On International Women’s Day 2022, I had an opportunity to interview a ‘super-lady’ from our team- Indra Patil, Software Development Engineer. Indra joined Valuebound on July 17, 2019, and has the success of VB360, our in-house transparent management system product to her credit alongside her team. Indra was also awarded the ‘CEO Excellence Award’ 2022 during Valuebound Annual event recently. Here’s a sneak peek into my conversation with Indra about her work and life.
Given the complexities and responsibilities squared on women’s shoulders, how difficult is it to maintain a work-life balance, especially in remote working scenarios?
Indra: Every woman juggles through her day to strike a perfect equilibrium between work and family while both of them are of utmost importance to her. When COVID-19 hit, the company took one of the wisest decisions to go 100% remote. Even though it’s challenging to handle my 4-year-old daughter in a remote working scenario, I’m still happy to work in perfect harmony of career, and personal life.
What is one quality that sets you apart from others?
Indra: Perseverance, and the ability to take on the challenges head-on. I think that’s my greatest strength, and it also sets me apart from others. I value time and thus ensure that I use it wisely even in my spare time. The tech industry is an incredibly exciting place to be at. I took a step into this unique world, and trusted that I could make a difference with my skills. I’m making each day count!
Do you feel that being a female you had to work harder for career advancement?
Indra: It’s not hard to answer that question, because I don’t believe that I’ve to work more arduously than my male colleagues. I don’t see it like that, for that matter. I have hardly seen my competition as male versus female. I think it’s more of a competition about you becoming better than the former you. Or, it could be seen as a competition of human personalities.
On International women’s day, what would be your advice to younger women entering the workforce today?
Indra: My sincere advice to younger women out there is to be free of the bias in your head. Do not enter the world with a judgment of men versus women, because when you do that, you’re being unfair to yourself. However, I also strongly believe that irrespective of gender, everyone’s feelings are valid. ‘The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day is also Break The Bias, and it absolutely resonates with my thoughts right now.
Secondly, no matter how cliche it sounds, always believe that you can achieve anything- the power to accumulate and apply knowledge and experience is in your own hands.
How do you think Valuebound invests itself in the development of women leaders?
Indra: Women have an excellent gender representation on Valuebound’s headcount, and there aren’t any glass ceilings here. Valuebound always gives equal opportunities to grow and enhance capabilities by investing itself in three core principles - Empathy, Excellence, and Continuous learning- all of which, I believe, are paramount to creating great leaders- whether men or women.
Being felicitated with this year's CEO Excellence Award is a great motivation for me. I take pride in being a Valuebound employee, which is also a GPTW-certified organization.
