Did you enjoy school?
Yes, school was a lot of fun. I went to a number of schools. My dad was in the Indian Foreign Service (part of the Indian Civil Service) and thanks to him went to school in Nepal, Moscow (Russia), Denmark and also Delhi (India). While a childhood like this enabled me to travel the world from a very early age, learning about different cultures and people, it also had its downside of not growing up with the same group of friends!
However my childhood experiences have taught me to embrace diversity and change very well and also instilled in me the importance of maintaining relationships. I am still in touch with some of my friends from different schools and hence my network is very diverse and large!
What qualifications do you have?
I have a Masters in English Literature! I studied History and Journalism too – History as there was a point in my career when I was oscillating between a career in the Indian Civil Service or journalism.
Has your career path been a smooth transition, a rocky road or a combination of both?
Let’s say it’s been a super interesting 23-plus years, and challenging, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I started in the book publishing industry at Macmillan Publishing House working on the UNICEF programme. Then moved into the fascinating world of journalism – print and then finally digital with The Times of India, India Today, Cricinfo, and ibibo.com. I was attracted to working in digital due to its dynamic nature, the opportunity to innovate, and its potential to create meaningful impact through technology.
I moved to the UK in 2008 after I got married. The move had its challenges in the beginning in landing the right job on my conditions. I finally landed a good opportunity within two months of landing in the UK, at Rank Digital where I stayed for eight years, with a couple of promotions and delivered some fascinating products and services.
I always had my eye on the UK public sector, which I entered in 2016 by joining the House of Parliament ( the Parliamentary Digital Service) and then moved to the Government Digital Service and finally the Cabinet Office. I definitely think I have been welcomed here and have had opportunities to make a huge difference sitting in the heart of government, with one key milestone being the establishment of the Digital Directorate for the Cabinet Office, which started in 2019 and has taken almost four years to see its huge impact on the civil service and citizens.
Being part of the delivery of critical products and services that are used by the public and cross government and sitting at a table with important people making important decisions at the heart of government to create meaningful change and impact for the country and its people, make the heart swell with pride. And I would like to say some of the credit does go to the challenges along the way, else anything achieved easily is not valued enough – “success is sweeter when achieved against all odds”.
What is the best career advice you can give to others?
Believe in yourself, seek out mentors and allies, and don’t be afraid to speak up and make your voice heard. Always remember that your skills and contributions are invaluable, and you belong in this space just as much as anyone else. Be the change you want to see!
Follow your dreams till the end. It’s never too late to try out something new, for example a career in digital. The recipe for success is to give your 200 percent if you really want it.
If you had to pick one mentor that had the biggest influence on you, who would it be?
I have had a few and I have learnt some things from each one. However I can’t pick one that has been the biggest influence, maybe because that “mentor” is yet to come in my life!
To a great extent, my parents have influenced me a lot with their values that they have strongly instilled in me on always believing in myself, standing up for the right thing, always giving your 100 percent to what you do and treating everyone with respect just the way you would want to be treated.
From where do you draw inspiration?
I don’t get impressed easily! That is because I am super hard on myself too. Alongside a handful of super fantastic people I have worked with, I have drawn my inspiration from the mistakes I have made and challenges I have faced. They have enabled me to be more resilient, learn what not to do and just carry on fighting the good fight!
My 10-year old sometimes inspires me most with her simple perspective of life where we adults unnecessarily complicate it
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced to date?
I moved to the UK in 2008 after my marriage, leaving not only my family, friends but also a six [figure] salaried income and a great evolving career in the digital space in the name of love!
It was not only a challenge but a huge gamble, especially as I have heard that getting a job of one’s choice without any compromises was a herculean task in the UK. The challenges of adjusting to a new country, culture, weather – which is very gloomy and dull in comparison to the country I left – added to it. However, I took it upon myself to start a new life and restart rather than extend my skills and experience with new organisations that I work for. I got myself a great job within two months of landing in the UK, and since then have never looked back.
Right now I sit at a table with important people making important decisions at the heart of government to create meaningful change and impact for the country and its people. So who is complaining about the challenges? Not me! Plus it’s really interesting to be in the digital industry as it’s always evolving and one must keep oneself abreast of the “new” to stay relevant and that I thrive on!
What qualities do you feel makes a good leader?
[I’m] honest, approachable, empathetic. A leader who learns from their mistakes and failures is a great one! Experience is the greatest teacher. For me being inclusive is key and being inclusive means creating an environment where everyone feels safe, valued, respected, and empowered to contribute their unique perspectives and talents.
My mantra is – “Inspire, Engage, Co-create”. I live and breathe this as it’s essential to take your people in your journey.
From a work viewpoint what has the last 12 months been like?
Busy and exciting!
2022/2023 was about launching the CO Digital brand, resetting our vision and developing an operating model which will help deliver our vision of “Enabling and Transforming the Cabinet Office”. 2023/2024 is about delivering the vision through our product, tech and data strategies. I have been leading on the digital product strategy and the operating model that helps deliver that.
At Cabinet Office Digital our ambition is to build a product centric organisation which delivers through a user centred approach. We are working closely with all business units to embed Digital as a culture – what it means to be digital by design, what is user centred delivery, what is being product centric mean? We are working very closely with our policy colleagues to help them solve the problems for their users using digital. We are also focussing on building the capability that needs to support our future plans for the organisation
It’s hard but that is nothing new – as change is hard but also fun!
What would you say are the biggest tech-based challenges we face today?
I think the biggest challenge today is that we all get completely bowled over with any new emerging technology and start using it without actually understanding its pros and cons and how it can be used effectively. Tech challenges are around ensuring data privacy and security in an increasingly interconnected world. A perfect example of this is the use of artificial intelligence (AI) – a significant tech challenge today is the development and deployment of AI in an ethical and responsible manner. This includes addressing issues such as algorithmic bias, data privacy, transparency, and the potential impact of AI on employment and societal structures.
We forget that technology is just an enabler, without making it human/user centric it’s impact is lessened and it won’t be effective.
To ensure we use new emerging technologies effectively, its critical we understand the challenges of implementing them, ensure they are deployed responsibly and ethically, have frameworks and approach to govern their use, they are accessible to all including those with disabilities and marginalised communities and most importantly there are training support to equip individuals with the skills needed to navigate and leverage technology effectively. This includes both technical skills and critical thinking abilities to assess the impacts of technology on society. Promoting digital literacy and providing training programmes is key to any new change!
What can be done to encourage more women into the industry?
Being a woman in digital myself has presented challenges at times, but it has also provided me with opportunities to bring diverse perspectives to the table and advocate for inclusivity in the industry. I inspire inclusion in the workplace by championing diversity initiatives, fostering open communication, and leading by example in embracing different viewpoints and backgrounds.
To this effect, I founded the Women In Digital network for the Cabinet Office in 2022, which is a safe space for all women to thrive, explore and navigate digital avenues, challenges not only in the professional space but also in their personal development of becoming more confident, believing in themselves to the “Be the change they want to see”. This is our vision and we are supported by strong male allies.
In the last few years, the network has enabled women in tech and digital to connect, share experiences, and access resources and support. We also are joined up to the cross government tech network. These communities can offer networking events, skill-building workshops, and mentorship opportunities tailored to the needs of women in the industry.
The CO WiD network have worked around gender pay gap, more inclusive recruitment policies and approach, informative webinars on how can we welcome back our women from maternity leaves or any sabbatical they pursue, interactive workshops (#iamremarkable) for confidence building – but there is so much more to do. We will continue to Implement diverse and inclusive recruitment and hiring practices to attract and retain female talent. This includes actively seeking out qualified women candidates, ensuring diverse interview panels, and offering flexible work arrangements to accommodate diverse needs. 2024 is about taking more of these ideas we have and delivering some impactful outcomes. We would like to encourage more women to enter the tech and digital industry and to that happen, the WiD network plans to launch aDigital Mentoring Schemeto help existing digital professionals navigate the landscape of digital through networking and new professionals explore what digital has for them. We would like to introduce Reverse mentoring as part of this scheme too. I am really keen to work with our partners to help young girls get introduced to digital and STEM subjects through educational programs providing them with opportunities and choice to pursue tech. So watch this space! It is all about being the change we want to see as very well-articulated in our vision statement.
Give us a fact about you that most other people wouldn’t know.
I will give you two.
In whatever free time I get I write – poetry for me is a stress buster and I have a collection of poems that I am planning to get published, that is when I get some time!
And post-retirement, if have the investment I need, I would like to open a boutique book cafe, where there will be selective menu of exotic dishes all curated and cooked (well most of it, as I love cooking and baking) by yours truly with an interesting range of books for folks to come and chill!
