Poornima Rai, Head of Digital at Aircel speaks to SHEROES.in today.
Tell us about yourself
I was brought up in Asansol. a small town in Bengal and have done my schooling in Loreto Convent. I joined SAIL as a Management Trainee but post my marriage moved to Dubai and joined Kodak there, was there for 2 years and moved back to join the UK Tourism Board (6 years), took a decision to move to the online domain and joined Dealgroup Media which was the first Affiliate Network set-up in India, was there for 4 years and then moved to start the Online Business for Aircel and been here for nearly 5 years.
What is most challenging about your role as Head of Digital at Aircel?
There are numerous channels we have set-up like web, mobile, app, partnerships and lead gen-Reviewing and scaling each channel, doing innovations and keeping a focus on customer convenience is both challenging and exciting.
What is a typical day at work like for you?
Am in at 9 am and post meeting all the team members in the morning and deciding the priority activities for the day, attend numerous cross-functional meetings for ironing out any operational challenges, meet people who have new technology or product offerings which can help grow business and wrap up the day by 7pm.
How (and why) did you choose a career in this field?
When I was in the UK Tourism Board I was offered the online role as an additional responsibility to PR and I like it and saw the potential of this medium. I decided to pursue a career in Online and joined Dealgroupmedia which was just setting up shop in India and were trying to set-up an Affiliate Network which was an industry first. It was a very challenging experience but it taught me all the nuts and bolts of the Digital Medium.
Professionally, where do you see yourself in the future? Do you ever plan to venture into an entrepreneurial role?
In most of my past jobs I have set-up the channel for the company and grown it…I would not mind doing it for I am myself this time. I am interested in becoming an entrepreneur and am looking for the right opportunity to come by and hopefully I can take the plunge.
What are the top 3 things you would tell young working women who are about to enter a digital media role.