#Superwomen2020 Swati Nathani urges women to be ambitious & not be guilty about it

Swati Nathani, Co-Founder & Chief Business Officer at Team Pumpkin takes us through her journey as one of the winners of Social Samosa Superwomen 2020.

Social Samosa lauded the Superwomen of the Advertising & Media industry by commemorating them in the 5th edition of Social Media Superwomen.

With a decade long experience in Retail Marketing, Branding, Operations, Research, Analytics, and Social Media, Nathani agrees to the point that 'Boardroom inequality' does exist and also thinks that a trait of every superwoman is the “Never Give Up” attitude.

In a candid chat with Social Samosa, Nathani shares her two cents on what it takes to be a woman leader and break the glass ceiling.

How would you define a Superwoman in today's day and age? 

To me, every woman is a superwoman. Ever since we are young, we start with putting up fights for even the most basic things – going out alone, wearing things we like, even pursuing higher education in some cases, working independently, all this while complying to a set of rules and expectations that society has set for us. The finding of the right balance between what an individual wants and what society expects from her is what defines a SuperWoman for me.

One quality that you think every superwoman has and that helped you win Social Samosa Superwomen...

The one quality that I really think that made me win the coveted award and also is a trait of every superwoman is the “Never Give Up” attitude. In life, there are so many times when we reach a point, where giving up seems to be such an easy option that nobody would question or doubt your capabilities. But carrying on and giving a tough fight back is what superwomen do, and I try to do even in the bleakest of moments.

Also Read: Lauding the winners of #Superwomen2020

How successful have women been in shattering the glass ceiling in the Media & Advertising field? Does the 'boardroom inequality' phrase still stand true? 

I see wonderful women all around me in Advertising & Media . There is always so much to take inspiration from each one of them on how they have managed to create their own space and broken every glass ceiling that came their way. The awardees along with me too, have so many wonderful names that I look up to.

Having said that, I have to agree to the point that ‘Board Room inequality’ is a phrase that still holds true. It may not be direct. Many times, it’s so subtle that women themselves don’t realize the inequality because it has been woven so closely into our DNA that we accept it as our follies and inadequacies.

What are the key changes this industry needs in order to make workplaces gender-neutral, safe, and nurturing?   

We at Team Pumpkin recently had a gender sensitization workshop at our office which not only sensitized people for biases against women but we also discussed how to make our office space more accommodating for the third gender. We see this sensitization happening across the board and more and more companies are adopting cultures that are gender equality and provide equal opportunities for all their people. Having women in leadership roles is also something we focus on, along with many other organizations to have a say in office culture.

One Superpower you wish you had? 

I really wish I had the power to know what people are thinking about

The 'Superwomen' you diligently follow and who inspired you... 

So many of them – right from Indra Nooyi to Sudha Murthy to some women in our office who have exemplary stories.

One tip to women out there attempting to scale heights... 

Be Ambitious and
don’t be guilty about it!