"Be Well Sweetheart": India-Origin Man Slammed For Sending Misogynistic Message To British CEO

An Indian-origin man is being slammed online for sending a misogynistic message to a British CEO. It all started after Louisa Klouda, CEO of Fenchurch Legal, shared a screenshot of her exchange with Nirmal Patel, who describes himself as a "Sfo deal syndicate middleman" on LinkedIn. In December 2024, Mr Patel sent Ms Klouda a message saying, "Happy to take a call as I don't like to connect without knowing the person." Not receiving a response, he then sent a single question mark on January 6. Responding to this, Ms Klouda wrote, "Hi Nirmal, I hope you're well. Happy new year." "Would you be available for a teams call next week at some point?" she asked, adding, "If so please share times & days that are convenient for you."

Mr Patel then responded in a way that left the CEO fuming. "Thanks, as interesting and successful as your business is I tend not to work with women. Be well sweetheart," he said.

Calling out Mr Patel for his misogynistic and condescending message, Ms Klouda shared the screenshot of her chat on LinkedIn. "Well, I woke up today and learned something groundbreaking: Some people still think women shouldn't be in business. Wild. It's 2025, we've got AI writing novels, people vacationing in space, and yet... here we are," she wrote.

"As a woman in business, I could let outdated thinking get me down, but instead, I'll do what women have been doing for centuries-keep succeeding, keep breaking barriers, and keep proving that competence has NO gender," she continued. 

"To my fellow women (and men) in business: Keep being brilliant. Keep making deals. Keep leading.  And to those who 'tend not to work with women'-best of luck finding success without half the world's talent," she added. 

Ms Klouda's post left several social media users enraged. Many criticised Mr Patel and called him out for his outdated mindset. 

"Its so pathetic to see such glaring misogyny. Don't let it bother you too much, you bring so much to the table regardless of people like that," wrote one user. "Oh what a misogynistic man. I'm sure his mother/sister/partner will be shocked at such views," commented another.

Also Read | "Not Politics, But AI": Zoho Founder Sridhar Vembu's Hilarious Response To Viral Rumours

"This is unbelievable and on top of that he ends it with "sweetheart". It's sad to see such comments still in 2025," expressed a third user. 

"Shocking and outdated mindset Louisa! This is a testament to your strength and resilience as a women in business. Keep doing your thing girl!" wrote a fourth user. 

"The views of Nirmal on females have no place in todays world - thank you for sharing something so insane it's hard to comprehend people still exist that (1) have those views and (2) are willing to commit them to writing on a business forum," commented one user.