Aarti Thadani discusses her career journey so far, the importance of investing in women and her hopes for the future.
Having joined the firm as a trainee in 2010, Aarti was recently promoted to Partner in our 2024 intake which for the fifth straight year, women account for more than 40 percent of the firm’s partner promotions. We spoke to Aarti about the “moments that mattered” throughout her career. Aarti immediately points out that “There have been a number of individuals – both men and women, who have provided invaluable support since day one – from being a trainee, straight to up to today.”
Looking back to the beginning of her career, Aarti reflects on the importance of mentoring. Her mentor as a trainee was Richard Calnan, someone who during her training contract was her “guiding light.” “I clearly remember getting what I viewed as a bad appraisal and I thought it was the end of the world”. Richard’s response was incredible and immensely helpful. “He helped to actually improve my skills. It wasn’t just about talking or moral support, it was about actually helping me to gain access to the tools I needed to develop and improve my skillset. That was someone really investing in me, not just going through the motions.” Active mentorship had a huge impact on Aarti’s development.
Having strong mentors and sponsors throughout her career has definitely helped Aarti shape her professional journey. Speaking of her participation in the Career Strategies Programme, a programme within the firm that is intended to help address gender diversity, she recalls, “I wasn’t even a senior associate, yet Deirdre Walker recognised that I would benefit from the programme and really 'pushed me' (quite literally) to do that programme. I think in my career that was a turning point. It is where I really started actively developing the 'other' skills for success and building a business – assertiveness, confidence and visibility.” Aarti notes that “there is no point being an expert in a subject matter if you’re not able to communicate that expertise to others... Confidence is a skill, it’s a muscle you need to develop and you need to strengthen and constantly work on it.”
Aarti notes that whilst there is real movement towards better gender equality, “as an industry we have a very long way to go. It’s almost a change in mindset. It’s not just about partner promotions - promotions are just one metric (and a good metric), but it’s also about career development paths, retention, senior leadership, and much more – real genuine support, commitment to inclusion and continuous investment is required, I think, at every level.”
Aarti believes that one of the most integral factors for success is to believe in yourself, noting that you can’t let fear get in your way.
"You have got to grab opportunities when they arise, as there is no certainty it will come around again. You must also perfect your technical skills and 'become so good at what you do that you can’t be ignored – by your colleagues, by clients or by the industry/market.'"
After reflecting on the past, what about the future? Aarti highlights that “there are still a lot of hurdles I need to jump over as a woman, my promotion to partnership is just one point or milestone in my career journey. The challenges continue and as a firm, as a legal industry, as humans we have a long way to go.”
Irrespective of these challenges, Aarti observes that there are little wins and ripples of impact that you can see in the day to day – particularly when looking at the next generation. “This weekend my daughter was on her iPad googling my name. I asked her ‘why?’ and she said, ‘because you’re a superstar – look at how many hits there are’. It just really made me realise that what we do has an impact. How we react to tough times matters, whether we give up or continue or find a way - even if it’s not perfect. It’s going to impact the next generation and hopefully have a positive impact on the people coming up.”
