Distinguished Invincibelle: Neerja Raman

Q: If given an opportunity, what would you have done differently?
A: Not too much. I feel if I could have taken charge of my career, instead of letting it all happen. It could have accelerated five years. I would have liked to have been more aware of my career progression, and taken charge of my life and career.

Q: What kept you inspired to do better?
A: Whether I liked it or not, I was often the only woman at work and an ambassador for all things Indian. I am from a background where my mother was a professional, and my father was way ahead of his time in thinking that women should go out there and take up careers. I felt the need to prove myself on behalf of other women as well as Indians.

The other thing that keeps me motivated is that I like to do different things. I am good at multi tasking. It is also good to keep yourself detached and multitasking helps. When I find myself not doing something well, it helps to find something new to do.

The Present

Q: What are your current personal and professional pursuits?
A: At Stanford, I am researching business models for socially motivated businesses with a focus on multimedia technology as a tipping point for literacy and education. I hope to be able to leverage my corporate skills, business, management, and technical research, to this new field. I am also working with universities in India to create an ecosystem that supports social entrepreneurship.

Right now the world is facing tough problems with environment, poverty gap, and other issues. So it is more important than ever, to tap into the intellectual capital especially of women, as we need creative solutions in science and technology as well as the social problems.

Q: What are your hobbies? How do you relax? Are you able to manage work life balance?
A: I like to hike. I used to be a black diamond skier. I read fiction. I write non-fiction. I knit scarves. I like to change my look; for my book readings I am flamboyant while my corporate look is pretty sedate. I like to attend book readings, plays, and dance—especially ballet.

For work life balance I list my jobs. And I prioritize everyday and avoid doing the bottom half. If you are well disciplined you can prioritize for the month and not do the bottom half. Super woman doesn’t mean doing everything in every arena. It just means knowing what needs to be done in all the arenas. I have observed that people focus on the little details, which sometimes sucks up unnecessary energy.

The Future

Q: What is next in your life?
A: I want to pursue what I am doing right now in the field of social enterprise. I want to put together whatever I know about managing, trading technology in new markets, my business skills and the technology skills and especially work with entrepreneurs who are socially motivated. I am writing articles, giving talks and hope to write a book about this.