Winner All the Way

SEEMA SHETTY,

director,
business operations, Essen Vision Software

JOB
PROFILE:

Along with
her husband Nityanand Shetty, who is her counterpart in the
entrepreneurial venture of Essen Vision Software, Seema Shetty has
managed to procure an able team of experienced professionals with
innovative ideas to take the company to a desired goal. Bringing in
all her experiences in IT and security industry, she is currently the
director of business operations in the company.

Prior to
Essen, Shetty worked as a territory manager in Quantum Systems
Software. She used to manage a multi-channel corporate sales and
systems engineering support functions. “From my managerial stints
at different organizations, I have gained a thorough understanding of
new technologies, recruiting right people, and putting together a
skilled team to work with them and design a success graph for the
company,” said Shetty.

BACKGROUND:

Shetty had
been brought up in an environment where education and independence
were always held in high regard. Since an early age, she was made to
appreciate the importance of a meaningful career and financial
independence. After completing BSc in Mathematics, she completed a
certification in system analysis.

Intrigued by
the raging entry of anti-virus products into the Indian market, in
1992. During her 3-years stint at Quantum, Shetty had lived through
the experience of a small firm transforming into a big and
respectable player in the market.

“I was
inspired by the spirit of Quantum. I was eager to leverage the
experience I had gained and engage the skills I had developed at
Quantum as a entrepreneur,” emphasized Shetty. In 1995, she met
Nityanand Shetty who had similar entrepreneurial aspirations as her.

In the
following year, together they founded Essen Vision Software. As a
team of 2 and an office boy, Shetty and her husband together laid the
founding blocks of Essen Vision. Along the years, they both developed
a team of skilled professionals to enhance and propel the core values
of Essen Vision.

Today, Essen
Vision is a network security firm. Besides the traditional network
security and storage products, it also specializes in data leakage
prevention, log co-relation, cloud security and remote infrastructure
management.

CHALLENGES:

Having
performed multiple roles to head-start business operations at Essen
Vision, Shetty has always been a hard-working person and puts in long
endless hours to achieve a business deal with patience. Without a
skilled team, clientele to speak of, or the requisite resources, she
had struggled to find the company's foothold in a market
proliferated with big names. Her hard work paid off when the company
bagged its very first big client-Reserve Bank of India (RBI). “This
was a breakthrough for us and gave us the confidence to penetrate
into the banking sector and thereon into the corporate world,”
claimed Shetty.

STRENGTHS:

Shetty
attributes her successful career to her eagerness to learn, her
interpersonal skills and ability to constantly reinvent herself in
this dynamic ever-changing industry. “My strongest assets that have
seen me through my struggle are patience, hard-work and attention to
detail. I am glad that I was born in a place like Mumbai where once
you have proved your mettle in a professional field, you don't
really face any gender bias,” explained Shetty.

DEALING
WITH MEN AT WORK:

She believes
men and women have different strengths and weaknesses. They should
work with their strengths. “My confidence in my skill set enables
me to overlook the gender aspect. My interactions with my male
colleagues are no different than those with my female colleagues,”
said Shetty.

Through her
experience, Shetty has always found women to have an eye for detail,
more patient and extremely good at multi-tasking. While men are
task-oriented and more practical, relaxed and focused. Co-workers
accept bosses (male or female) that display integrity and leadership
quality. Delegation of work and motivating junior executives to
constantly upgrade their skill sets is a must. Woman should not feel
shy of showing their humane side but at the same time convey
professionalism.

“I believe
all working women should prioritize their personal and professional
goals and then take the requisite measures to pursue those goals.
Although it is never smooth-sailing but always rewarding,”
confirmed Shetty.

HOBBIES:

In her
leisure, Shetty loves spending time with her family, including her
son, her niece Natasha and her husband. Spending time with her son
was never a chore, it could be small things as shopping together for
groceries and goodies from a food mall to a 'mother and son
weekend' getaway. Sometimes, the balancing act between work and
home does become difficult.

“It is a
challenge to split my time between my son's studies and quarter-end
activities. But at the end of the day nothing beats the high of
looking at the big picture-a successful entrepreneurial venture and
a beautiful family,” claimed Shetty.

Her day
begins with indulging in her passion for gardening and the day ends
with solving 'Killer Sudoku' puzzles and reading. She also
dedicates a considerable amount of time in supporting female
education including under-privileged children.

THE
FUTURE:

With a
competent team in place, Shetty has redefined her role to a
strategist to propel the business operations of Essen Vision Software
to the next level. “It will be a dynamic experience for me to
achieve my dreams and goals at every point. We would like to position
ourselves as the most trusted consultant for our clients.

Also, 5
years
down the line, I hope to initiate the next phase of my life as a
philanthropist, which will give me an intellectually stimulating
experience as a woman. Giving back to the community one lives in, is
my perception of a complete success story,” concluded Shetty.