your responsibility. Stop making excuses for not doing the things you are
capable of doing. Start being the most impressive version of yourself. You have all the capabilities, competences and strength inside you to be successful, however you define
it. – Come on guys and girls, if I can do it, you can too – No Excuses!
Rajni Vohra: Thank you for opening up your heart and sharing your story with us. It takes a great deal of courage and vulnerability to be able to do so, and I am truly honored that you chose to trust us with your experiences.