I have grown up in a world full of ABG – be it the clothes I wear (proudly from ABFRL), the investments I make (Aditya Birla Capital), the food I carry from home every day (in my Hindalco Freshwrapp foil) and even the house I stay in (thanks to Ultratech Cement). One fond memory of mine is getting my first white shirt. I was convocating in 2015, getting my dual degrees from NMIMS. It was a proud moment for me and my parents! I had quite a few pairs of formals but I knew I wanted to buy something special for this occasion. As a surprise one day, my mother drove me to the Linen Club store nearby where she picked out the most gorgeous white linen fabric for what was going to be my first proper formal white shirt! I gave my measurements, and it was tailored as per my specifications. My graduation pictures never looked better! And of course, it ended up being a very special day to this date.
It was the challenges that Aditya Birla Group faced, that helped it grow leaps and bounds from a small cotton trading setup in 1857 to one of India’s largest conglomerates today - similarly, the challenges in our lives have also helped shape our lives and make us stronger and better versions of ourselves!
When I look back to my life and see how far I have come, there have been some moments where I realise I had several challenges that I fought across to get where I am today. One prominent challenge in this direction has been my endeavor to change the way things were in my erstwhile organization. This was back in 2014, where I interned with one of India’s prominent financial services firms. My task was to design a website for a prominent conference that was to be hosted by the organization. I pitched the idea for a single page website with minimal clicks and an interactive interface to my manager, who loved the idea and suggested that I pitch the same to the decision makers in the business. It was tough – they were used to a very simple looking interface and didn’t see the need for a fancy website just for a conference! However, I won over their confidence by sharing designs and showing prototypes that I had made, and also gave a promise of getting the same up and running within a month.
I was assigned a developer, and together, we came up with a revolutionary website which was appreciated by the senior management and the attendees of the conference! And the best part? It is still being used today by the firm. This also cascaded into a difference in the way the official website looked – the website was redesigned to look more modern!
So what made a difference? It was the support of my manager at that time, that I could break the ‘glass ceiling’ mindset. His constant belief in me helped me to achieve my footing in the organization, and yes, it goes without saying that I joined back after the completion of my degree – this time as an employee.
And how could I forget? The first day I joined my organization, I was wearing my new Van Heusen striped shirt with pearly cufflinks along with my new dark blue Van Heusen business suit.