Benu Sehgal: What Happens When a Woman Spends Two Decades Building Credibility in One of India’s Most Male-Dominated Industries
New Delhi [India], June 02: India’s real estate sector is projected to reach nearly $1 trillion by 2030. Yet despite its scale and influence, it remains one of the country’s least gender-diverse industries. Recent industry reports suggest that women account for only around 11–12% of India’s real estate workforce, while leadership representation remains significantly lower.
For Benu Sehgal, these numbers are not just statistics. They represent a reality she has navigated for over two decades.
Today, as Director at Splendor Group, Benu Sehgal is recognized for her experience across retail development, real estate strategy, consumer understanding, and business leadership. With more than 40 years of overall professional experience and over 20 years in retail and real estate, she has witnessed the industry’s transformation from the inside while helping shape it along the way.
When Sehgal entered the sector, women in leadership roles were uncommon. Boardrooms, site meetings, negotiations, and decision-making forums were overwhelmingly male.
“The biggest challenge was never entering the room. It was ensuring your voice carried the same weight once you were inside it,” says Benu Sehgal.
Rather than focusing on acceptance, Sehgal focused on performance.
“For years, I watched people evaluate authority through gender before they evaluated competence. Fortunately, results have a way of changing conversations,” she says.
Throughout her career, Sehgal has worked at the intersection of retail and real estate, industries where understanding people is often more important than understanding infrastructure.
“Buildings can be replicated. Designs can be copied. What cannot be copied easily is a deep understanding of people,” she says.
The industry today is changing. More women are entering development, consulting, architecture, sales, marketing, investments, and leadership roles. Women homebuyers and investors are also becoming an increasingly powerful force in shaping the market.
Yet Sehgal believes the conversation must move beyond representation.
“The goal should never be to be recognised as a woman leader. The goal should be to be recognised as a capable leader. Gender should not define credibility. Contribution should.”
As her career evolved, so did her definition of success. She believes one of the biggest challenges facing industries today is the transfer of experience.
“Experience should not retire with the professional. It should become a resource for the next generation,” says Sehgal.
After spending decades building businesses, teams, and professional credibility, she is increasingly focused on sharing insights, creating perspective, and helping younger professionals shorten their learning curve.
As India’s real estate sector continues to evolve, Benu Sehgal’s journey reflects more than personal success. It reflects the transformation of an industry learning to value capability over convention and the emergence of leaders who understand that the most valuable legacy is not what they build for themselves, but what they leave behind for others.
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