A lot of women--personally, professionally and socially--inspire Kavitha Ramachandran, head of client relationship management (CRM) for North Europe at Apex Group. “My mother has been the key person inspiring me, right from the start,” Ramachandran says.

Her mother is a retired university professor, her aunt is a doctor, and her mother’s network of friends and colleagues--who were also university professors themselves--lent professional and personal support to each other. “Growing up in an environment of women professionals, there was no reason for you not to go out, help people, and also do things and develop yourself personally and professionally.” Ramachandran, who grew up in Chennai, India, also draws inspiration from Indra Nooyi (former CEO of PepsiCo) and Chandrika Tandon (chairperson of Tandon Capital Associates), two sisters from Chennai who are successful businesswomen.

Moreover, Ramachandran says that she finds inspiration in professional and social networks of women here in Luxembourg. On the financial side, she talks about working in the same industry and at the same time as several women professionals who inspire each other, such as Corinne Lamesch, chair of Alfi’s board of directors, or Denise Voss, LuxFlag chairperson. The grand duchy’s finance minister, Yuriko Backes, “has added a new dimension and reaffirmed the important role that women play in finance.”

From a social perspective, Ramachandran talks about the different kinds of perspectives and influence brought by women like Lisa McLean, who heads Ara City Radio, as well as the women who run the Think Pink organisation and support women who have breast cancer.

To round things off, Ramachandran touches on the next generation. ““I’m at that point in my career where I interact with a lot of young women who come into the workforce, which includes my daughter, from whom I draw fresh energy,” she says. “It’s always nice to have some free-spirited thinking, which helps put things in perspective.”