Ameera Shah

Some Lesser Known Facts About Ameera Shah

• Ameera Shah is an Indian businesswoman who is the Promoter & Managing Director of Metropolis Healthcare Limited (Metropolis Labs is a chain of diagnostic companies, with its central laboratory in Mumbai, Maharashtra). Under her authority and supervision, Metropolis raised standards of diagnostic accuracy, customer experience, empathetic service, technological equipment, and research.

• In the 1980s, Dr. Sushil Shah (father of Ameera Shah), a Mumbai-based pathologist, left for the US on a fellowship program and studied the methods and procedures of pathology there. He was fed up with the mediocre facilities available for conducting medical tests in India. After completing his studies in the US, he returned to India and started his own pathology laboratory, ‘Dr. Sushil Shah’s Path Lab in Gamdevi, Mumbai,’ from his garage. As a teenage girl, Ameera spent several summers and winter holidays assisting at her father’s lab — writing receipts and bills, answering phone calls, and even cleaning patients’ arms before technicians drew blood samples.

• At the age of 21, at Goldman Sachs in New York, Ameera was working in a coveted position. But after a while, she quit the position as she didn’t enjoy the financial services space. In 2001, on her return to India, her father asked her if she wanted to be an executive or an entrepreneur. He told her,
  

  In the first, you can have a great career, prestige and money. If that’s what you want to do then you should stay in the US because that’s where the best opportunities are. But if you want to create impact, if you want to be the heart and soul of a company where the work you do matters, then you need to be an entrepreneur. And for that you need to come back to India”

  With no prior work experience, Ameera chose to be an entrepreneur.

• After 20 years, ‘Dr. Sushil Shah’s Laboratory’ was a well-known clinic with a stable number of patients. Ameera Shah, Dr. Sushil Shah’s daughter, entered the scene and wanted to grow up her father’s clinic to the next level as India was changing its economic liberalization policies with more widen opportunities. With a degree in Finance, Ameera took the responsibility to expand a pathology lab network with the best of facilities.

• Dr. Sushil Shah’s Laboratory was a 1500 square feet venture in South Mumbai when Ameera joined her father’s clinic in 2001. It was a reputed organization but within the limits of South Mumbai only. It was a sole proprietorship, with no computers, emails, systems, and processes. Ameera Shah knew that the growth and expansion of a business demanded functioning at a larger scale.

• In an interview, Ameera Shah said that she was the boss’s daughter, and initially, people believed that she was having fun, and pursuing entrepreneurship as a hobby. She explained,
  

  People assume that you’re privileged, that you don’t actually have to be responsible and follow any rules. But the minute you are not those things, people see it. In the first few months people realized that I was there for building a business. I was working longer hours than everybody else. I was taking standing at the front desk and talking to patients and taking the shouting and firing when necessary. I was not running away from anything or sitting in a comfortable cabin; I was willing to lead from the front.”

• Soon after joining her father’s clinic, Ameera hired new talents, created new departments, and digitized communication systems. She also created SOPs and processes. Dr. Sushil Shah’s Laboratory was renamed and redesigned as Metropolis Healthcare. They started tying up with existing independent laboratories to involve them together under the name of Metropolis.

• In May 2011, in an interview, Ameera was asked who was her role model. She explained that she admired the principles and dedication of Mahatma Gandhi towards his nation (India). She further told that she followed Warren Buffet and Bill Gates because of their unique contribution to society. She said,
  

  I admire different characteristics In different leaders. I admire Mahatma Gandhi for his principles and dedication, Warren Buffet and Bill Gates for their actions to give back to society, my mother and father for being professionally successful and wonderful parents, and all sports achievers for their determination and passion.”

• In an interview, in 2014, when Ameera was asked what did she like to do when she didn’t work. She said,
  

  Spending time in the outdoors with the sun on my face and the wind in my hair.”

• While addressing 70 managers, who had come in from locations all over India, Sri Lanka, Ghana, and Mauritius, Ms. Shah, at a company get-together, talked about the values of accuracy and empathy towards humans. She said,
  

   We are not dealing with soap, which was half in size when you bought it; we are dealing with life and death, where a lab result determines somebody’s treatment. If that treatment goes wrong because of your diagnosis, then there should be a very heavy price to pay.”

• In 2017, in an interview, she revealed that the most searched thing about her on the internet was her husband’s name. She said,
  

  You know what the most-searched-for string on my name often is? It’s Ameera Shah husband.”

• In 2017, Ameera Shah attended the Women in Pharma 2017 Summit. This summit was to aspire, lead, and inspire budding women entrepreneurs in India.

  

• Under the leadership of Ms. Ameera Shah, Metropolis has also gained extraordinary value for its stakeholders by keeping the highest standards of corporate governance and ethics in business. In April 2019, Metropolis provided a 9% premium to its stakeholders, successfully. Some reputed private equity investors in India did 3 rounds of investment in Metropolis because of its unique growth model and competitive advantage.

• At the Empower enclave 2019, while talking about the attributes of an entrepreneur, Ameera said,
  

  If you as an entrepreneur are risk-averse then the company will be risk-averse, if you are not organized, the business will not be organized. So it is important to work on yourself as an entrepreneur parallel to building the business, find your weakness and make them stronger and do the same for the company.”

• In 2019, Ameera Shah posted on her social media that she was feeling extremely proud to receive the ‘Best Diagnostic Laboratory in India’ award at the Women’s Health Conference 2019, supported by the Ministry of AYUSH and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

  

• Metropolis Healthcare is one of the healthcare organizations in India that has not offered IPOs. In an interview that she gave in March 2020, Ameera justified it by saying that it was just an event to create liquidity. She said,
  

  It’s been a good ride for investors, and people have made money, and that’s important. But that is definitely not my biggest achievement for sure; it is the kind of institution that we’re all building together.”

  Ms. Shah further concluded her statement on the initial public offering that IPO was an endpoint for the hard work of employees, stakeholders, and people who trusted the organization. She added,

  It’s also the starting point for a new journey, which is of new investors, new employees, new people coming on board, and new belief and hope in the company.”

• In 2020, under the leadership and authority of Ms. Ameera Shah, Metropolis Healthcare declared itself to be India’s only multinational chain of diagnostic centers with occupancy in over six countries – India, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Ghana, Zambia, and Kenya. Metropolis claimed to have 125 laboratories and 2000 plus patient service centers across the world.

• In an interview in 2020, on the personal front, Ameera was asked a question by the interviewer- Can a woman have it all, if she is successful? She answered that as a woman she had found a way to categorize and do multiple things at one time without feeling overwhelmed or worried. She said,
  

  I don’t think anybody can have it all. Does having it all mean having a personal life and professional life, and friends and time for yourself? It’s not like all men have it all either; they also have to struggle.”

  She added,

  In life, if you want one thing, you have to give up something else. I think we all need to make our own definition of what is important to us, and what we’re willing to trade-off to get what is important to us.”

• Ameera is also known for her passion for women empowerment and leadership, and she is dedicated to help and support the upcoming women entrepreneurs in India. In 2017, she set up ‘Empoweress,’ a non-profit organization for women,  for those who seek advice on setting business and need micro-funding. Till 2020, it had already covered more than 50 women-led businesses. Ameera Shah also works as an active business mentor and financial investor.

• In an interview, Ameera Shah shared her views on the things she gave priority to in her life. She explained how she spend outdoor weekends and evenings. She said,
  

  I don’t like spending too much time in salons or shopping—shopping doesn’t figure on my list at all. I’m happiest outdoors. I spend weekends and evenings playing volleyball at the Breach Candy Club. We have a bunch of guys and sometimes a few women and we have great camaraderie. The other top choice for my weekends is going sailing.”

• Ms. Shah is a notable business industry spokesperson. She has been presented as a speaker and representative in various national and international business meetings and gatherings, industry events, and conferences organized by FICCI, IIM, TedX, Harvard Business School, CII, Twitter, and others.

• In ‘Health care services’ and ‘Fields of Women Entrepreneurship,’ Ameera Shah was given Veerni Award in 2021 by the Chhattisgarh government for her Contributions in Diagnostic services during the COVID-19 pandemic in India.

  

• In 2020, through a video, Ameera shah motivated young and budding women entrepreneurs to follow the right convictions while following the way to set up a new business. She said,
  

  Sometimes people are comfortable with the path they have already defined for themselves and don’t look beyond that because so much anxiety and stress is faced when you opt for the change. Confidence is all you need to tackle a difficult situation and recognition of the fear provides you the courage to overcome the hurdles.”

• Ameera Shah is also on the global advisory board of AXA, a Paris headquartered company with $700 Billion under asset management in 2020.

• In 2020, in an interview, she explained how she got inspired by Muhammed Yunus, a Bangladeshi social entrepreneur, and the Nobel Peace Prize Winner, who changed her mind and thought towards patriotism that brought her back to India from the US. She said,
  

  Personally, I have been hugely inspired by Muhammed Yunus, the Nobel Peace Prize Winner who changed the lives of thousands of people through his idea of Grameen Bank. In my own way, I wanted to do something for my country and thus started my journey with Metropolis in the year 2001. It was a sense of patriotism that brought me back to the country and the sense of purpose in healthcare where there is a huge opportunity to positively impact the lives of people.”

• In 2020, in an interview when Ameera was asked to share a story about the funniest mistake she had ever made since she started her business. She explained,
  

  When I was about 11–12 years old, I used to go to my dad’s lab during the summer holidays (Dr Sushil Shah’s path lab at Gamdevi, Mumbai). I used to be at the lab from eight in the morning to eight in the evening. One of my jobs during that time apart from manning the phone or drawing up customer receipts was to give a lab tour to the guests. At that time, we had a room called the serum collection room. Serum, as we know is a part of blood and is used for certain tests. At that time, these medical words confused me and at one point during a lab tour referred to it as the semen collection room, much to the amusement of everyone in the room.”

• In 2020, while interacting with a media house, Ameera talked about her parents and said that her mother worked as a doctor for forty years in Mumbai. She also said that the freedom and values her parents gave her helped her in building the remarkable journey of Metropolis. She said,
  

  Seeing my mother (Dr. Duru Shah, a reputed Obstetrician and Gynecologist in Mumbai for over 4 decades) work late nights, always walking the extra miles for patients, pursuing a strong academic work and also contributing a lot of her skills and time for charity was inspiring. We really had an example of the kind of qualities one needs to imbibe to traverse the healthcare industry. The freedom that my parents gave me, the values that I imbibed from them while growing up has helped me in my own journey of building Metropolis.”

• During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ameera actively promoted the vaccination drive started by the Government of India through social media. In one of her social media posts in February 2021, Ameera Shah stated that the COVID-19 vaccine was the key to contain the disease.

  

• In 2021, under the leadership of Ms. Ameera, Metropolis accredited with conducting more than half a million RT-PCR tests in India and provided ample support to India’s fight against COVID-19.

• In April 2021, Ameera Shah was elected as the secretary of NATHEALTH, a healthcare body in Delhi. ^[5]Outlook

• Ameera Shah is a dog lover. She often posts pictures of her pet dogs, Ginger and Lilo on social media.

  

• In an interview, Ms. Shah revealed her obsession with sweets. She said,
  

  I have a sweet tooth, and eat a minimum of two sweets or chocolates a day! But I am trying to moderate that.’

• Ameera Shah is often seen encouraging and motivating budding women entrepreneurs in her interviews, and she often emphasizes the role of the family members, especially the husband of a budding woman entrepreneur, in balancing her career and family. She says,
  

  Why are men still playing a secondary role in the upbringing of their own child? The woman’s total involvement in the family leaves little or no energy and time to devote to the business. Support and approval of husbands is a necessary condition for women’s entry into the business, owing to the current status quo. So, until that is fixed, it is crucial that men everywhere, rather than being a hindrance, act as a fulcrum for women who wish to pivot from family to career.”

• In an interview, In an interview, Ameera revealed that she followed a special diet to maintain her figure. She said,
  

  I am trying to eat better. I have green tea the minute I come to the office. My assistant brings me my daily quota of nuts and dried fruits. Lunch too is healthy – a multigrain sandwich or fruits. For dinner, there are multigrain chapattis. ‘Sometimes I do eat rubbish!”

• Ms. Shah, in her speeches and interviews, has often seen focussing on inspiring and motivating budding women entrepreneurs in India. She has written articles to energize and encourage women’s inner spirits. Some of her famous articles include ‘Facing The Cockroach: How Entrepreneurship Makes You Confront Your Fears,’ ‘Challenges faced by women-led startups,’ and ‘How much is too much?’

• Ameera Shah is an active member of the ‘Women Economic Forum.’ ^[6]Women Economic Forum