Family first for Reena and Ashok Wadhwa

They’re about to embark on a holiday in the Maldives, maybe enjoy a party before that (as they allot themselves just one or two social nights out a week), keep family ‘dates’ and catch a movie too.

That’s just a week in the life of Mumbai’s top investment head honcho Ashok Wadhwa and his stylish wife Reena, who is partner of a fashion brand.

The vacation apart — Ashok, whose work focuses on strategic initiatives, private equity and wealth and institutional brokerage — reveals the mantras that fuel his corporate success. “I’ve learnt two important things over the years,” he says, “One, the art of delegation and second, that of trusting colleagues. Also, it’s essential to have a work-life balance.”

In fact, while the duo may sport differing personalities — Reena revealing that she’s the one who “enjoys change” and he, admitting good-humouredly to being “conservative and learning to experiment when it comes to fashion” — the right balance is crucial to both.

“We often see people who regret they haven’t paid attention to their home lives, but we’re blessed like that. I must have breakfast with my wife everyday, have never missed out on our children’s (son Karan who is 18, and daughter Nikita who is 17) celebrations and activities. So, really, family has nurtured our corporate philosophies.” Reena joins in, “I think what is common is we’re very simple people who derive pleasures from the most basic things. Ashok and I love watching a weekly movie at a theatre and maybe a nice, Gujarati meal before that,” she says.

Reena also divides her time between the world of luxury (being the Indian partner to fashion brand Gucci) and plans to go back to acting, after a long gap of making her mark on TV. “I’d want more meaningful roles roles; I’m not going to be seen playing Akshay Kumar’s mother.” She is also someone Ashok consults when it comes to being a people reader. “Reena has a wonderful judgement and she helps me to assess people,” he smiles.