Swati Sahay: Beauty with Brains

With looks that steal away one's attention, and caliber to manage the marketing operations of a global IT enterprise, she is the perfect example of an independent, smart modern-day woman. As talented as she is beautiful, Swati Sahay, marketing manager promotions at Albion Infotel is a perfectionist when it comes to discharging her professional duties. An MBA in marketing and IT, she currently manages the entire marketing initiatives for Delhi based Albion Infotel that recently won the 'Cloud Champion award for 2012' by Channel World in association with EMC. Besides, the company also launched two new solutions, Albion Secure and Albion DataSafe, in the anti-virus and data recovery categories respectively.

TYPICAL DAY AT WORK

Each day is a fresh new beginning for Sahay. She starts with a spiritual prayer and reaches office at 10 am in the morning. This is followed by team meetings and discussions on the ongoing work and planning for the week ahead. "After the meeting and discussions at a stretch, one needs time to relax and unwind, hence I prefer having lunch at the cafeteria with my fellow team members and my boss. Having lunch together strengthens the bond among the employees and members," she explains. She generally ends up at 6.30 pm in the evening, but depending on the project it can stretch to few more hours. "I enjoy devoting my time to my professional commitments, which I am sure will drive me to newer heights in life," she says.

FAMILY AND EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

Born in Jamshedpur, Sahay belongs to a family of competitors and perfectionists. Her father is a doctor with the state government and her uncle is an IFS. Sahay stayed at a number of places, as and when her father faced transfers, and so completed her education in parts from Jamshedpur, West Bengal, and Delhi/NCR. "I did my schooling from Mount Carmel Convent and graduation from Women's College, Avila Convent. After that I pursued my MBA in marketing and information technology from the Institute of Management Studies, Ghaziabad," tells the lady.

HER FATHER, HER INSPIRATION

"I owe special credit to my father for whatever I am today. He always motivated me to get good education and strive ahead in whatever field I choose to be in. He is my only inspiration in life. Whether it was learning to ride a bicycle or dealing with a critical situation or even learning how to swim by being thrown in the deep end, I have a lot to thank him for, not only for the skills and the confidence he instilled in me, but also for all the unspoken values he taught me by just being himself," she tells proudly.

IT IS THE PLACE FOR ME

A believer of destiny, Sahay intuites IT is the place for her. "Though in my nascent years I thought of becoming a journalist, but after post graduating in marketing and information technology I gradually developed a strong flair for marketing communication. Using the IT platform to reach out to global customers was what I wanted to do," she shares. Before joining Albion, she had successful stints with brands such as Kotak Mahindra, Bajaj Capital, and Colors Teletech.

STRENGTHS

Apart from impressive communication skills, Sahay is mentally tough and thoughtful, driven by logic and striving for perfect solutions. "I remember the time when we were participating in Convergence 2012 and parallely also worked on the collaboration with a Portuguese Company. Both the projects were equally important to Albion. We worked them out thoroughly and converted them into huge success stories. It was a good learning experience with respect to time management and budget," she tells.

TAKE PRIDE IN BEING A WOMAN

A mentally tough lady that she is, Sahay strongly believes that gender does not dictate success. "The feeling of being a weaker section never came to my mind, even if a meeting room is full of male colleagues. I am gender blind as far as my profession goes. Logic and constructive conclusion is what that forms the core of any business meeting," says she with beaming confidence.

ADVICE TO WORKING WOMEN

"Always believe in yourself," advises the suave lady. "Be clear in your logic, set clearly identified milestones for yourself, and gender classification will never bother you," adds she.

BALANCE BETWEEN WORK AND PERSONAL LIFE

"I am lucky to have been blessed with a wonderful family and a supportive circle of friends, who understand my professional goals and commitments as I understand theirs. We strike a perfect balance between personal and professional happiness. My family including me share the same thoughts on spirituality and derive strength from the same," says Sahay.

HOBBIES

Sahay loves to spend quality time on the internet, watching movies, and going on long drives. The style-conscious pretty woman also enjoys reading fashion magazines and keeps tab of the latest trends.

FUTURE PLANS

"I want to set a strong footstep in marketing communication in domestic as well as international market," she sums up.