My Professional Journey

Sarchana Bakshi

I think it started the day when someone asked me what do I want to become when I am a grown up. And my answers kept changing from teacher to doctor to model to singer to full time mum and home maker to a chef. The little girl from the valley who had dreamt of being all this had to face the harsh realities of life. I learnt very early that life has its own plans, and you must manoeuvre accordingly. 

The year of 1990 was the darkest year in my life and in the lives of more than 400,000 Kashmiri Hindus who, like me, had to leave Kashmir and move to different parts of the country because of terrorism in the valley. In one night, my whole world had changed – we were uprooted from our home and thrown into a big, disorderly world with no idea of what life was going to throw at us. From being used to living in a 4-storey house and having my own room, I was now sharing a 3-room house with my immediate and extended family in Jammu. Day in and day out, I saw how my parents struggled, having to start from scratch in the prime of their youth – they had to take care of their parents and grandparents and at the same time make sure that their own children had a secured future. In all of this, they had no time for their own life. 

Education has always been important in our family and my parents made sure to give me and my sister the best education that they could possibly provide. Studying in one of the most premier schools in Srinagar, Presentation Convent, my parents could never imagine that a day would come when we would be visiting schools in Jammu trying  desperately to get admission. Some of the schools didn’t even have proper roof, toilets and water coolers and I remember while visiting one such school, my mum fainted. She could not tolerate that her child who had been taught by Nuns would be going to a school that did not even have the basic amenities. It was a complete shock for her – perhaps bigger than the migration. In me, she was seeing her future – the future that seemed a distant memory. That is when she vowed that no matter what, she would not let anything come between her daughter’s education. 

It was she who did all the research and asked around and managed to find the information about entrance exam for Nagbani school. This school was the best school of Jammu at that time and my parents were desperate to get me admitted there. With limited resources at my disposal, I prepared for the exam.  I had to rely on my past learning and knowledge and off I went to sit for the exam with no idea of what would be served in the name of an entrance test. At that young age of 13, I learnt a very important lesson – life does not always give you a second chance. I was lucky that I had this chance – I had to grab it with both hands, I had to get through – it was, without any exaggeration, a do or die situation for me. I knew what it meant to my parents, and I had to succeed. When the results came, I was one of the top 3 candidates – my family was elated and my mum was the happiest with unstoppable tears in her eyes. That was the first time I was actually proud of myself as I realised my success was not mine alone. 

Resilience and perseverance were two critical virtues that migration instilled in us and in later years became the cornerstone of my growth. I could not let the daemons of migration win and I had to make sure that I made the best use of the opportunity given to me. Darwin’s theory of survival of the fittest had become my mantra. I realised how important education was and immersed myself completely into studies and sports. I cannot forget the proud face of my father each time he returned from parents’ teacher meeting. I took up both maths and biology after my 10th exam to ensure I had more options available. I knew that now it was either engineering or medicine – nothing in between. I had to ensure my education would fetch me a lucrative career. Looking back to that time, I am amazed at how I managed to study for 10th and 12th board exams – whilst living in a small house with my parents, grandparents and my great grandmother.  I would sometimes be studying in kitchen, sometimes in one of the bedrooms or sometimes in the verandah, many a times on the terrace – weather permitting. But I had no time for complaints – for me, more than the journey, it was the destination that was important. Looking at the plight of my community, I was grateful for what I had. 

I managed to get through the engineering entrance and got admission in Computer science. Again, the choice of field was based on the perception around the bright prospects of this stream. I was living away from my parents and I wanted to make sure my time away was worth it. I was a meritorious student and after my engineering, I did my MBA in Marketing and Finance. I have not regretted my choice of field – when you love what you do, it no longer is a job for you. It’s a journey that you enjoy and evolve with. My background from engineering and management provided me with the right tools to face the professional world. Time and again, I have relied on my education, my journey through the college and University life to brace the challenges in the professional world.

My education then led me to the world of advertising and brand management. All those ads that I had watched and listened to over the course of my lifetime had created a lasting impression in my growing up years. And here I was – working with big and small brands on their marketing strategy that included planning, communication, branding, positioning, messaging, pricing etc. I was managing ad campaigns for diverse products and industries – travel, lifestyle, consumer electronics, insurance, food etc. I was loving what I was doing as marketing is one of the few areas where you learn so much about other areas without having to be qualified in them. And yes, I am biased towards Marketing but hey it is a great place to be in. My work required me to work with models, celebrities, photographers, technical staff, film producers etc. and I thoroughly was enjoying being pulled in the whole gamut of marketing, that looks very glamorous on the surface, but requires a huge amount of hard work, perseverance, patience, resilience, teamwork and most importantly, creativity. 

Then life took a major turn, and I moved to UK. Suddenly there was a new world that I wasn’t accustomed to in terms of professional life. I was in a new country with no local experience and was just trying to start my professional life in a field that preferred local candidates. But thanks to my experiences, I knew it was only a matter of time before all this would work out fine. Forging ahead, I worked really hard in understanding and learning about UK demographics and bagged my first job in UK in online gaming. I had never played any games online and here I was – responsible for marketing those games to the mobile audience. I still remember the words of my then hiring manager – “you may not have any UK experience; but you have the skills and the right attitude and that is what is important”. Those words have stayed with me ever since as that is something I keep in mind when I am hiring.

It was an exciting time in my career as I was slowly shifting to digital world whilst trying to acclimatise myself in the new normal. From the British (and Scottish and Irish too – yes that’s even harder!!!) accent to the way of communication and addressing your colleagues and seniors – it was a huge shift. The shift was also visible in things like; workplace culture, stakeholder management, level of communication, networking, overall presentation (how you show up), to name a few. The most tangible change was switching from an all offline (radio, TV and print media) to primarily online/digital world. I had to learn a lot of new things and unlearn a few things as well. My whole work world was transforming to digital and suddenly I found myself submerged in data and web analytics, UX, AI, ML – all these acronyms that you hear but aren’t always sure how they work. From my first job in UK till now, there have been several switches and each of those milestones have been an amazing experience. My work has involved regular interaction with the likes of Google, Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and that has been an enriching experience. Digital marketing is at the forefront of the buyers’ journey today. 

In my current role at SAP, a B2B SAAS company, I manage digital marketing globally, working with colleagues across 30 countries encompassing 15 languages. I work with different teams like Product marketing, R&D, Sales, Market research, PR/AR, Events, customer lifecycle, competitor intelligence, Marketing Ops, content writers, social media, project management, web developers etc. and it always amazes me how much there is to learn as the world around us is evolving.  I interact with people at varied levels from CEOs, CMOs, Sales Heads, Finance decision makers and every interaction has taught me a lot. I am humbled and at the same time lucky to be working with a strong team that I can rely on. I’m not alone. As a leader, I’m as good as my team. Hence, bringing my authentic self to work is something I practice as well as preach.

Being part of a global company and leading digital has its pros and cons – whilst you have a global purview and access to the best-in-class tools and trainings, there are back-to-back meetings, monthly, quarterly and yearly targets, deadline fire drills, number crunching reports, budgets; to name a few and not to forget- I am perpetually time zone jet lagged. My work is a mix of art and science with a healthy topping of human psychology and no 2 days are the same – I like to spend time where numbers and ideas meet. Much as this seems daunting, it has been an amazing journey and still continues.

It would be remiss if I didn’t mention my husband and my 10-year-old son. They have been the backbone of my career and I wouldn’t be where I am without their unflinching support, patience, and love. I am able to dedicate time to my work and also manage business travel thanks to their constant support and understanding. Being a full-time mum and an ambitious career woman is not easy but I can say that I have been able to have that balance only because of my family’s support.

This little girl who wanted to be a lot of things, has managed to be some of those, and is ever grateful to God and her family for always being with her and wishing her well. Life can throw lemons at you and it is up to you what you make out of it – I chose lemonade and mojito as we all have one life – give your best and be sincere and focussed in your efforts. Success will surely follow.

Sarchana is the Global Head, Paid and Owned Media, SAP Concur (Linkedin).