My thoughts on AVTAR I-WIN Pune Segue session held on August 8th 2013

– Vidya Bhandary

AVTAR I-WIN Pune Segue session

I attended the AVTAR -I-WIN ( www.facebook.com/AVTARIWIN / www.avtariwin.com) Pune Segue session yesterday August 8th 2013 at Hotel Le Meridien.

There were about 230 – 250 participants.

While the event was mainly for women looking to starting their second innings after a break - I was surprised to note there were women who were working and were looking to change careers.

I do not want to go into what AVTAR I-WIN / Segue means. I feel their site does a very good job of it with more details. I do want to put in my thoughts on the session itself.

What I liked ...

Profile of the speakers - The very first inkling of how serious AVTAR is regarding second innings for women comes from the profile of the speakers at the event. They form a very impressive list.

The agenda - The workshops included a panel discussion on India Inc.'s need for women managers, On the need for Networking to restart a career, Negotiation skills to arrive at a win-win, an Entrepreneurial success story, a different view of oneself [Me Inc. ] and the idea of internal stakeholders.

What I liked ...

The participants - This forum allows us to meet many women who are looking at either change in their current work or second innings and is a wonderful way to network and form new connections. I was amazed at the representation - women from different fields, backgrounds, different work histories, different sabbatical gaps ( the longest I heard was 13 years ) , entrepreneurs ( some failed , some planning to start. )

Learnings – I learnt many things from the session but am going to elaborate on the ideas that resonated the most with me in more detail in the subsequent slides.

Learnings

Ms. Oindrila Majumdar, Head of Asset and Wealth Management Operations, DBOI Global Services, Deutsche Bank Group

"You are needed" !

Simple, direct, powerful and honestly a morale booster. It is not just me looking for a job for whatever reasons I have - Corporate India too needs

women like me who have experience and want to join the workforce. Personally I found her inputs the most inspiring of all the speakers.

Perhaps because of this statement ! :)

Learnings

Ms. Saundarya Rajesh Founder - President, AVTAR I-WIN & FLEXI Careers India

Work-life Integration instead of work-life balance.

I like the idea that work and life are not two separate things that need to be balanced but instead should be integrated for a fulfilling life.

Learnings

Ms. Sandhya Vasudevan, Managing Director DBOI Global Services Pvt. Ltd., Deutsche Bank Group

Emphasis on clarity of goals - Why go to work ? To be very clear with yourself on

this.

Learnings

Ms. Nisha Verma, Head - Talent Management, Vodafone India Limite

Women are good in social networking but poor in mental and physical networking - Too true !

Grow "YOU" as a brand - What other people think of you, what people attribute to you and 'your' brand should invoke strong emotions.

In response to a question - Visibility alone is not good enough - visibility to the right people is also important.

Learnings

Mr. CK Kumaravel, Co-Founder & Director, Naturals

His talk had the most humorous moments ! Candid on a previous business failure as well as difficulties in the current journey.

Money is the by-product of serving others.

Irritation is the biggest source of energy ! :)

Be an eternal optimist - they always learn more and try more.

Value people and use money - not the other way round.

Answer to a person who had a failed business behind her - Failure is an opportunity to begin again.

Learnings

Ms. Priya Tandon, Director Development, Allscripts

Be sure of what you want in life and be happy with it. Also understand the

price you are prepared to pay for what you want in life.

Learnings

Ms. Aditi Sharma, Vice President - Quality & Six Sigma, Cummins India

Don't over commit your employers and lose your flexibility .

Learnings

Ms. Anita Borulkar, Associate Vice President Human Resource, Sandvik Asia Private Limited, Deutsche Bank Group

Inspiring talk – challenges in the field where not many women employees are present as well as handling unions and

government .

Learnings

Mr. Ishmeet Singh, Business Head for Maharashtra & Goa Circle, Vodafone

Inputs from view of employer when a person with career break comes for an

interview - Yes there can be a bias.

Learnings

Ms. Sukanya Patwardhan, Senior Practice Consultant, Tata Management Training Centre, Pune

You are the CEO of Me Inc.. How well can you take the nonsense thrown at

you / being taken for granted / feeling low / comparison ?

Learnings

Ms. Ritu Waila,Consultant,Tata Management Training Centre, Pune

An inspiring story of managing a break forced due to health issues.

Learnings

Ms. Mitu Seth, Mumbai Site Head of Human Resources, DBOI Global Services India, Deutsche Bank Group

Prioritize.

Accept you cannot do everything.

Asking help is okay.

Exercise the power to make choices .

There will be good days and bad days.

Definition of success keeps changing - define it for yourself and don't inherit from others.

Learnings

Mr. Sharad Verma, Senior Director, Talent Engagement and Development, SunGard Global Technology

Define your goals , priorities / ambitions / commitment to success.

Decide what you are willing to settle for / not settle for / your strengths / perceived weakness.

Aim to be likable and competent - and showcase this with your attitude.

Try to close a negotiation positively.

Anticipate.

Take-Aways

Networking - The forum helped to meet women in the same boat as I am - trying to make a comeback to work after a sabbatical.

Perspective from the company end - It was good to hear from the other side of the table. The inputs were invaluable.

The workshops / talks / discussions - These were encouraging and motivating.

Areas of improvement

I sincerely believe the Segue session was a superb program - so these critiques should be be considered with an open mind.

They should be evaluated against obvious practical considerations as well as alignment to the goals of the

program. However the best of people / groups like to see how they can do better - so I will give my inputs honestly.

Areas of improvement

Practical networking - It is good to say "Network" but an ice breaker kind of game would have been good. [ So many conferences have this- short 10 - 15 min game that gives say about 5 connections right away !!! ]. Yes we did connect with the ladies at our table and during tea but more would have been nice.

Segue success stories - Women who have benefited from the Segue sessions. Perhaps it is early to talk about this - I am not sure. The women need not come in person nor should women who do not wish to be spot lighted be mentioned by name. However I still think couple of stories would have been good.

Areas of improvement

Profile of the women participants - Not on an individual basis but in a very broad sense - the kind of industries they come from, the sabbatical gaps, education profile, business start ups .. etc

Entrepreneurial how to - The Naturals success story is inspiring but a general how-to for entrepreneurship would have been wonderful. I am not completely sure of this topic though since I have a feeling it could be so vast that it would not fit in the schedule !

Thank you !!!