Monica Dhawan firmly believes that employees are and should be at the core of any business. The CEO and  executive director of Fusion Corporate Solutions – which was founded in 1999 in Gurugram, Haryana – has been diligently following this belief in her company. Besides, her Fusion Corporate Solutions has been associating with major corporations like Nokia, NSN, Bacardi, Airtel, Del Monte and Wipro to motivate their employees and improve their work-life balance. Apart from employee-engagement programmes, her company is a premier service provider for complete design and display solutions for exhibitions and events.

An alumnus of International Management Institute, Ms Dhawan has an MBA degree and is also a graduate of Institute of Hotel Management, Catering and Nutrition, Pusa. She had the distinction of being on the board of Jammu & Kashmir Bank as an independent woman director at the age of 42. Be it designing several eco-friendly events and campaigns or promoting many CSR (corporate social responsibility) initiatives for Banarasi weavers and other traditional artisans, Ms Dhawan has been at the forefront of creative messaging, writes Sharmila Chand after a long and interesting interaction with Ms Dhawan.

How do you define yourself?
An optimist, passionate, committed and forward-thinking person

What is your philosophy of life?
Be happy and positive in life.

What is your passion in life?
To excel in whatever I do and to ensure that people around me are happy and growing

What is your management mantra?  
Happy minds generate great ideas, and trusting your team boosts their and your energy.

A business leader do you admire the most...
Gautam Adani

Your source of inspiration...
My goals

You are a tough, serious boss or...
Employee-centric work master

What do you enjoy the most in life, generally?
Motherhood

How do you de-stress?
Travel

What is your fitness regime?
Yoga, meditation and Kathak

Your mantra for success...
It is a journey and not a destination.

Your dream...
To contribute to the world, especially in the fields of art, environment, women and child upliftment

Ten years from now, where do we see you?
I would like it to remain a mystery and magic that unveils itself in course of time.