On this bright new start to the new week, we share the professional growth story and thoughts of Sumeet Singh, Head of Marketing and Corporate Communication for the Info Edge India Ltd group.
What line of work are you in? How did the inspiration to enter this arena of work come about?
Currently I head Marketing and Corporate communication for the group Info Edge India Ltd and we manage portals like naukri.com,99acres.com,jeevansathi.com,shiksha.com and naukrigulf.com.
Before this I was the executive director for TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs ) and IVCA ( Indian Venture Capital Association), it was a very different line of business. I joined Info Edge as a consultant to set up their Corporate Communication and Strategic Alliances, one thing led to another and my boss felt I should take a dab at marketing and there was no looking back.
What was your First Job like and how did it help you grow professionally?
My first job was with NIIT Ltd and it was wonderful. I had the opportunity to work on some very large projects besides the regular clients and that gave me exposure in key account management, tenders, cold calling etc.
I was fortunate to have an amazing boss, she was a real hard task master but a thorough professional. There was a lot I learnt from her in joint sales calls, client management , deal negotiations etc.
Also on the people front NIIT was a very good company they had very employee friendly policies and schemes .
As for how it helped me - Well hard work, achieving all deadlines and targets, rolling up your sleeves and working , stretching became a style of work and habit. Early on I realized that what works is a partnership rather than a transactional relationship be it with vendors , clients etc and that’s the way I have always treated my relationships be it channels, publishers, clients, agencies.
What do Indian women lack when it comes to being successful entrepreneurs?
I don’t think we lack anything but yes it becomes more difficult because of the responsibilities we have in addition to our professional work. As you have children and they are growing so are you and thus the demands on both the professional and personal front become bigger and bigger. Also maybe culturally we are used to having a safety net around us and so maybe we are not risk takers.
What advice would you give young women trying to climb the corporate ladder?
I would encourage women to work , we are born multitaskers and have the ability to stretch. If you are in the job that you love, stick on . Today companies are getting more accommodating , some have crèches , others allow you extended maternity leave and some even flexi timings . There will be difficult times when the temptation to leave will seem the only answer but drop that guilt and carry on , you can do it and you must do it.
As Sheryl Sandberg puts it - we need more of us up there so that more of us can lean in.
What does it take to balance your work and life in today's world?
As we climb the corporate ladder our responsibilities at work increase too and it’s not always easy to maintain the balance. As for me personally I feel that quality time is what one should focus on , at the positions we are at we can’t be in 8-9 hour days, work will stretch but can we spend our weekends well, take a good long vacation every year. As a family we go for weekend getaways many a times just a stay in a good hotel and lots of playing, pampering and good food.
Where are you from and where are you currently based now?
I belong to Jalandhar in Punjab, but being an Army general’s daughter have travelled across, changed 9 schools starting from Prague right upto Shillong. Currently I am based in Noida.