Mallika Sharma, Regional Marketing Manager at HPE Aruba speaks to Techitup ME on International Women’s Day, shares the ultimate mantra of success – staying focused & making an impact
Can you share your journey into the tech world and what inspired you to pursue this, where did it all start?
Mallika Sharma: It is currently my 16th year in Marketing in IT. When I started my career, I had no intention of specifically being a part of the IT industry. I would say it was accidental initially & then I started to believe that it is the best industry to pursue my ambitions. And that is simply because the pace of the tech world resonates with the Marketing guru, Kotler’s saying – Marketing is a race with no finish line. We are in an agile industry where you may lead by example many a times, but innovation never stops. To keep up with this industry’s pace, everybody has to keep evolving in their roles & this also enhances the learning curve.
Who would you consider your role model, someone who constantly inspires you? (Does not really have to be from the professional world only, can be someone at home too)
Mallika Sharma: I don’t have a particular role model as such, but I do admire a few individuals, some of them are part of my personal connects while some are part of the professional world. Every person has some very appealing qualities & I like to learn from those who truly inspire me.
Rapid Fire (Let’s get to know you more)
- Dinner with a famous personality, who would it be? Oprah Winfrey
- One skill you wish you could learn instantly? The skill to ‘Sell’
- Android or Apple? 😃 Both
- WhatsApp or Telegram? WhatsApp
- Phone call or text message/email? WhatsApp/text message
- Beaches or Mountains? Beaches
- Coffee or Tea? Coffee
- Early Bird or Night owl? Night owl
- Books or Movies? Movies
- Winter or Summer? Summer
- Online shopping or in-store shopping? I love shopping, so both ways.
What advice would you give to women starting off their careers, aspiring to enter the tech/business field?
Mallika Sharma: The ultimate mantra of success is staying focused & making an impact. There are a lot of people around, some are extremely nurturing while there are also some who will try to pull you down, be envious, try to say they could do their jobs better than you. But one has to train their mind about treating all this as ‘unwanted noise’ & continue to pursuing your dreams by staying focused on what you want to achieve.
