Understanding business processes is a key element for success
Published on : Tuesday 08-03-2022
Sreemoyee Ghosh Dastidar, Head of IT – Business Applications at Marico Limited.
What was the inspiration that prompted you to pursue this career path?
For me, my formal education led me to this career path that I am on today – and guidance on which path to take was initially from parents and now it is from mentors who are often senior professionals I have worked with during the past many years. To be frank, the initial inspiration was to achieve financial independence and build a career path that becomes the gateway to a comfortable, healthy life. Today, the organisation I work with, Marico, and its leaders' commitment, vision and purpose is what inspires me.
Can you recall your early days – say the first few days at work – and anything you would like to mention about that?
I was fortunate to have started my career at a nurturing organisation like Procter & Gamble. My first few days at work – I had many questions and was often shy to ask – were spent wondering how people would perceive me. That changed very quickly. Now, I believe that one should ask as many questions as possible when they start out. And I make it a point to always encourage new members in my team towards this.
For a woman, it is a matter of finding the right balance between the jobs and managing the home – how do you manage this?
I think the right balance is elusive – one cannot have it all. On some days, weeks, years we may want to give precedence to career and on others to the roles we play at home. One needs both a supporting organisation and a supporting family that appreciates this.
Priority for me is my family’s health, my child’s needs, and work priorities. I am always juggling these balls and making decisions accordingly and showing up wherever I am not replaceable. It is important to acknowledge that we can’t do it all and seek help at both home and work to cover for you. To manage all fronts I regularly delegate the actions where others can also achieve similar outcomes.
What challenges (or privileges) do women stereotypically face, based on their gender?
There are some stereotypes that if a woman is coming back from her maternity leave – she must be given an easier assignment because she will now be struggling to manage more variables at home. Such prejudices can be harmful for a woman’s career. Good organisations do not work with such prejudices and let the woman decide what is good, and works best for her.
Have you ever missed a career opportunity or promotion due to gender?
I do not think so – I have been fortunate to work in organisations which are fair and progressive and focus on being diverse and inclusive.
Are workplaces today more sensitive to gender issues than say, a decade ago?
Workplaces today are more sensitive to women issues and actively focus on recruiting and retaining the women workforce. I have experienced this across P&G, Unilever and Marico, and I believe this holds true for the better part of the FMCG industry. There is awareness that if the consumers are 50% women, it is only fair that the business also has a fair representation of the consumers among the decision makers.
Which women's 'cause' needs to be challenged and changed, first?
The first change needs to happen in our homes where girls are also told about the importance of a career and financial independence from childhood. More girls should be encouraged to take up STEM careers. Women also need to assert the significance of their career post their marriage and motherhood. It is only then that the representation of women at workplaces is going to increase.
Are there areas at work that still restrict women when it comes to leadership roles?
There are still roles or areas at work which need frequent location transfer (like sales roles in FMCG), long weeks or months away from home (in merchant navy or on oil rigs) or working from non-metro cities (like manufacturing roles) which makes it very hard for the spouse to manage home single-handedly or invest in building a career due to frequent location changes. These are areas which may restrict women when it comes to a leadership role. But that’s changing rapidly as well.
What women-related myths or taboos need to be broken?
Women are not good at numbers and women cannot drive safely – these are two myths that need to be shattered actively and every day.
Do you have a mentor or a role model? If yes, you may state briefly how it inspired you.
I do have mentors and they play a large role in my career. These are people who I have interacted with at work and I take their advice regularly – whether it’s regarding a new assignment, a new learning opportunity or even on new projects that I am working on. I also enjoy reading biographies of successful people and feel inspired by how they gave it all to achieve their purpose or their calling in life
What would be your message to the youth who are just starting their career?
My advice would be to just show up – every single day and try to absorb your work environment – how the business works. Understanding business processes is a key element which will ensure your subsequent thoughts, ideas and success – so spend a good amount of time learning that – so you know where to add value.
Describe yourself or your aspirations, dreams in 3 words.
Fly – Stronger – Higher.
My name is Sreemoyee and I am Head of Business Applications at Marico, an Indian FMCG ($1Bn+ revenues) with presence in 25+ countries globally. My mandate is to Run-Grow-Transform digitisation initiatives for Marico India business – which contributes to 80% of the company's topline. This is driven through an IT strategy roadmap that I define for the next 12-36 months aligned with business. Roadmap combined with a product backlog approach by each function/area runs the entire cycle from requirements gathering, delivery, testing, go-live and then optimally maintaining the application post go-live,
Prior to my stint at Marico, I have had long stints at Unilever and Procter and Gamble. Here I have worked in areas of IT enablement for Sales and Marketing functions in a variety of roles in delivery, architecture, and operations across ERP, Distributor Systems, Marketing Automation and Analytics.
I have been awarded a Chevening CRISP Fellowship at University of Oxford in 2020 by the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office.