Apr 23, 2021
Even though Women’s History Month has ended, our Women of BCC blog series is going strong. We continue to dedicate several of our blogs to the women who work at BCC Research.
Their talent and skills have not only elevated BCC as the most innovative market research provider on the market, but their openness and kindness also make BCC a great place to work!
Meet Utkantha Srivastava, Assistant Manager of Our Partner Reports
Name: Utkantha Srivastava
Hometown: Delhi
Favorite Woman-Owned/Woman-Run Company: I have always been a follower of Indra Nooyi, ex-CEO of PepsiCo. She was the first woman to lead soft drink giant. Her work and leadership qualities always helped profits graph to point upward and with changing times, helped company to merge and acquire companies which produced healthy foods. She works together and motivates the team rather than delegating and foreseeing. This leadership quality has stuck with me.
Favorite Food: I am not a picky eater but I love Indian street food and given the size of this country, choices are endless.
What do you think is one of the biggest challenges today facing women in the workplace?
Women have always been part of workforce. With growing education and more exposure, workforce of a company can see visible growth in number of women employees. However, females still have to work harder than their male counterparts to get credit and accolades for their work. In the first place, a credit should be given without giving the person a chance to ask for it. Secondly, if a person has to ask for it, then a woman would certainly hesitate to do so. It feels that maybe she did not deserve that is why did not receive.
Also, even in this century, where there are hundreds of women run/owned companies all over the world, women are still seen as a burden in a team than being an asset. Men still think that women might not be able to give their 100% dedication, time, effort to a project as they have other roles and responsibilities to fulfill. Therefore, even if a female colleague has a particular skill set that is required by a project or a client, preference is still given to a male colleague as he might be available at any hour of the day.
Change is the only constant. So, from women being completely barred from working to women running companies, we have come a long way. In future, there might be no pay disparity and there might be equal opportunities irrespective of gender. To reach there, we all have to work toward it. We as women have to accept that change will not happen overnight but will definitely happen.
What achievements in your career make you the proudest?
When I wrap up work for the day, I reflect upon the day spent and every task accomplished seems like a small achievement for the day. However, there have been few with BCC itself.
I joined as an executive and after 2 years, was promoted as a Team Leader because management recognized my work and rewarded the same. I did not have to ask for it rather I received it. And since then, achievements curve has always gone upward.
I have led projects which were just crude ideas with no start point. It seemed like a daunting task at that time but slowly when foundation was laid, and cornerstones were established then we knew where the project was heading.
Leading a team of youngsters who were in all regard freshers was a new experience for me and still is. Making them understand corporate life and work culture and successfully completing projects is big achievement for both-as a team and as a leader.
When you work with a team in an office, you form a professional and personal bond, and it is easy to work with them as you get acclimatized to their habits and work style. However, working with freelancers is whole new experience and to top it, they are spread all over the world with different time zones. Yet we have a connectivity and have been working smoothly around each other’s schedule. Trust me, it feels good when they share their kid’s achievements. It means I have done something right; we have done something right.
How are you supporting other women in your field/making space for more women to be seen and heard in your field?
There are many of my ex-colleagues, collegemates, schoolmates, working in this field. Approach is different and style is different but at the end of the day we are sailing in the same boat-meeting targets, achieving goals, professional growth etc. I feel very proud if any of my known has achieved professional success and I share their stories on social media account. In today’s era of social media and hashtags, a small gesture like this goes a long way in boosting their moral and motivates them. I, in turn, learn from them, understand their pathway, listen to their success and failure stories. When you exchange stories, some snippet of that story stays with you and that is what drives you to achieve your goals.
And that can happen only when you support and push each other. Motivate, acknowledge and share. What you give is what you will receive.
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