This month we spoke with Shaan Raza, our Deputy Managing Director for India. Shaan leads the Optimise team in New Delhi and was listed in the PerformanceIN top 50 industry players from 2018. Read all about what Shaan had to tell us about what being listed in the PerformanceIN top 50 means to her, along with her experiences and motivations.

It was a pleasant surprise! I felt really proud to be present among the industry 'who’s who' of performance marketing across the globe. To be the only Indian listed in the top50 felt like recognition for all of the efforts I have been putting into the performance marketing industry throughout my career.

This profile is extremely demanding because of the high competition in the Indian performance marketing industry. Optimise is a pioneer in India and to sustain the tag I really need to continuously and consciously make new moves ready and arrange for implementations. We must come up with new things to fulfil the expectations from our clients as a market leader. I sometimes crack this joke with my team that we are in an industry where in everyday is a fresh start and we cannot afford to stay relaxed and enjoy the legacy! The ingredients of my success recipe are dedication towards work, continuous efforts, positive attitude and never give up approach.

I enjoy what I do and that is the biggest motivation. Digital marketing is evolving so fast so there is always scope to learn new things every day. The benefit of working with so many clients is that I get exposed to so many marketing challenges to solve. On the other side there are publishers and SAAS companies doing new things regularly that means more to learn.

Not one person, I draw inspiration and motivation from everyone around me be it family, colleagues, friends.

The Indian workforce is tilted in favour of men and skewed against women. While there are few entry points for women, the exit gates are many – pregnancy, childbirth, child care, elderly care, lack of family support, and unsupportive work environment. These factors create a leaking pipeline that hinders women from reaching leadership positions. According to a recent research only 16% of senior leadership roles are held by women in India.

Performance marketing industry echoes the same sentiments however many bigger companies are following international standards offering work from home, flexible hours etc helping female workforce in many ways but at the same time small set ups and boot strapped start ups are purely performance driven

I feel it is a dual responsibility of employer and employee. I have seen employees taking undue advantage and employers becoming apathetic. This can be sorted with having employee friendly policies along with practical performance measurement tools. These together give both the parties to come forward and discuss their challenges.

Perseverance is the key and always strive to push your boundaries. It sounds preachy but it worked for me. I think “to live the moment” is so very important for working women to overcome the guilt of leaving home and Kids. Be 100 % wherever you are at home or at work.