Es gibt sie, die Frauen in Tech und Innovation. Nur sind sie oftmals nicht so sichtbar. Dagegen wollen wir etwas unternehmen: In regelmässigen Abständen stellen wir euch eine interessante Frau aus unserem Netzwerk vor.
Dieses mal stellen wir euch Pragati Siddhanti vor. Die gebürtige Inderin lebt mit ihrem Mann und ihrer 10-jährigen Tochter in Basel. Sie ist ein wahres Organisationstalent! Nebst ihrer anspruchsvollen Führungsposition in der IT bei Accenture doziert sie an der FHNW und realisiert nebenbei ihr Herzensprojekt My Swiss Story.
Wir haben das Interview mit Pragati in Englisch geführt.
Dear Pragati, tell us about you. Who are you and where are you from?
Pragati: My name is Pragati Siddhanti, I am an Indian ex-pat based in the beautiful city of Basel.
I work as a business and integration lead with Accenture as well as a lecturer with FHNW, School of Business. When I am not doing all this nerdy stuff, I am either spending time with my adorable lil family (husband and our 10-year-old daughter) or working on my passion project, my second child, My Swiss Story, which is a digital magazine that talks about expat living, women empowerment, travel, parenting, careers, mental health issues, home, nutrition, and more. I thrive on my creative and entrepreneurial spirit and strongly believe in uplifting, elevating, and encouraging women!
Wow, you are a very powerful woman! What valuable advice did you get from your parents?
Pragati: Everything that I am is because of my parents, they raised both me and my sister with a lot of love and my mom actually centered her entire life around us. I am thankful to my middle class values, to the grit and perseverance than my circumstances taught me.
I am a lot like my mother – kind, strong and hard working!
Valuable advices indeed. How and when did you get interested in Innovation and Tech? What fascinates you about it?
Pragati: In the country that I grew up in, if you had to be successful you would either opt to become a doctor or an engineer. With this conservative perspective on career paths, I chose engineering, computer science engineering – it seemed less harder than becoming a doctor 😉
But my love for math, and a logical mindset made me fall in love with technology and eventually I understood how technology has enabled businesses. I am particular interested in enterprise solutions, cyber security and digital marketing.
Congratulations on that impressive journey! What would you say drives you at work?
Pragati: When I am able to connect my work with the impact it creates for our clients, it gives me a great feeling. Tying back details to a greater/bigger perspective is something that I really look for.
Apart from that, I love leading teams, putting processes in place, and learning the new breakthroughs in the technology area!
Interesting, indeed! What aspects of your life are you most proud of?
Pragati: I am proud of my values and I am happy that I am breaking some of the stereotypes associated with women in general!
Definitely something to be proud of. And what would you say was your biggest challenge at work and how did you overcome it?
Pragati: Oh! Finding a job in Switzerland was itself the biggest challenge. But I kept at it 🙂
When we moved from India, I had to leave my job at Unilever where things were going pretty well! I was confident that with 12 years of rich experience in the tech industry it wouldn’t be much of a struggle to find a job in Switzerland, whenever I wanted to. However, I was so wrong, I had no idea that I had to cross a number of hurdles before it worked out.
But I did everything in my capacity and made sure that I left no stone unturned – higher studies, language proficiency, networking, CV customization and interview prep. Eventually my perseverance paid off and I landed the right roles that fit my profile.
What advice would you give young women in tech and innovation?
Pragati: We need you and we need more of you!
Women have superior abilities when it comes to creative thinking, organization and multitasking. I mean we use so much of these abilities in our day to day lives. It’s important to invest time and resources from a young age in the innovation and tech areas so that more and more women are interested and attracted towards making a career in this field.
Even today, we don’t see as many women as we should in leadership positions – together, we need to change this narrative!
Thank you very much Pragati. Let’s hope young women out there follow your advice. We think it is a very good advice.
Now for the next part, we would like to know, what first comes to mind with the following terms.
Diversity
Pragati: Equality
Future
Pragati: Bright
Women in Tech
Pragati: More, we need more 🙂
Algorithms
Pragati: Logic
Internet of Things
Pragati: Human connection
Job-Sharing
Pragati: Empowerment
Health Roboters
Pragati: Can I get one? 😉
Nice. We can see, you definitely are a Tekkie. Now, let’s put that to the test with some either…or questions (Pragatis choice is highlighted)
Online or Face to Face?
Artificial Intelligence or Human Brain?
Digital or Analogous?
Ballot Box or e-Voting?
Cocktail or Beer?
Career, Family or Both?
That was it! Thank you so much Pragati for this inspiring interview. You really are a role model for women in tech and innovation. We wish your family and you all the best, especially with your „Body positivity project“ on MySwissStory.com, which is amazing!