Turning Dreams into Reality

If things had not shaped up the way they did, Karishma Chandy, Co-founder, Happenstance Beverages, would easily have been an artist, writer or an architect. However, it was this chasing of the creative dream which led her to the alcoholic beverages industry. Since then, she has been a powerhouse in not only launching Pitbull Rum but has worked hard to ensure that women get a firm footing in the industry.

It was her pursuit of creative outlets that finally led Karishma Chandy to a job with Diageo, the British multinational alcoholic beverages company. Right from her school days, Karishma had been engaged in art, writing and theatre. She actually wanted her to be an architect or a psychologist but her parents had other plans and wanted her to pursue something more conventional. Following a few internships, she found that marketing would be the most fitting career for her given her interests and skill-sets.

A chance encounter while taking a lift home with a friend and her colleague landed her a stint with Diageo, and as they say, the rest is history or rather herstory. A few other pivotal moments in her career were the first event she attended after joining Sula that kick-started her love affair with wines and led her to pursue WSET. The first packaging project she worked on made her realise just how much she loved bringing brands to life. All of these have now culminated into the conceptualisation and launch of Pitbull Rum, which is a dream coming true for her.

Finding her Space

The advice Karishma was given by a relative the day she graduated was to keep her head down and work hard till she was indispensable. “My work stood testament to my effort and commitment, I really lived by that,” she says. It was 10 years later that she really understood the importance of networking and cultivating a personal brand. As for finding her space in the male-dominated world of alcoholic beverages, Karishma likens it to a double-edged sword. She therefore chooses to focus on the positives and the opportunities. And given that she is intrinsically a very curious person, the learning and growing never stops for her no matter what she does.

Karishma is of the strong opinion that women bring a certain compassion, honesty and attention to detail to their job and workplace, which is gaining recognition in most industries. With regard to the alcohol industry in particular, she says that the industry has come a long way in ensuring that opportunity is presented to women at the workplace.

Roles in marketing, quality control and product development have already seen a noticeable increase in women’s participation while distribution and traditional retail still has some catching up to do as far as far as India’s alcobev industry is concerned.

“However, the increase of women in the alcoholic beverage companies is now compelling distributors and retailers to work with them, and has led to more acceptance. I now see daughters taking over their father’s wine shops and government liquor stores hiring women at the counter. These advancements make me feel hopeful that concerns about gender discrimination will soon be a thing of the past in this industry,” she candidly observes.

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