When did you know that you wanted to be a part of the family business? Did you work anywhere else before joining your family unit?
Actually from a fairly young age I knew I wanted to be a part of my father’s business. Since childhood my brother and I visited the office on several occasions like office openings, launch of products etc. Thus we were reasonably familiar with the atmosphere and the people at Zenith. We were also introduced to the business happenings and operations at Zenith Computers at a really early stage of our lives. My brother is the CEO of Zenith Infotech. Whereas I’m currently the Executive Director, Marketing of Zenith Computers.
Indians are very brand conscious. What brand identity would you associate with Zenith?
Zenith has always been a people’s PC and a mass brand. In fact that’s how we would like it to be positioned as well. My fathers dream is that every Indian should have his or her own PC and that’s what we are trying to achieve. We have slashed prices, launched different lines of products and given good quality products. Thus we believe in providing International quality at Indian prices to all our customers.
We are well aware that young Indians prefer to buy foreign brands, which offer more stylish, and high-end models. Therefore we recognized the need and launched Vu Technologies, where I’m currently the CEO. It is a luxury technology brand, which develops and manufactures high-end computers and LCD displays. This brand helps us reach out to a wider range of customers, as we would be providing high end products from Vu and other general products manufactured by Zenith. I feel the market is looking good right now, as people are prepared to spend and willing to pay a price for luxury products. Hence we are providing a whole gamut of product types to consumers to pick from.
What do you think has been your contribution to the organization? What do you value most as a marketer?
I would say that the brand has become more visible, the product is slicker and in tune with the needs of the youth. India as a country is growing and developing faster than ever before. Furthermore there has been a great consumer shift since the past few years especially post 2000. Thus brands need to gear up in order to appeal to the new age Indian. That’s why I have tried to bring in and create more brand awareness thereby getting people to buy, use and like our product.
According to me feedback plays an extremely crucial role in developing ones brand. Simultaneously even making ones presence felt in front of the consumer is equally important. A lot of marketers say things like ‘one needs to do a lot of research then plan accordingly’. Whereas things work differently for me, I don’t believe much in research. And being a marketing student in college we were taught to do ample of research and work accordingly. Instead what I do is, I travel a lot. I go into the actual market, visit my dealers and try to interact with my customers in towns, smaller cities and metros. While traveling and discussing with many people I receive plenty of vital feedback, which I then make use of to improvise.
How do you see the computer industry evolving in India? What’s your take on the emerging laptop market?
The industry will grow tremendously because there is necessity and requirement. After a while the prices would stabilize. But the main question is how interesting is your product for a consumer to buy it? As the number of applications increase the demand of the consumers also rises proportionately. Thus the market is good and is going to mature further. We cater to the laptop segment as well. We were the first Indian company to launch laptops in India. We have several brands and we try to cater to a wide range in the market. The main point is to promote the brand and get your product into the market. This will enable people to try and then buy it. I feel the laptop is replacing desktops only in the developed countries, whereas in developing countries like India there is still a lot of scope for expansion in the desktop market. In India still 60 pc to 70 pc people are using desktops much more than the number using laptops. Thus desktops will stay but the growth in the laptop market will definitely improve.
Were there a lot of women in senior positions at Zenith when you joined?
Whether women were present or not within the organization does not make a difference. I have never given thought that I’m a woman and I need any extra favors. For me it’s the work that counts. Ultimately I need to perform my duties and do well. For me merit is most important. Merely being a woman candidate doesn’t really help. I judge individuals on their abilities not on the gender.
Does having a woman in the senior most positions of a company make it easier for younger women in the company to grow?
I don’t know! You need to ask the younger women within organization. As far as I’m concerned I consider the most crucial aspect as getting the job done. Being softer with someone because of gender is not something that I believe in. It’s a competitive environment one needs be tough and get the tasks completed. In my opinion women are more competitive and ambitious than men are these days.
In your opinion what are the disadvantages faced by women managers at workplace? Do women have to work a lot harder than their male counterparts to achieve leadership positions?
I haven’t faced any problems as such because I did not have to get ahead of any glass ceiling. But I’m sure a glass ceiling exists. As we know the computer industry is quite evolved thus the discrimination does not come across so openly. I feel women should not expect favors and just perform well. Henceforth they would be taken more seriously. Moreover I would not be the best person to comment on other women.
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You have done your BBA from University of Southern California, Los Angeles. Do you feel a degree in business administration is a prerequisite to carry out a business? Does it in anyway add value to a woman’s managerial skills?
I feel a degree adds a lot of confidence and makes one more disciplined. At the same time you get to learn a great deal of terminologies. According to me if anyone believes that just by doing an MBA he or she becomes more intelligent. Then let me tell you frankly that’s not true at all. I know a few people who have done their MBA; they wear suits and carry fancy laptops. But when they join work I’m like ‘Oh no! This is not what we are taught’. When one is doing an MBA, you think as if you are the CEO of Pepsi or some big company. But eventually when one joins he or she joins at the lowest rung of the corporate ladder. Thus I think all MBAs should have realistic expectations. They should know where and when to apply what they have learnt. We too hire from b-schools but majorly for sales. We don’t hire particularly for strategy as soon as they pass out. We hire them at a very basic level.
Particularly for women I would say they should develop various kinds of skills. Most important would be to have a good academic score so as to help you have a variety of options. I would also recommend them to participate in extra curricular activities, college festivals, have a hobby. Furthermore it’s crucial to move around and interact with other people. Taking initiative and having leadership skills helps to add a lot of value especially while presenting oneself. We have are own products thus we need to know how to market them well. Unless you know how to do that, whatever you sell will not work.
Who is your role model? Among your contemporaries whom do you admire most? And why?
I do not have a role model. According to me things have changed like the concept of a role you play is quite different from earlier. In fact one visualizes them what they want to be five years down the line. Thus work accordingly to achieve their goal.
Do you make a conscious decision in order to maintain a balance between your personal and professional life?
Yes! I do make it a point to go out on every weekend. For example every Saturday no matter how exhausted I’m I go out partying or for dinner with friends. I think it is important for me maintain that I’m still 25 rather than behaving as if I’m 52.
If not a Director at Zenith, what would you see yourself doing? Do you plan to pursue an MBA in the near future?
I would be probably doing something in innovation. I would have definitely not been a professional because I was never among the studious children. I have no plans to do an MBA right now, as it’s an opportunity cost for me. By the time I finish my studies the situation might change within those two years. I certainly prefer working than studying. Even the kind of student I was, I studied only the subjects I liked. When I was in school I wondered why should I study chemistry if I’m going to work with computers in the future. It surely does not work for everybody but that’s the way I’m. I don’t want to do an MBA for the stamp on my head. Unless it adds any value I don’t think it is important for me to do it. I think one should pursue an MBA only if they really like management and want to be there. Don’t be a part of the herd mentality.
What advice would you give to women managers? What skills apart from a possible MBA do you think would help women managers to do well?
I would advice them not to just walk into a job. Think twice about what job you are going to do.Secondly as women we don’t want to venture everywhere. But when a job has to be done one should do it enthusiastically. At the end what matters is the result thus one needs to work accordingly. I think one should go out, meet people and interact with different individuals. Moreover one could inculcate a hobby, read a lot of different things that interests them. If you are doing a variety of things firstly you wont be stressed out. Secondly you wont be defined by your job. So if you do change your job it’s not the end of the world for you.