Mansi Madan Tripathy, Vice President of Shell Asia, and the philosophy of “genderless leadership”

With a fascination for electronics from a young age, Mansi Madan Tripathy enrolled in electronics and telecommunications engineering at the National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra. She was one of just two women in a class of 500. Curious by nature, she took to the subject with ease: rubber, wheels, semiconductors and so on were all part of the discovery. She consistently ranked among the top students. Alongside her academic pursuits, she delighted in dance, music, and long hours spent reading. Yet she had never engaged in sport until a professor’s suggestion changed that. She began rising at 4:30 a.m. to train for two races. Eventually, she became the first female student in the institution’s 100-year history to win a gold medal, earning recognition across the entire school.

Mansi considers that event a turning point, bringing her three valuable lessons. First, the importance of teachers and mentors. Their guidance is something to be cherished: there are times when we simply cannot see the full picture ourselves. Second, the significance of having a strong team and supportive colleagues. “No one can succeed entirely on their own.” And finally, the resolve to reach your goal, sustained by perseverance and diligent effort. “If you truly want something, thinking about it will never be enough, you need the will to pursue it,” Mansi said.

After completing her undergraduate studies, Mansi went on to earn an MBA in marketing from the Shreyans Prasad Jain Institute of Management and Studies, before stepping into the world of FMCG. Having lived in various states across India and worked with global brands around the world, she fondly describes herself as a “true global citizen.”

“I’ve worked across sales, procurement, marketing, consumer insights and data analytics in everything from healthcare to diapers, beauty and skincare,” Mansi says. Her background in engineering sharpened her analytical mindset and taught her how to stay composed under pressure. In 2012, she returned to India and took on a new challenge at Shell.

As Vice President of Shell Lubricants Asia Pacific, she managed a portfolio worth $2.5 billion, with nine production facilities and more than 1,500 partner organisations. Under her leadership, Shell Lubricants sustained its position as market leader, recording 18% growth in 2021 and 11 per cent in 2022. In the premium lubricants segment, annual growth reached 17 per cent. Mansi also heads Shell’s operations in India, where the company employs 13,000 people and brings in $3 billion in revenue. Beyond Shell, she sits on the boards of Hankook Shell (Korea), JOSLOC (Saudi Arabia) and MRPL Aviation.

Still, Mansi Madan Tripathy acknowledges that women in senior roles within the energy sector remain few and far between. The pipeline of women with the necessary STEM qualifications is already narrow, making leadership representation even rarer. At top-level meetings, she is often the only woman present. Even now, despite having proven herself repeatedly, she still notices sceptical looks from male counterparts. “For three or four months of meetings, I didn’t see a single other woman,” she joked.

Mansi believes strongly in inner resilience. But she’s also clear that moving forward takes more than belief: it requires action, and the courage to face obstacles head-on. Her approach to adversity is rooted in objectivity. “That’s often the best place to start,” she says.

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Over the past decade, however, the landscape has changed significantly. Mansi has been instrumental in that shift, especially within her own company. She has been a vocal proponent for diversity across gender, ethnicity and culture, helping to increase the proportion of women in leadership roles at Shell from 36 per cent in 2014 to 55 per cent by 2022. Today, she serves as sponsor and advisor to the Shell Women’s Network, a global initiative with over 7,000 members.

This, she explains, is part of her commitment to what she calls the gender equality triangle, comprising individual effort, corporate support, and societal change. “As individuals, we must awaken our own potential and keep striving. The company can support that journey. But when it comes to shifting societal perceptions or deep-rooted biases, that always takes a little more time.”

Shell has also implemented a DE&I strategy, with a particular focus on support, consultancy, and training programmes tailored for women. In 2021, the Shell Global Forum for Gender Equality, known as enGAGE, was launched to create a safe space for dialogue and collaboration. The aim was to raise awareness around gender imbalance, while also offering pathways for development, guidance, and talent networking. By the end of 2022, women made up 55 per cent of Shell’s Board of Directors, up from just 36 per cent in 2014. At the senior leadership level, female representation reached 30.4 per cent, while women accounted for 33 per cent of the broader leadership group. Having started with only 4 per cent female senior leaders in 1997, Shell has now set its sights on reaching or surpassing 40 per cent by 2030; an ambitious and meaningful step towards balance.

Always encouraging women to move beyond internal limitations, Mansi leads not by raising her voice, but by living in harmony. Her life is a portrait of equilibrium. Alongside the 37 marathons she has run, she’s learning to dance with her daughter. “Sport teaches me discipline and perseverance,” she says. “Dance, on the other hand, shows me the unity of body, mind and spirit. I’m fortunate that Shell offers a wonderful platform to practise and share both with others in the company.”

When it comes to parenting, Mansi, like any mother, recognises that children are often their parents’ greatest teachers. And from her own experience, she offers her daughter this advice: “Don’t ask what you want to do. Ask who you want to become.” It’s a philosophy rooted in her own childhood; she never wanted to be anyone else but Mansi Madan Tripathy.

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