What does Women's History Month mean to you?

Women have come a long way here in the United States, but we still have a long way to go. The momentum we've seen makes me hopeful for continued progress in the future.

Growing up, was there someone in your life that inspired you to become who you are today? Who was it, and why?

There are many women who I draw inspiration from for different reasons (Ginni Rometty, Hillary Clinton, Mary Kay Ash, Ayn Rand, J.Lo), but honestly, my mom has always been my most important mentor. Her patience, compassion, understanding, and willingness of personal sacrifice inspire me to be better.

Can you tell us about your career journey in your field?

After graduating from college, I started as a BDR in the cybersecurity space - I always had a passion for optimization and building scalable processes, which our leadership team valued and invested in by creating a Team Lead role for me. After our startup's acquisition by IBM, I moved into a position managing the relationship between sales and marketing to ensure we were optimizing our pipeline. From there, I've built and managed 3 BDR orgs at three startups in different spaces - email marketing (Litmus), sales enablement (Chorus.ai), and now headless commerce here at Nacelle.

What advice would you give to the next generation of women?

I read something recently that outlined a (very generalized) primary difference between men and women. The article stated that most men read a job posting and focus on how they COULD do any of those things, even if they haven't before, and assume they are qualified. On the other hand, most women will focus on all of the experience they lack, all the things they have never done before, and assume they are unqualified. Speaking from personal experience, it's not easy, but I'd want women to be more like men - be confident in your potential for growth and your ability to conquer new things.

Favorite Quote or Mantra?

It's a song: Daya - Sit Still, Look Pretty

What does Women's History Month mean to you?

For me, Women's History Month is an opportunity to recognize and appreciate the women who fought for their rights and helped pave the way for today's women. It is also a time to reflect on the fact that even today, there is a tremendous amount of work that still needs to be done.

Growing up, was there someone in your life that inspired you to become who you are today? Who was it, and why?

My parents are the ones who inspired me to be who I am today. I am one of three daughters. Growing up in India, where gender bias is very prevalent, my parents, especially my mother, a homemaker, could have easily given in to social pressure. But instead, I was raised never to see myself as lesser than men and to stick up for myself when others tried to put me down. They ensured that my sisters and I had access to the best education and other avenues, truly empowering us to achieve whatever we wanted. I was surrounded by successful women - including homemakers, entrepreneurs, doctors, engineers, scientists - making me believe that I could be whatever I chose to be!

Can you tell us about your career journey in your field?

I received my undergrad in India and came to the US for grad school. After graduating, I have had the opportunity to work in different industries - a multinational chemical company, a cancer research center, a biological research institution, and now Nacelle - an e-commerce platform. As an engineer, I always had an interest in the end-to-end process of how a product is built and working through the challenges that come with it. This interest eventually led me to transition to a Product Manager position.

Being a female in the tech world comes with its own challenges, and I believe females bring a unique point of view that can't be beaten. With my journey so far and going forward, I hope that I can make a difference and pave the path for the future.

What challenges remain for women today? Why is it essential that more women are represented in tech leadership roles?

Even though we have come a long way, the work is not done. Even today women still need to fight and prove their value in a way that men don't. The gender wage gap is a problem that still persists. So does an unconscious gender bias, especially based on navigating career and family duties. The truth is that most times women have to work harder to earn the recognition they already deserve. This is exactly why it is important for women to be represented in tech leadership roles.

In general, women and men think differently, and having a gender-diverse team, especially leadership, encourages the team to anticipate and explore a different point of view. Many studies show that having female leadership, especially in tech, leads to better innovation and improved financial performance, among other things.

What advice would you give to the next generation of women?

As a mother of a 3-year-old daughter, I want to lead by example and show her that you can achieve whatever you set your mind to. My advice to her and the next generation of women is this quote - "A girl should be two things: who and what she wants."

Favorite Quote or Mantra?

"The most effective way to do it, is to do it." - Amelia Earhart

What does Women's History Month mean to you?

Women's History Month provides a devoted time for me to reflect on the advances and contributions of women in history and how it has allowed me to be where I am today. I take it as a time to learn about women in different disciplines and countries who have impacted our society and who may not have been recognized for it. It is also essential to use this reflection on history as a catalyst to continue to advance and advocate for change.

Growing up, was there someone in your life that inspired you to become who you are today? Who was it, and why?

While many people have had a part in shaping who I am today, my grandmother's strength, sense of self, and perseverance have been something I have always admired and have tried to emulate. My grandmother suffered many tragedies and challenges while she was a young woman and, through all of it, provided for her family at home and work.

Can you tell us about your career journey in your field?

I started as a Technology Analyst at a large consulting company, delivering custom solutions for the Federal Government. I was able to work on a variety of solutions and teams and worked with fantastic female managers who supported my career and helped build my professional skillset. After a few years in consulting, I moved to a smaller startup focused on returns management software for retailers aimed at diverting waste from landfills to a secondary marketplace. There, I led software implementations for some of the largest retailers working with different teams, products, and challenges. A few months ago, I made the change to come manage engagements at Nacelle to bring our performant data orchestration layer as a part of the modern commerce stack. I was promoted to lead the Professional Services Delivery team in the past few weeks, focused on building PWAs for our merchants leveraging Nacelle.

What challenges remain for women today? Why is it essential that more women are represented in tech leadership roles?

There are still many challenges that remain for women today in and out of the workforce. In the workforce specifically, women are typically paid less than for the same experience levels and are promoted to manager at lower rates than their male counterparts. Women of color are paid less and promoted at even lower rates than their white female colleagues. These challenges are even more prevalent in the technology space, where representation of women is lower than the rest of the job market. Simply put, it is imperative to have all representation in senior management and technology leadership roles. With representation, women have a seat at the table to make lasting, impactful changes to improve hiring and promotion processes and ensure everyone has an inclusive, fair working environment.

What advice would you give to the next generation of women?

Continue to push, challenge, and ask for what you deserve. Just because it has been done one way doesn't mean that it can't be done another.

Favorite Quote or Mantra?

"You must do the things you think you cannot do." - Eleanor Roosevelt