Leadership Is About Recognising the Different Realities People Bring to the Workplace
Few sectors reflect India’s economic, social, and policy complexities as vividly as textiles—and few voices understand this intersection as deeply as Chandrima Chatterjee. As Secretary General of the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI), she has spent over two decades navigating the evolving landscape of trade, regulation, and industry transformation.
In this exclusive conversation with Textile Sphere India, Chatterjee reflects on her journey from a young policy practitioner to a sector leader, the changing contours of gender inclusion in a traditionally male-dominated space, and how leadership today is as much about enabling others as it is about driving outcomes in a dynamic, globally connected industry.
April 01, 2026 | By Textile Sphere India
Q. What drew you to the textile and apparel sector, and how did your journey begin?
Few sectors combine heritage, livelihoods, trade, and policy as intricately as textiles. That complexity is precisely what drew me to the textile and apparel sector more than two decades ago—and it continues to keep me engaged even today.
My professional journey began as a researcher with a financial research firm. Soon I moved to the research and policy department of a national chamber and started contributing to trade and sectoral policies framework documents.
In 2001, I consciously moved into the textile and apparel sector. For a young policy practitioner, it was both a challenging and rewarding space to work in. Textiles sit at the intersection of nation-building, employment generation, global trade, and complex regulatory frameworks. For an economist, it offered the perfect opportunity to learn, contribute, and grow.
More than twenty-five years later, I can say with conviction that the sector has never stopped teaching me.
Q. How did your career evolve, leading up to your current role at CITI?
My career evolved gradually—from research associate to economist, and later to leading research, policy, and advocacy functions within the industry associations and councils I worked with. Each stage offered deeper insight into how business support organisations help shape dialogue between business and government.
Eventually, I had the privilege of heading the secretariat of CITI, a national textile and apparel industry body. The responsibility and trust that come with this role are never lost on me. Textiles is a sector that is dynamic, sometimes volatile, and remarkably diverse. From cotton farmers to global retailers, the value chain spans millions of stakeholders. For someone working at the intersection of policy and industry, there is rarely a dull moment.
“In India, institutional and policy-level changes are also contributing to this evolution. Greater awareness around diversity and inclusion, the implementation of formal mechanisms such as Internal Committees under the POSH framework, and the increasing presence of women in leadership roles within the Ministry of Textiles have collectively helped create a more supportive environment”.
Q. As a woman leader, what challenges and experiences have shaped your journey?
But the journey also raises a question that many women professionals quietly navigate: what does it mean to rise into leadership in spaces that were historically male dominated?
Early in my career, it was not unusual for me to be the only woman in organisational committee meetings or on overseas delegations. This was particularly striking in a sector where a large share of the workforce—especially on the shop floor—is female, yet women in senior decision-making roles were relatively rare.
Much of my professional journey unfolded in rooms where most peers and mentors were men. Like many women professionals of my generation, I encountered questions that would likely be challenged today. I still remember a colleague once asking me why I needed a salary raise when I was not the main breadwinner of the family.
At the same time, I was fortunate to have supportive seniors and mentors who valued competence and commitment. Their encouragement mattered. Yet these experiences also highlighted the subtle barriers women sometimes face in professional spaces.
“As someone who now leads the CITI secretariat and engages with stakeholders across the textile value chain, I remain mindful of this journey. Leadership, for me, is not about viewing teams through a gender lens, but about recognising the different realities people bring to the workplace and enabling them to perform at their best. Because leadership, ultimately, is not defined by the room you enter—it is defined by the pathways you help create for others to follow”.
Q. How have workplace dynamics and policy conversations around gender inclusion evolved over time?
Looking back today, the transformation in workplaces is encouraging. Organisations are far more conscious of diversity and gender inclusion. Institutional mechanisms such as Internal Committees under the POSH framework have strengthened accountability. Perhaps the most significant shift, is among young women themselves—they are far more aware of their rights and far less willing to accept gender inequities in professional spaces.
At the policy level too, the increasing presence of women in leadership roles—particularly within the Ministry of Textiles—has helped shape more inclusive conversations around women’s participation and
Q. How do you define leadership today?
As someone who now leads the CITI secretariat and engages with stakeholders across the textile value chain, I remain mindful of this journey. Leadership, for me, is not about viewing teams through a gender lens, but about recognising the different realities people bring to the workplace and enabling them to perform at their best.
Because leadership, ultimately, is not defined by the room you enter—it is defined by the pathways you help create for others to follow.
“Textiles sit at the intersection of nation-building, employment generation, global trade, and complex
regulatory frameworks. For an economist, it offered the perfect opportunity to learn, contribute, and grow”.
#TAGS Chandrima Chatterjee, Confederation of Indian Textile Industry, CITI, CITI secretariat, POSH framework, textile and apparel sector,