This Women’s Day, MediaNews4U.Com is acknowledging women leaders of the Media, Marketing, Broadcast and Advertising fraternity who have given more than expected.
Mangalam Information Technologies is among India’s leading offshore Business Process Management service providers. With around 40% of women employees, the organisation prides itself in being a women-centric organisation with best-in-class practices to foster an inclusive and diverse workplace culture. Shrishti Bhandari, Executive Director and Chief Marketing Officer at Mangalam Information Technologies, has played an instrumental role in implementing a people-centric initiative, thereby helping the organisation earn the coveted ‘Great Place to Work’ certification.
In this segment, this second-generation entrepreneur ShrishtiBhandari -Executive Director and Chief Marketing Officer – Mangalam Information Technologies Ltd. shares her views on women empowerment, the need for more women in technology leadership roles and how she aims to inspire more women to follow in her footsteps.
Journey
I am fortunate to be a second-generation women entrepreneur in my family. However, it also confers a great degree of responsibility to carry on my family’s values, culture, and legacy. After completing my education in the US, I gained experience in manufacturing consulting and Information Technology. I always believed myself to be a true entrepreneur right from leading from the front, taking responsibility, and empowering people. The journey so far has helped me hone my skills and has taught me to hustle on.
“Entrepreneurship, in my opinion, is having the ability to dream and having the fire in the belly to chase it. Strong work ethic and empathy are some values that I learned during my journey as an entrepreneur. I believe we, as women, need to be vociferous about our rights and support our counterparts at the workplace. Five years from now, I wish to see more women in entrepreneurship. Women are born multi – taskers, juggling between professional and various personal roles, and this is the most crucial trait of an entrepreneur as well.
Inspiration and Inspiring the team
My mother is my inspiration. With over two decades of experience in the IT sector, she founded Mangalam Information Technologies in 2000. Under her able leadership and strategic direction, Mangalam has emerged as the undisputed leader in business process management services. Perseverance, humility and emotional resilience are some values that I have imbibed from my mother’s style of entrepreneurship.
I have truly believed in practising what I preach. You need to set an example for your team if you truly want to bring out their best potential. As a leader, you must be willing to go the extra mile to achieve your goals to inspire your team to follow in your footsteps.
Empowerment of Women
Despite numerous conversations on women’s empowerment, there is still a way to go. For instance, the IT sector is a male-dominated industry. There are a few women in technology leadership roles, and they continue being challenged by gender stereotypes, both in personal and professional lives. The parochial mindsets considering the household and childcare as women’s primary responsibilities lead to several dropouts at the mid-career level. Additionally, the perception of women as emotional, supportive and caring rather than achievers and risk is a major hurdle for them.
The inclusion of more women in the workforce ensures greater diversity of perspective, creative thinking and problem-solving ability. Women make empathetic leaders, a value that has gained currency since the onset of the pandemic.
Corporates need to truly walk the talk to realise the vision of women’s empowerment. Measures such as a flexible attendance system, access to professional mentorship and networking, coaching and mentorship opportunities will go a long way in facilitating women’s re-entry into the workforce. Companies should also invest in promoting a sense of belonging among the workforce, encourage 1:1 feedback and foster a culture of lifelong learning.
At Mangalam, we have enacted several women-friendly policies such as the reward and recognition system, employee engagement programs, open-door communication policy, etc. One of our pathbreaking initiatives is an exclusive night shift WFH platform for women to provide an opportunity to those who have working constraints.
