This Women’s day, MediaNews4U.Com is acknowledging women leaders of the Media, Marketing, Broadcast and Advertising fraternity who have given more than expected.
Dineout is India’s largest dining out and restaurant tech solutions platform in B2C and with inresto in the B2B front, processing more than 100M diners and $900M worth of transactions for its partner restaurants across its network of 50,000 restaurants in 20 cities, providing a collective savings of more than $100M on restaurant bills annually.
In this segment Sanjula Miglani – Head Business Marketing & Dineout Passport – Dineout shares her experiences and breaking the gender stereotypes and how she continues to inspire many other women who are true leaders in the making.
Journey
My journey so far has been unique and unequivocally a joyful ride, to be honest.
As a young teenager, I was involved in Model UN(s) debates and activities where we debated our ideas and stood a chance to win a certain prize at the end. Unfortunately, while all of us put forth various ideas, I realized we didn’t act on any.
This led me to co-fund a non-profit organization, a United Nations funded entity that aims to uplift the marginalized section of our society. At present, I am the brand marketing head for the NGO. Born in a business family, I was a very ambitious girl from a small town called Ghaziabad. An academically inclined child, I had a flair for the arts, a stark contrast and always played in my favour. I completed my B-Tech degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering with honours in 2013. Additionally, I graduated from the Institute of Management Technology as a Gold Medalist & Batch Topper in Masters in Business Administration.
I started my journey like most marketers in India – I studied B-Tech; however, I was fortunate enough to secure a Marketing Communications internship with National Instruments. Many thought of defence and marketing as an imbecile combination; however that’s what trained me to become a disruptive marketer. It’s something I embodied as a trait in me that has helped me continue my streak of marketing for different industries like FMCG, automotive, e-commerce, affiliate, non-profits, F&B, and production houses. As a result, I can very proudly say that I have over six years of strategic and functional experience in Marketing and Communication in a short span of time.
Inspiration & Inspiring Women
My mother is my inspiration and my greatest cheerleader. Everything I have learned about grace, grit and perseverance is from her. She always inspired me to chase my dream without any inhibitions.
Additionally, my volunteering experience also inspired me to give life to my ambitions. When I was working on some of the projects for the Becoming I Foundation, where we went door to door raising awareness about educating girls in rural areas with a high rate of human trafficking, my friends helped me realize my knack for storytelling. They noticed that I could quickly get people intrigued and convinced with my ideas. Soon after I graduated, I landed an internship with the leading advertising agency, Ogilvy, where I learned to enhance my art of storytelling. A while later, working as an advertiser, I dived into the world of business management when I enrolled at the prestigious management institute ‘Institute of Management Technology. After two years of sleepless nights, countless case studies, and a gold medal later with equally inquisitive minds on campus, I was certain I wanted to be a marketer.
I believe marketing is all about conveying your message to consumers and convincing them to invest in your product. But it is not as simple as it looks. To successfully do so, one needs to understand people, the reason behind their actions and their behavior. And that’s exactly what I wanted to do, to understand what makes people tick, tap into their lives and be the most active listener.
My team has four fierce women and four compassionate men—each one of them with their own set of unique qualities that complement each other. I ensure a thriving and self-cultivating environment where everyone gets the opportunity to grow. My motto with my team is clear; I want to nurture them to become the best version of themselves. It inspires them to become the next leaders of tomorrow and continue a nurturing environment for successive generations.
Empowering Women
I firmly believe that nobody apart from yourself can give you a sense of empowerment. Empowered women strive against the most challenging circumstances and hurdles to come forth as leaders. They are not the ones to be deterred easily, and this stems from their firm belief in themselves. In a population with almost 50% women, the idea of women empowerment plays a vital role. It is the key to our economic and social development. A woman’s socio-economic growth has a trickle-down effect. It helps families climb the social ladder and effectively improve their children’s education and overall lifestyle.
We witness some of these crucial changes brought by women in fields like scientific development, business, politics, finance and arts & literature. Their equal participation in such areas while challenging patriarchal norms have proven beneficial for the human race. So, there is not an ounce of doubt that the only way ahead for them is forward.
