Balancing Perfectly

POORNIMA SHENOY,

president, ISA

PROFILE: Being the

founding member of India Semiconductor Association (ISA), Poornima

Shenoy oversees the company's operations and works as a member of its

executive council on strategic issues relating to the Indian

semiconductor, systems and design industry. She has more than 20

years of experience as an entrepreneur and a business professional.

Shenoy has been very keen on encouraging women professionals at the

graduate school level and even in the corporate world.

BACKGROUND: An

economics graduate from Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru, Shenoy also

holds an MBA degree from TAPMI, Manipal. She did her schooling from

Goa and Bengaluru. Recalling her early student life, she said, "I

feel privileged to have grown up in cities like Goa and Bengaluru,

since there is no gender bias there. Both me and my sister never felt

marginalized because of our gender." With her parents being

working professionals and sister holding a PhD in electronics, Shenoy

always wanted to be successful at work. She started her career in

advertising and then moved to market research where 50% of the

workforce were women, holding decision-making positions. Shenoy

started a business along with a friend and ran it for 10 years before

founding ISA. She was also awarded the Chevening Scholarship for

Women in Leadership and Management by the British Foreign &

Commonwealth Office. She is also the co-founder of the Women in

Business & Technology (WBT) group.

STRENGTHS:

Considering family as her biggest strength, she attributes her

successful career to her mother. In the same breath, she does not

forget to mention her husband Satish Shenoy who supported her

equally. "Whenever I was occupied with work, my mother used to

step in to look after my daughter. My husband equally understood my

pressures and shared family responsibilities," she says. Shenoy

considers her ability to connect with people as another asset.

FAMILY: She manages

to strike a fine balance between her personal and professional life.

She took 4 months off to help her daughter Nandita prepare for her

board exams last year. "My daughter does not have to live my

dreams. It is important that we support our children to pursue their

interest. I just wish my daughter excels in whatever she wishes to

do," she says. "As a parent, it is my duty to support

Nandita in what she does and I will do just that. We just want to see

her happy always," she adds.

HOLIDAY: Shenoy

makes it a point to go on a vacation every year. Though her favorite

holiday place is Goa, she also loves to visit London in the summers.

She enjoys visiting places rich in history and culture.

ONE DAY IN HER LIFE:

Though she works from 9am to 5pm, she makes it a point to wind up by

around 6pm. She also hits the gym and practices yoga thrice a week.

At around 8pm, Shenoy does a check on her official emails and calls

it a day. Unlike many, she does not switch off her mobile phone and

prefers to be connected and accessible all the time.

GOALS: When Shenoy

started ISA, she had reservations about its functions. In a short

span of 5 years, ISA has become one of the leading hardware bodies.

She wants to see India become a global model on the same lines as of

the US and UK. She quips, "We used to follow the West in all

ways. Today, all of us are on the same platform without being

defensive. Earlier people had reservations traveling abroad. Today

you see Indians with great confidence."