This foundation began with the dream of 16-year-old Khyati Gupta, and its community has grown to more than 200,000. Pinkishe is an NGO working toward menstrual hygiene management, menstrual literacy, widespread availability of sanitary pads, and other areas of women empowerment in India. The subject is still taboo in many areas of the region, causing problems and limitations in the lives of women.

First, we talked to Senior Director Erin Kelsh, and you can read her interview here. Today, we spoke to Anuradha Manna, who leads dentsu’s offshore Sales Enablement Team in India based out of the Merkle Sokrati office in Pune. Anuradha is one of the founding members of the Women in Leadership Pune chapter, where she helped create and conduct various activities for the women in the Pune office, and she is closely associated with dentsu’s Women in APAC program as well.

Tell us about yourself; where did you grow up? Where do you live now? 

I’ve been associated with Merkle Sokrati since 2014, so I’m considered an old-timer here 😊. I lead dentsu’s Sales Enablement Team in India, where I have a team of approx. 32 folks. And I’m the mother to 2 beautiful girls aged 3 and 5. I grew up in the cultural capital of India, in a city called Kolkata in the eastern side of India, and I currently live in Pune with my husband and kids. 

What drew you to your current career? 

I started my career with Google as a fresh grad right out of college, and that’s how digital has been the foundation of my life. I’ve been associated with sales and marketing all my life, and leading sales enablement has been a natural progression. 

To date, what has been your biggest learning or teaching moment? 

My biggest learning in life has been that you always need to have the courage to ask and not fear failure. You’ll be surprised at how many times you hear a yes instead of a no, and it’s crazy how people can come forward to help if you just overcome the shyness, awkwardness, and mental blocks to open your mouth and just ask! 

What is a moment in your life that defined or shaped who you are today?

There are two moments that shaped who I am today: One was the loss of my father (he was only 54, but his health had suffered for a very long time), and the other was becoming a mom of two daughters. My dad’s loss taught me to be strong, and I learned that life goes on. My daughters give me strength to make an extra effort toward making the world a better place for them. 

What inspires you about your workplace culture?

I love the fierceness of everyone in my office, and I am amazed by their grit and determination every day! I love the fact that our work culture allows every individual the space and safety to be his or her own true self. We have so many supportive programs to help them blossom! The flexible workplace culture stimulates creativity and pushes everyone to give their best. 

If you currently were not doing what you do today professionally, what would you be doing? (Dream job)

I genuinely think that this is the perfect job for me, as I love what I do and I have ample scope for development. If I would have to choose another dream career, it would be that of a teacher. In my opinion, that is the single most important job in the world and has the potential to change the world by impacting young minds directly!

How did you get involved in Women in Leadership? 

Erin Kelsh from the WiL team in the US had visited the Pune office toward the end of 2019 and given a brief introduction about the WiL Program. That really piqued my interest, especially since women empowerment is a topic that is very close to my heart. India has culturally been very patriarchal, and while there is change happening, it is still far from ideal. So, this opportunity was perfect for me to make a positive impact in the lives of women in our office and beyond. 

Can you describe your goals and mission of the Pune Chapter of Women in Leadership?

• Create an open platform for the women in the Pune office where they can voice their concerns or reach out for help whenever needed 
• Provide coaching, guidance, and mentorship for all aspects of life – personal and professional 
• Be the informed voice of the women in the office for the leadership teams 
• Create an internal network of women where they can help, support and come to know one another 

What did you learn from the girls participating in the Pinkishe Program?

The girls who were participating in the program were in grades 4 to 6, and they all were very shy and timid and apprehensive about the topic at hand. It took a while to draw them out of their shell and make them feel like it was a safe space for them to open up and ask questions. But once they were comfortable, they were so eager to learn more, as no one had ever spoken to them about periods before. Unfortunately, menstruation is a huge taboo topic in India. It’s always hush hush and makes girls feel very embarrassed – so much so, a vast majority of them drop out of school rather than manage their periods in a public setting. The instructor from Pinkishe was able to break through so many myths associated with periods in India. The girls themselves questioned so many things, like why they are not allowed into places of worship, why can’t they enter the kitchen, why can’t they touch a jar of pickles, and more such traditional myths. It was an eye-opening session for all of us, and we clearly understood the value of such informative sessions in the lives of these girls from the lower socio-economic strata of society in India. 

Rapid fire: 

1. Favorite food – Soupy Dimsums! 
2. Favorite TV show/movie – The Office (US version) 
3. Favorite hobby/activity – Yoga and dancing with my kids 
4. Favorite book – Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell 
5. Guilty pleasure – Bacon! 
6. Best advice or mantra you live by – You never know ‘til you actually give it a shot!