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Sanju Pal’s career soared as she gained recognition and success: she won the Asian Woman of Achievement Award, met the late Queen Elizabeth, and was invited to 10 Downing Street. Working as a management consultant at the City firm Accenture, her future seemed bright. However, in 2018, everything changed when she missed her performance targets after undergoing surgery to remove two large cysts from her ovaries due to severe endometriosis.
Despite her past accomplishments, the company’s view of her shifted dramatically. Sanju recalls, “Suddenly it was taken away from me, and I became nothing. I wasn’t a high performer anymore because I had a disability.” Following her surgery and a brief return to work during which she felt forced to push through pain and fatigue, she was informed at her six-month review that she had failed to meet her targets. Soon after, she was terminated and told to leave the building immediately, barred from contacting colleagues. This treatment was compounded by the fact that her condition, endometriosis, a chronic illness where cells similar to those lining the uterus grow outside it causing pain and cysts, had not been recognized as a disability.
Sanju’s experience of dealing with endometriosis was harrowing. Diagnosed in 2017, her case was severe: she had developed Stage 3 endometrioma, with a 7.5cm cyst on one ovary and another smaller cyst on the other, necessitating immediate surgery and significant recovery time. After returning to work too soon, she communicated her struggles to HR but still faced dismissal. She felt overwhelming shame and isolation after losing her job and private medical insurance, which was crucial at that time. After an unsuccessful internal appeal, she pursued an employment tribunal, which initially ruled in her favor but did not award compensation.
The situation took a significant turn in January 2026 when the Employment Appeal Tribunal recognized that Sanju’s endometriosis constituted a disability, and that she had been discriminated against because of it. This ruling could have far-reaching implications for how employers treat employees with endometriosis. Accenture declined to comment further, citing the ongoing legal matter. Reflecting on her journey through seven years and two tribunals, Sanju shares how the battle has reshaped her life. Though her business career paused, she remains actively involved in charity work, continuing to volunteer for RISE, the organization she founded that connects young people in rural India with their counterparts in London. She also keeps up her musical interests and hosts a podcast.
Sanju expresses solidarity with others navigating the difficult employment tribunal system and hopes her case paves the way for legal recognition of endometriosis as a disability under the Equality Act 2010. She is determined to keep campaigning and raising awareness for women living with this condition. “The number of messages I receive from women saying ‘I couldn’t talk about this, I felt afraid to, but you’re doing it,’” she reflects, emphasizing the impact of sharing her story
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