Ritu Madbhavi: The Perfectionist

Ritu Madbhavi, VP-IT, DRAFTFCB ULKA

Job Profile

Being the VP of the IT department for
DRAFTFCB ULKA, Ritu Madbhavi is responsible for the new strategies in
the IT segment like dealing with the implementation of the
technology, keeping abreast with the upcoming technologies and also
work in the automation and application deployment. In addition, she
also heads the Interface Interactive which is one of the group
companies and is envisaged to serve the digital needs of its clients.
It addresses the advertising opportunities with a synergetic
combination of traditional media along with digital solutions.
Madbhavi also works for a business unit-Interface Interactive.

Background

Born and brought up in the capital of
India, Delhi, Madbhavi completed her Masters in Statistics from
Canada. Her father was a Minister of External Affairs in the Indian
Foreign Services (IFS). “I have traveled around the globe, thanks
to my father's job profile,” said a smiling Madbhavi. With an
experience of more than 12 years, Madbhavi started her career with
TCS and then switched over to NIIT for freelancing with Datamatics
and finally settled with DRAFTFCB ULKA.

"As a CIO, I have to think how IT
can benefit the organization and other businesses. A lot of workflow
is required in the organization, as we deal with software tools
development, because the business processes are automated. Apart from
being a CIO I also head the business unit (Interface Interactive)
which involves the strategy, implementation and roadmap to all the
press and digital ads, outdoor ads and media planning, and direct
interaction with clients. It is important to understand the
requirement of the user and also the operational cost and pressure,”
quoted Madbhavi.

Challenges

Madbhavi has been fortunate enough to
have a family that has been a strong support system in her life
especially for her career path. As far as the women factor is
considered, she claims that she has never faced any gender bias in
her professional life. “I have always believed and have a strong
view that women are more logical, structured and better at
multi-tasking which makes it easier for them to handle things in a
smarter way. Men tend to get aggressive and negative sometimes, which
does result in a negative manner,” she added. Madbhavi seems to
possess a never-say-die spirit, which allows her to take up
challenges that come her way.

Strengths

“I am a hard core perfectionist and I
give my 100 percent in whatever I do,” said a proud Madbhavi. Her
strength is her passion towards her work and she loves it to the
core. “I will never let the ball drop and will make sure that the
commitments are always fulfilled,” added Madbhavi. When asked about
things that she needs to work upon she said, “I need to work on my
time management skills, since I tend to sit on things for a long time
and end up focusing on just one topic.”

Hobbies

This Statistics graduate has a passion
for reading fiction novels and loves to experiment with her cooking
skills. “I love to cook and I make sure that I do it whenever I
have ample time.” Her favorite novel is 'The Count of Monte Cristo'
by Alexandre Dumas.

Inspiration

Madbhavi says that there have been many
people in her life who have inspired her. “I have met extremely
bright people all the way from my professor to my peers and my
bosses. I have learned a lot from them,” quoted Madbhavi. She
considers her husband as her best friend and gives a huge credit to
her family who has been extremely supportive.

Future Plans

Madbhavi has ambitious plans for her
company and wishes to add something more (the 'X' factor) to her
organization. She describes this as the 'cutting edge' of her
company.