Women Achievers – Chithra Devi, Socomec
I believe my positive outlook towards life, with a sense of optimism has maximised my potential to achieve my career goals
Q. Could you tell us something about your professional achievements and career progression?
My journey in MarCom began as an Assistant Manager when I joined SOCOMEC in 2008. Today, as the Head MarCom India and APAC Internal Communications, I lead the integrated marketing and communications for SOCOMEC India operations as well as contribute to the internal communications for the APAC region. Prior to SOCOMEC, I spent nearly 9 years with FORD India, in an administrative role that supports the Communications department in executing and monitoring communications strategies.
With a penchant for digital marketing, data, research & tech-trends, I took every opportunity that came my way to learn something new. I was like a sponge absorbing every new skill and adding to the existing ones I had and so was my career progression, evolving and growing at every stage.
From developing successful marketing strategies for Power Switching, Power Monitoring & Power Conversion products, to enhancing SOCOMEC’s brand identity in India, I have increased business value through effective management of MarCom team, thus giving voice and visibility for the brand. Raising the bar with advertising and digital marketing campaigns like “Energising India” and “More for You”, that was primarily based upon research insights into competitor products, I, along with my team contributed to the powerful revitalization strategy, embarking on a massive branding campaign of SOCOMEC.
SOCOMEC has expanded substantially in the region. We have seen strong growth in all our businesses over the last few years. And there is no doubt that the Marketing and communications function has helped a great deal in achieving this for SOCOMEC both from the point of view of business, as well as the brand name.
Looking back today, these 22 plus years of unique learning experience, makes me feel enriched, evolved and rewarded. I have not only grown as a successful leader by bringing about significant business value to the region, but also have nurtured a team, whom I believe are the ones who make it a really great team to manage and work along.
Q. What are the attributes that helped you to reach where you are in your career?
I believe my positive outlook towards life, with a sense of optimism has maximised my potential to achieve my career goals. Being a visionary, striking a balance between stability and growth, prioritizing goals, being responsible for accomplishing set objectives, encouraging innovative ideas and creative thinking and having an insatiable curiosity to constantly learn and grow, especially in disruptive technologies, have stood me in good stead in my work place.
In addition, my shared and communicative styles of leadership, that of being persuasive, assertive, or being empathetic and flexible, have helped me create bonds, build bridges and make progressive conversations, leading to my productive decisions that have eventually contributed to my successful career.
Q. How far have you succeeded in challenging the stereotypes?
Stereotypes are entrenched beliefs perpetuated by both men and women, present in our minds since childhood. It’s not easy to challenge stereotypes, but society doesn’t change if women don’t start changing themselves first. I count myself lucky and blessed, as the only daughter to my parents, but they provided me with, with all the opportunities in life to study, work and do every other thing just as they have given to my brothers. They literally gave me a wing of confidence to be resilient enough to break all the odds and match shoulder-to- shoulder with men in the business world. I also found an equally supportive and ambitious life partner, because of whom I am able to pursue my dreams. I am also thankful to the organization that I have worked so far which gives lot of importance to diversity, women empowerment and flexibility for a healthy work life balance.
Q. How can women entrepreneurs broaden their horizons and become inspiring leaders of tomorrow?
Breaking new grounds and exhibiting hi-tech leadership, women entrepreneurs are here to transform the world and inspire change. Going beyond work, they continue to seamlessly contribute to the development of not only their family and society, but also help build a strong Nation too. Multitasking and maintaining a work life balance is something that comes naturally and effortlessly to them. Yet, they need to focus on the following to build credibility for themselves, to prove successful in, both, their professional and personal lives.
Gaining Knowledge, for Knowledge is Power – They need to keep learning on the areas that they want to specialise in. The knowledge that they gain will give enough confidence and courage to speak with conviction and clarity on any subject.
Practicing Perseverance and Pursuing Passion – Listing their long-term goals will help them see the path of success and achievements unfold before them.
Believing in their Strengths – Women need to imbibe a never give up attitude and see failures and problems, not as obstacles but an opportunity to overcome and succeed in their lives. They need to have courage to deal with hard and harsh realities of lives and need to take risks and learn from their failures.
Being a role model – Standing up for their rights, speaking out their opinions and letting others know what they have achieved, can be an inspiring story for many others to follow. As a role model they could build a work culture that embraces women and motivates them to become future leaders. Supporting and Mentoring other women in the process and giving them the nurturing space what you have gained during your journey, will ultimately make them inspiring leaders in their own fields.
Being agile and adaptable – Today’s world is filled with uncertainty. Change is not new anymore, we have to continue to evolve to embrace the change by being nimble and learn to adapt to the situations. We serve as testaments to the weight we can carry and our ability to act as leaders in all facets of life.
Q. In both essential and digital functions, women suffered the repercussions of the economic and social effects of the pandemic. Your comments?
Yes I agree, while the pandemic has given us lot of opportunities and flexibilities, but it also posed tremendous pressure on working women as they had to balance work and life. Several women employees had to leave their jobs, as they had to relocate with their families in small towns and also to take care of their Children and other family members. Pandemic has deeply impacted the financial position of working women.
Q. What’s the message you want to send to young working women?
With more and more young women coming into the digital space, I feel truly optimistic. They just need to believe in their potential and have a fixed aim towards which they need to work and in the process embrace the following:
Networking to upgrade: It is very important to network with people from varied walks of life, more to understand the diversity that they share as a working person handling relationships, both, at work and home. Also it will help them upgrade and expand their work life knowledge with self-experimentation and knowledge gain in the process.
Believing in their strengths: As a woman they need not sacrifice their femininity in the boardroom nor do they need to outpace the men. They just need to continue to be themselves, by playing to their strengths and rising above the stereotypes.
Mentoring fellow women: As they find feet at their workplace, it’s about time every woman mentored their fellow women professionals and uplifted them too. For, they too have similar life stories, the initial struggles both at home and work place and sharing each other’s real time experiences, both problems & solutions, will not only help them grow in making them true professionals who can balance both home & work, but also give them immense personal satisfaction and happiness for having contributed to the lives of other women in their own little way.
