Coming from a physics background, Manisha Navghare knew technology wasn’t her strength but excelled in administration. Despite being pressured into marriage, she fought for her education with determination, overcoming societal expectations. With the support of her husband and family, she achieved her goal. “I knew hard work was there in my blood”, says Manisha.
Having experience as a physics lecturer from 1992 to 2023, Manisha Navghare, is now the managing director of ASM Industries. While working in the teaching field, she was also engaged in administration for almost a decade which eventually led her to the position of vice principal. Being an Ambassador Physicist she was naturally inclined towards technical subjects, which helped her to adapt to the mechanical engineering field. In 2013, she took voluntary retirement (VRS) and joined the corporate field. “It was a completely new experience for me, but I had knowledge of the manufacturing process”, she says. Since 2018, she has been running her own company. She acknowledges that she is not that much into technicality and that her strength lies in administration. “My field was different, yet I understood manufacturing processes”, Manisha says.
She has completed her degrees in BSc and MSc in Physics in Nanded and later completed her BEd As her father was an Executive Engineer with a transferable job, her education took place in various cities and villages depending on his postings.
Manisha remembers that when she shifted from teaching to the corporate field, her family was there for the support and because she had years of experience in administration, for her the transition was smooth. As she was already involved in business since 1995, she was familiar with its requirements.
Staring the Journey from Small Scale
In the beginning, Manisha started on a small scale, but today there are around three to four factories with an increase in the number of employees. This expansion made it difficult to manage the business and became challenging, which led her to the decision of leaving her job and entirely focussing on the business. She shares, “when I joined the company, I introduced new systems, implemented structured processes and installed HR software like Spine. I streamlined employee attendance tracking, which wasn’t possible before due to a lack of attention to details.” Today she handles HR and finance, ensuring a system-oriented approach.
Despite coming from a teaching background, she embraced new technologies. Manisha has been working hard since the age of 23, often giving 8-10 hours per day. When she considered taking VRS, she knew her will to be active in her career.
Remembering her early days as a teacher, she says, she always dreamt of having a job. She joined the teaching field to support her family and moved to Aurangabad, learning everything from the basics.
Teaching brought immense respect and fulfillment. She explains that it was not common for girls to stay away from home for education and career, it was much harder for girls at that time and they were often discouraged from studying and working. After Manisha’s father’s death, she had to fight for her education. Her mother was there for support and later her uncle helped her secure a job. She mentions “In those days, there was a huge pressure to marry before the age of 20-25 and if not done it was considered difficult for a woman to settle down. However, due to the support of her family, she was able to build her career and today she has successfully established a large company.
Something Unexpected became the Passion
Manisha never thought of leaving the teaching field to join a company. After marriage, her husband was building his business and since there were some financial struggles at that time, she continued her government job to provide stability. She says, “earlier my priority was taking care of my son, so joining the business wasn’t an option at that time”.
She shares her amusement by saying “looking back, seeing how far we have come, fills me with amazement. We started from scratch, facing financial struggles, even lacking basic needs at times, the journey was very hard”.
She appreciates her husband’s support and motivation throughout her journey. She shared her initial days when she felt lost after leaving her job as she didn’t have any technical skills. But he was there to guide her in every step, from learning computers to understanding software. “Within 1-2 years, I got a hold and this is also the reason for my education”, she states. She says that her father had a dream that girls should learn a lot, that his three daughters should have motivation and are not less than boys. Her father wanted his daughter to be an officer, should do a job and be independent. With pride, Manisha says “we were able to achieve it. If he had been with us today, he would have been very happy that all of his daughters have achieved something in their life”. I had the support of every family member of mine, with me.
A Different Experience in New Position
The shift from teaching to the corporate field was a significant change for her. She explains, “I was strict as I had to manage students and administration. But here people are more hardworking and work longer than the teaching field. There is less relaxation in the teaching field. The rules, government policies and office laws are different”.
Her father has always been her role model. His hardworking nature and dedication has always influenced her. She says, “hard work is in my genetics, in my blood as I have seen my father do the same”.
Her message to young girls is “whatever you are learning, learn it passionately. Don’t learn it because your parents are sending or you are learning for marriage. And if you like teaching, then learn it. Take the field which you like”. Manisha believes, balancing family and work is crucial, especially for women as the next generation is depending upon them. Further adding, she says, “Those who work with passion can manage this balance, but those who work half-heartedly often struggle”.
Manisha shares, when she was in the teaching field, her working hours were 7-8 hours, but since she had only one son, she took care of him and his education entirely on her own. Her husband, being an entrepreneur, had irregular working hours and sometimes stayed in the factory for days. During those times, she handled everything at home, raising her son, managing his school, and ensuring proper parenting. According to her there are certain things a woman can do that a man cannot, not because men are incapable, but because women have a different approach to nurturing.
For Manisha, shifting from a physics lecturer to a corporate leader has been one of the significant achievements. While managing her son’s upbringing, she took on the leadership roles in education, heading the largest department and supervising 100-150 faculty members. This experience of her strengthens her administrative skills as well as confidence. After changing the sectors, she had to learn finance and commerce from the basics. A key achievement of her is implementing new systems, embracing technology and improving efficiency. Mastering new skills and leading teams have shaped her growth, allowing her to evolve from an educator into a successful business leader.
