As told to NDTV's Radhika Iyer in London.For many years, I held the firm belief that Wipro was a great company built on the fabric of ethics and equality. I took it as read that I would be treated equally and fairly. I was successful across a range of roles including as Director and Head of BPO Sales for the Manufacturing and Hi-Tech Sector in Europe, as CMO for ex-CEO and Vice Chairman Vivek Paul at his social media start-up, KineticGlue and as head of Product Marketing, when I helped launch Wipro's first retail laptop range, E.go. I won numerous performance awards.
It came as a shock therefore when I learnt in early 2011 that I was being paid half of what my male colleagues were being paid. That knowledge, and Wipro's refusal to address this and subsequent issues that I raised with HR and the Wipro leadership team, were the start of my equal pay and sex discrimination battle against Wipro.
The worst and the most painful cases of discrimination that I experienced and stay with me even now occurred in November 2013 and January 2014.
In November 2013, after single handedly and successfully leading a full day financial workshop in Helsinki with my client, I managed to secure a firm commitment from the client on Wipro's first BPO deal in the Nordic countries.
As I came out from the workshop high from the win, I was confronted by a colleague who accused me of being a "manipulative bitch" for managing to secure a letter of intent for the deal. I remember coming back to the hotel alone and crying all evening.
The next incident was a similar one two months later when I was working on another large and complex 100-million-dollar bid and I was working very hard to pull all resources together during this time. One of the Wipro VPs used sexist innuendo to imply in front of colleagues that I was using something other than my ability.
The dismissal of my well founded ombuds complaints was heavily criticized by the UK Tribunal, calling it an act of victimisation.
From the date that I discovered that I was being paid less than male counterparts, I did not stop asking for my pay to be corrected.
My decision to go to court came once I realized I had exhausted all possible avenues in Wipro and they were simply not going to address my grievances fairly.
There are many women and men in the office who supported me and stood with me. Some are worried because they have seen what Wipro have done to me, but most of them remain in regular touch with me and pleased that I have won.
However, it was two women in the leadership team who I reached out to for help and who I trusted most who not only dismissed my claims but were ultimately responsible for victimising me. Their role in this is particularly appalling and most importantly, damaging for the cause of women's equality.
The cumulative effect of my battle with Wipro took its toll on my health. I was sad, hurt and felt betrayed by a company I almost considered my home for 10 years.
It was clear that Wipro had no intention of recognizing the legitimacy of my grievances against them. The only way to prove that I was right was to take them to court, where all the evidence could be presented and independently assessed.
In such a male-dominated industry, it is easier for sexist and discriminatory attitudes to prevail and go unreported or unchallenged.
I was not concerned at all about taking on such a big firm. In my eyes they were not big anymore. I had lost all respect. Plus, there was so much evidence against them that I was always confident that I would win.
Wipro has said I did not declare an alleged relationship with a senior male colleague which amounted to conflict of interest, which is why I was dismissed.
Whilst the Tribunal did consider that my non-disclosure of the relationship was serious, I did in fact make the disclosure. I have been advised by my lawyers not to make any detailed comment on this aspect of the case, which remains under consideration.
I want to say this to young women entering the workforce: do your research first. Find out as much as you can about the company you wish to work for. Search for information on discrimination or harassment online. Ask friends about the company. In particular ask them, if this is a company they would recommend to other women as a place to grow their career.
Do not rely on diversity awards or any corporate marketing. As my experience has taught me, these awards mean nothing.
I want to say here that whilst winning this lawsuit closes a chapter for me it is also the start of a bigger and more meaningful discussion that I want to play a part in around the discrimination that women face in the workplace. Issues such as equal pay, representation of the number of women in senior leadership positions and both conscious and un-conscious bias in our attitudes.
It was only through luck that I discovered that I was being paid 50% less than my male colleagues at Wipro. This lack of transparency in pay works against women every day.
What I do not want women to do is to give up on their dreams and their ambition. I would urge women to build a network of mentors, both men and women who recognize the challenges and are willing to offer advice. I would ask women to support other women. And when we do reach the top, we should not forget to extend our hand to pull those up who are equally talented and qualified to stand tall next to us.
This issue is a very important one for India's outsourcing industry. Because of one bad apple we don't want the whole Indian IT industry to be painted with same brush. That would be most unfortunate.
Global organisations who are regulated by Equal Employment Opportunity Act and use outsourcing service providers are very sensitive to suggestions that women are being discriminated against or exploited. It is the combination of the law and customer sensitivity that should encourage companies to take proactive and corrective measures and not push things under the carpet. A judgement in the public domain for victimising women does leave a long term reputation damage. I won't send my daughter to work for a company with such reputation.
(Shreya Ukil is a senior business leader and equal pay campaigner )Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of NDTV and NDTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.