Campaigns | March 2024

International Women’s Day – Meera N. Naringrekar

Have you faced any challenges about inclusion within your career?

Challenges are inevitable. However, it’s the decisions you make in key moments that end up defining the outcome. Likewise, when it comes to life, you will have many opportunities to showcase your strength, and those moments will define your character and help you grow in life.

As an IT graduate, I initially started my career as a Front-end Developer. However, after a couple of years, I had the opportunity to explore new possibilities for myself and grow my skill set. At that moment, I decided to join Nexdigm as a Graphic Designer and Web Developer.

The journey of becoming a Graphic Designer and Website Developer from a Front-end Developer wasn’t easy and came with their own unique challenges. But frankly speaking, today, I am truly grateful that I pushed my limits and boldly stepped into the unknown. During this time, I have not only grown professionally in my career and mastered various new skillsets, but I have also become a more confident and sharper individual with a can-do anything attitude.

With a newfound faith in myself and a positive attitude to step into the new, my role quickly grew. Besides being a Graphic Designer and a Web Developer, I now oversee and manage large-scale events at Nexdigm while collaborating with different seniors, leaders, third parties, and stakeholders.

While I personally have been presented with various opportunities, I strongly feel that growing as a woman leader is challenging due to the lack of support and trust from senior stakeholders. I think if we have more female senior leaders, women can support each other better and ensure a batter gender ratio in the industry.

How do you encourage inclusion within your team and your firm?

We are a team of 19 marketing bandits who share a warm bond. We have a good ratio of about 60:40 males to females so we do not really face this as an issue in our team. However, at an industry level, the Accounting and Consulting industry as a whole should improve the level of female participation, especially at senior levels.

What is the business benefit of inclusion within the professional services sector?

Different perspectives – We add value by thinking differently. This can help in identifying core issues, creating alternative solutions, or making connections that may not be possible in a male dominated team.

Greater Sensitivity and Understanding – These skills help create empathy within the team, help build camaraderie and lead to more improved morale.

Better Management and Organization Skills – In general, women are more organized than men. This is especially useful in today’s fast paced work environment where keeping a track of tasks, documents, projects, etc. are key to compliance.

Multitaskers – Women are known to be better at multitasking than men which helps at an overall business level. Besides from this, we are also more aware and capable of striking a healthy work-life balance.

More Careful with Calculated Risks – The pragmatic nature of women along with their ability to view multiple perspectives makes them better problem-solvers. We typically look at creating holistic solutions instead of focusing on just a single aspect.

Improved Work Environment – The presence of women in the workplace often creates a safer and more comforting environment for the larger team.

Patience and Composure – Women typically have greater levels of composure. We are not as affected by smaller issues and are more receptive to constructive criticism. We are also more patient and are better listeners, which can make a substantial difference when it comes to dealing with larger teams.

Author: Meera N. Naringrekar

Member firm name: Nexdigm

Country: India

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