My advice to anyone who is seeking to lead an entity would be to find a venture that you are passionate about. While a lot of other skills needed such as marketing and people management can be learned and acquired, passion for the venture is one aspect that will take you through the inevitable ups and downs.
Tell us about your background, journey, and upbringing.
I grew up in Mumbai going to one of the top schools in the country- J.B. Petit, where I received an education well ahead of its time. I led a comfortable life and don’t remember harnessing any great ambition at that stage. Soon after my 12th, my family moved to Kolkata after my father passed away.
That was the second phase of my life where I acquired my college degree (a Masters in Nuclear Physics) from Jadavpur University and also a husband. We moved to Bangalore soon after and that’s when I kick-started my career. I have worked mostly in start-ups where I have gained end-to-end experience
of understanding several functions.
of understanding several functions.
My longest stint to date has been with The Princeton Review (the South Asian franchise) which is an American test prep organization wherein we helped students identify programs and prepare for the standardized tests needed to study abroad.
I essayed several roles managing Academics, Product Management, P & L, Operations, and Strategy. It was during that stint that I came across college students in India who lacked employability skills, let alone the potential to get into good universities abroad.
I set up a vertical for employability skills here and that was the turning point in my life. I had been working in the space of education but for the affluent, urban kids who would have anyway made their mark in life. I decided that I wanted to work for the large youth demography in India in making them employable.
What the Indian education system did not do was impart any skill, so we were flooded with a large chunk of our youth who had advanced degrees in engineering, or Masters, but had not really learned much.
I am a constant learner and that has been one factor that indicates my success. While in my forties, I became adventurous enough to join a management program with the Haas Business School, University of California, Berkeley to solidify my learning and equip me for further leadership roles.
In 2016, I decided to quit the company where I had grown to be the Business Head for South Asia and moved to the social sector since I wanted to work with the groups who needed support the most. After 2.5 years at Labournet, a leader in the space of vocational training I joined Anudip as CEO.
At Anudip Foundation we work with some of the most vulnerable and marginalized communities across rural and urban locations. Our focus here is to equip these youth with both digital and technology skills alongside all of the behavioral skills needed to survive in the knowledge economy of today.
My career drives me today since it is ignited by a purpose quite unlike what it was when I was 18. I tell my kids (my biological ones and my large cohort of students) that finding an ikigai (or a raison d’etre) is important for success.
Here of course I am defining success as an overlap of career growth, responsibilities, money, gratification, and most importantly a sense of purpose.
I am a constant learner and that has been one factor that indicates my success. While in my forties, I became adventurous enough to join a management program with the Haas Business School, University of California, Berkeley to solidify my learning and equip me for further leadership roles.
In 2016, I decided to quit the company where I had grown to be the Business Head for South Asia and moved to the social sector since I wanted to work with the groups who needed support the most. After 2.5 years at Labournet, a leader in the space of vocational training I joined Anudip as CEO.
At Anudip Foundation we work with some of the most vulnerable and marginalized communities across rural and urban locations. Our focus here is to equip these youth with both digital and technology skills alongside all of the behavioral skills needed to survive in the knowledge economy of today.
My career drives me today since it is ignited by a purpose quite unlike what it was when I was 18. I tell my kids (my biological ones and my large cohort of students) that finding an ikigai (or a raison d’etre) is important for success.
Here of course I am defining success as an overlap of career growth, responsibilities, money, gratification, and most importantly a sense of purpose.
When and how did you get clarity on what you wanted to do?
My work at The Princeton Review was extremely enjoyable since it provided me the platform to learn. However, after having reached a zenith I started asking myself what more I could do.
My work at The Princeton Review was extremely enjoyable since it provided me the platform to learn. However, after having reached a zenith I started asking myself what more I could do.
I had been reading up about the large skilling mandates of the government and the several reports being published about the unemployability quotient of our youth. Large organizations were having difficulty filling their positions.
Thus there was a demand-supply gap and India was touted as having the potential to become the world’s supplier of skills, given its large demographic
advantage.
I thus set up a vertical to cater to employability skills in colleges, but I realized that I was still looking at the advantageous groups. I wanted to work with the most vulnerable and bring about transformation in their lives.
advantage.
I thus set up a vertical to cater to employability skills in colleges, but I realized that I was still looking at the advantageous groups. I wanted to work with the most vulnerable and bring about transformation in their lives.
That was the moment I had clarity about how I wanted the rest of my career to look like. That is when I joined Labournet, a leading player in the space of skilling and employability and after great innings there joined Anudip Foundation to lead it.
At Anudip we focus on transforming the lives of the neediest, by equipping them with digital and market-aligned skills to put them on the path of sustainable livelihoods.
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What does your typical workday look like?
The day usually begins with some exercise, prayers, and sorting out domestic duties and instructions to my helpers. My work starts at any time, there can be calls at 8.30am or go up to 10 pm as well.
The day usually begins with some exercise, prayers, and sorting out domestic duties and instructions to my helpers. My work starts at any time, there can be calls at 8.30am or go up to 10 pm as well.
Most of my work time is spent meeting with various teams or clients and reviewing reports. I enjoy the times when I meet with students which happen during project inaugurations or certificate distributions and the likes.
Several global companies have come out and thrown their support behind not needing a formal education. What is your opinion about this?
I would tend to agree with this. What any job role requires today are core twenty-first-century skills that our education system often fails to inculcate, and this is particularly true of rural and semi-rural schools where education is equated with
rote learning.
I would tend to agree with this. What any job role requires today are core twenty-first-century skills that our education system often fails to inculcate, and this is particularly true of rural and semi-rural schools where education is equated with
rote learning.
A few decades back, a worker entered the workforce with a degree and a single skill that was honed over time. Today a single skill is not enough in the VUCA world. Today’s workplace requires learners that are agile, critical thinkers, resilient, good communicators, and are curious individuals with a high acumen for
self-learning.
self-learning.
These skills are life-long and form the basis of any performance. Organizations are willing to invest in training for technical skills provided they have employees who are trainable.
However, while all employers look for skills, they may find it harder to assess those skills and often tend to look at the education as a baseline requirement with the assumption that a certain education may have actually inculcated certain skills in its workforce.
However, while all employers look for skills, they may find it harder to assess those skills and often tend to look at the education as a baseline requirement with the assumption that a certain education may have actually inculcated certain skills in its workforce.
For instance, the formal sector still looks for at least one college degree as a prerequisite to hiring. However, the fact that a few organizations have figured out how to change this is very encouraging.
How do you handle someone who has lied on their resume?
Ethics is non-negotiable! I wouldn’t hire anyone who has grossly lied about any aspect. I would expect and encourage youngsters to tell their story transparently even if there is a gap in employment or low grades etc. Your chances of getting hired are significantly better if you come across as honest and transparent. Faking experience can also be easily detected during an interview.
Ethics is non-negotiable! I wouldn’t hire anyone who has grossly lied about any aspect. I would expect and encourage youngsters to tell their story transparently even if there is a gap in employment or low grades etc. Your chances of getting hired are significantly better if you come across as honest and transparent. Faking experience can also be easily detected during an interview.
What are some of your typical challenges and how have they evolved over time?
I think many women experience the ‘Imposter Syndrome’ at work and I have too. Over time one learns to be assertive and not worry about what your male counterparts think or say about you. The other challenge continues to be maintaining a healthy work-life balance and this gets more pronounced for women
who carry the baggage of guilt a lot more than men do.
However, I have been fortunate to have a very supportive family and a strong support network that has enabled me to manage my career.
I think many women experience the ‘Imposter Syndrome’ at work and I have too. Over time one learns to be assertive and not worry about what your male counterparts think or say about you. The other challenge continues to be maintaining a healthy work-life balance and this gets more pronounced for women
who carry the baggage of guilt a lot more than men do.
However, I have been fortunate to have a very supportive family and a strong support network that has enabled me to manage my career.
What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs or those eyeing the top job?
My advice to anyone who is seeking to lead an entity would be to find a venture that you are passionate about. While a lot of other skills needed such as marketing and people management can be learned and acquired, passion for the venture is one aspect that will take you through the inevitable ups and downs.
My advice to anyone who is seeking to lead an entity would be to find a venture that you are passionate about. While a lot of other skills needed such as marketing and people management can be learned and acquired, passion for the venture is one aspect that will take you through the inevitable ups and downs.
I have also found reading and learning invaluable in my life. Another trait that one should possess in an entrepreneurial journey is resilience. There will be no journey that is smooth, and one has to be ready to fail, learn and move on.
Which is your favorite book and why?
There are several books that would qualify as ‘favorites’ and these also keep shifting with time or the phase of life one is in. Two books that I really enjoyed
recently are ‘ The Dalai Lama’s Cat’ and ‘Ikigai’. Both are great reads and offer
enough stimulation for soul-searching and reflection while being breezy and
enjoyable.
There are several books that would qualify as ‘favorites’ and these also keep shifting with time or the phase of life one is in. Two books that I really enjoyed
recently are ‘ The Dalai Lama’s Cat’ and ‘Ikigai’. Both are great reads and offer
enough stimulation for soul-searching and reflection while being breezy and
enjoyable.
Bio-
Monisha’s 25+ year career has been in education and allied services, where she has worn a range of hats managing Academics, Product, Operations and Revenue. She led the South Asia region of The Princeton Review, a leading player in the overseas education test preparation and advisory services space for 12 years, where she helped shape a startup to become a market leader.
During her stint with The Princeton Review, she set up an ’employability skills’ vertical to cater to engineering graduates in the country, seeing the gap between qualification and skills.
Her stint with Educational Testing Services (ETS) in India was directed around boosting English training capabilities for teachers, which she has always felt was a huge gap in the country.
Monisha moved over to the development space to give full time to solving the employability problem in India. She currently serves as the CEO of Anudip Foundation, an enterprise dedicated to transforming lives of marginalized communities through industry-oriented technology skilling programs.
One of Anudip’s key interventions today is building a tech-based platform to hone twenty-first century behaviors in all learners. Monisha is also a member of the Advisory Council of the Center for Education Growth and Research (CEGR)’, and has co-authored a book on Employability Skills on behalf of CEGR.
She is a mentor with ‘Aspire for Her’ a platform dedicated to mentoring young girls to pursue careers and has also been a mentor with GOAL , an initiative by Facebook meant for mentoring young girls from disadvantaged backgrounds.
She is also a mentor with ‘Aspire For Her’ an outfit that focuses on bringing women back into the workforce. She dedicates her spare time to mentor
young girls from economically disadvantaged backgrounds to help them build career aspirations.
young girls from economically disadvantaged backgrounds to help them build career aspirations.
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