Its about making best of both Professional and Personal worlds
Published on : Tuesday 08-03-2022
Dr Shivani Sharma, Principal Technical Consultant, Hitachi Energy.
What was the inspiration that prompted you to pursue this career path?
‘The best way to predict the future is to design it’.
I am really blessed to have parents with a firm determination of moulding us with the best resources, best career, and best upbringing; with education and perseverance being the main pillars. Right from my school days, I was (still am!) deeply fascinated by the power of creation, making things better, the mystery of decoding events and logical Technical Problem Solving! Physics and Maths were my favourite subjects, in fact it’s typically funny + true at the same time, when I scored 99/100 in my 10th Standard Board Exams, and I was genuinely introspecting where that 1 mark went away! Address that as Bright Brain or a Geek Freak, who knows! Also, after my Engineering Graduation I was tempted to take up a job, but fortunately my father convinced me about completing the Master’s Degree and also PhD. Looking back, the 16 years of Industry Experience has been extremely fulfilling, ranging from a world class refinery to EPC spread across countries to a truly global Technology & Consulting Sector. There was a tremendous amount of exposure and opportunities that were challenging, but also eventually evolved me into a professional leader.
Can you recall your early days – say the first few days at work – and anything you would like to mention about that?
A new job is like a blank book and you are the author. For my master’s degree Final Project, I gladly landed up at a very rare and crucial phase of a captive power plant, at the plant ‘commissioning’ stage. That time, I was the only female in the company bus/plant site, but that didn’t make me feel any different/conscious. I always consider myself and an Engineer/Professional rather than other attributes. Maybe I was expected to work on an allocated PC, review and document the report. But the wonderful mentors, my sincerity and learning attitude built such a congenial environment, that at times you would find me near the transformer installation; or in the boiler control room; or near the turbine blades; or understanding the cable gland plates from consultants; or checking relay interlocks with the testing team and so on… This was my first industry experience and each learning from a power plant going live makes me alive.
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 feel that a work-life balance may be illusional; it should rather be considered as a “Balance Zone”, where it’s okay to sway a bit here and there (within a safe zone). Every peculiar phase of female life would bring along its typical challenges (marriageable age, career clock racing with biological clock, and so on).
I would rather say it’s about making the best of both Professional and Personal worlds. It’s about celebrating uniqueness, strategic choices we make and its consequences that should be in harmony with all. During the special launch event of the Women in Power chapter of IEEMA Organisation, a special in-depth interaction with Divine BK Sister Shivani enlightened me with the aspect that the challenges and situations shall prevail, we (and mainly we) must focus on managing them calmly. Secondly, Ms Seema Gupta’s strong inspirational message of Go-Getter performance are words of wisdom to cherish.
God and my family (especially husband and in-laws) have been really kind, super progressive and supportive, making my journey so smooth and wholesome.
What challenges (or privileges) do women stereotypically face, based on their gender?
It’s not what we achieve, it’s what we overcome – that’s what defines our career. Broadly, though few privileges for women could be, (few times) more respect shown, a comparatively softer verbal treatment, or maybe consideration during site visits, etc.
And few stereotype challenges are a women’s capability needing iterative establishment, doing double to prove half as good as counterparts, biases based on personal life phase, etc.
In daily life, the challenge could sound tiny but do matter:
-That hesitation to even voice an opinion in a regular meeting
-Encountering the ‘Hepeating’ syndrome (when men repeat what you just said, but louder!?)
-Team truly accepting women as Leaders,
-Your crucial Site Visit coinciding with a childcare requirement and so on.
But every job, role, gender would have its own challenges, what really matters is how we overcome them.
Have you ever missed a career opportunity or promotion due to gender?
Personally my gender never impacted my ability to be effective and respected, and I never experienced any discrimination. I am a strong believer that ‘If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door’. There could be some initial apprehensions, but once you perform, the outcomes speak, and rest follows. But yes, I did miss foreign official trips at times due to personal interlocks of maternity, etc., but that comes with every phase of life. And the Covid pandemic has established the importance of collaboration, flexibility and resilience from any corner of the world, in fact I am so glad to be working directly with all my global colleagues now.
Are workplaces today more sensitive to gender issues than say, a decade ago?
For sure, It’s indeed a delight to be part of my organisation, #HitachiEnergy; firstly, where Diversity culture is in Practice with the equation Diversity + Collaboration = Great Innovation; and 'Diversity of Thought' has a deeper meaning, it includes people from various backgrounds, nationalities, genders, ages, attitudes, and education. And secondly, sustainability is placed at the heart of our purpose of powering good to advance a sustainable energy future for all. There are targeted initiatives like “Female Acceleration”, special drives for females on Career Breaks, etc. There is more acceptance, encouragement and opportunities through internal development programs, the provision of networks, and more flexible working arrangements and offerings. However, it’s an ongoing journey requiring consistent cultural maturation and ‘leaving no one behind’.
Which women's 'cause' needs to be challenged and changed, first?
And as the IWD 2022 campaign theme goes BreakTheBias, we have to eventually progress to a gender-equal world, diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias.
I strongly feel that we need more opportunities and more representation on the Table of Authority, in decision making positions, it’s important to let women lead from the front, be role models, and create impact to society. Women come with their unique strengths and characteristics, it’s high time we accept it, embrace it and celebrate it.
Are there areas at work that still restrict women when it comes to leadership roles?
Women have the necessary leadership skills, but they may (and why not?) appear a bit different to how men lead, and it’s okay, a ‘judgement scanner’ is not always welcome here. The entire ecosystem has been improving; however, the quantum of actual ground implementation has to show up. An opportunity should not be just for sake of some process, but a wholehearted opportunity with acceptance of uniqueness. Combining the right environment with teamwork and performance will surely give more women leaders. Self-belief and performance go a long way, a leader would make way to the front, grinding, exemplifying and overcoming all challenges.
What women-related myths or taboos need to be broken?
-That women can have (different) opinions, which they can express individually, they deserve to be valued, celebrated.
-We could have a women leader who’s assertive (not aggressive)
-No matter their age or income, women still have primary responsibility for housework and child-care. These should be considered as gender-neutral activities.
Do you have a mentor or a role model? If yes, you may state briefly how it inspired you.
I have a few amazing leaders who have created a circle of positive influence, empowered with broader perspective, mentoring at various career phases, and good golden guidance. I have been taking feedback, picking the points, and progress is in progress!
What would be your message to the youth who are just starting their career?
This is really an interesting transition era to be in, the world is full of possibilities. My crisp message would be: “Everyday Be the best version of yourself; Grab Every Opportunity. Grind. Evolve. Shine. Carry Confidence and Conviction”.
Describe yourself or your aspirations, dreams in 3 words.
Progressive. Collaborative. Cheerful.
Dr Shivani Sharma, Principal Technical Consultant, Power Consulting & Grid Integration, Hitachi Energy India Ltd, is a renowned and respected Industry Expert with 16 years of rich extensive experience in the Energy Sector involving R&D, Power system Analysis, Detailed Design Engineering with Global work experience across geographies (USA, Germany, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, UK, UAE to name a few). Driving and delivering major assignments aligning Power consulting services with customer needs, articulating opportunity and developing solutions bringing leading edge technologies and processes to deliver customer benefit.
Her major Professional Collaboration Memberships and Contributions are:
-Executive Member of Skills Council of India, National Operating Standards (NOS), National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), Delhi, India.
-CIGRE Professional Member, Paris and IEEE Member of “Power & Energy Society”, also “Women in Engineering”
-Executive Committee Member, Society of Power Engineers, Delhi, India
-Patron, Advisory Board & Life Member, Society of Power Engineers, Vadodara Chapter, India.
-Working Core Committee Member, Women in Power Chapter, IEEMA, Delhi; also involved as Industry Expert for prominent Events like DigiElec Bharat-2021, @IndiaVision2047, Union Budget Discussions.
-Member of South Asia Women in Energy (SAWIE), a joint initiative by USAID and U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF).
-PhD Doctoral Progress Review Committee Expert, Gujarat Technical University, India.
-Syllabus Review, Lab Review Committee Member and Academia Connect
-Also contributes to NGO, CSR for creating Social Impact, Women in Engineering
Presently Principal Technical Consultant, Power Consulting, Grid Integration, Hitachi Energy India Ltd; Previous experience is with Reliance Industries Limited and Samsung Engineering India Ltd. She has organized many National and International Conferences and contributed numerous Technical / Research Publications / presentations in National and International Events / Conferences / Journals.
Her Passion Areas are Futuristic Technology, R&D, Smart Grid Transition, Renewable Integration and EVs, Data Mining, Trainings, Renewable Energy. E-mobility Technology, Sustainability Carbon neutrality. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-shivani-sharma-70208b25
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