So many women’s networks…do we really need another one? One thing is for sure: there is a clearer understanding of the need to support women in the workplace. It is wonderful that so many organizations have risen to meet this need…nine years ago, with other amazing women and male allies, I cofounded the Salesforce Women’s Network, which has grown to be a hugely impactful force today.
When we started to think about whether there was a need for a South Asian Professional Women’s Community in the summer and fall of 2019, we invited small groups of South Asian women from many different professions…product managers, lawyers, engineers, sales, marketers, HR professionals…from big companies, from small companies.
And we heard from many that there was indeed a need, that the community’s shared context makes it easier to talk, easier to support and advise each other. Many challenges are similar to those faced by women everywhere, and some are not. “How do you manage to sound assertive when you are viewed as coming from a culture which is less “in-your-face” than many others?” “How do you make yourself heard in quest for investment in your startup when so few women of color are funded?” “How do you manage work and home when your parents or in-laws live with you?” “How do you influence others at work when you are “different”?”
So we decided to start Neythri, which means Female Leader, a community for South Asian professional women. We hosted some terrific events prelaunch in the last months of 2019, with huge demand for our “build your leadership brand” event with Jo Miller, and for holiday parties in San Francisco and in Silicon Valley, where groups of 80+ professional South Asian women, from a wide range of ages and experiences, met to hear, to share, to build new relationships and to renew old ones.
And now, as we embark on 2020, we have asked a terrific group of women to take this forward with us. What’s brewing, you might ask? We have passionate, successful women who, in addition to their day jobs, are working on designing professional and leadership development events, on mentoring programs. On ways to share with wanna-be startup founders how to fundraise and to pitch. On telling stories of how entrepreneurs grew their companies. On social impact. On events where you can meet and build relationships with others like you. On partnering with those who have existing resources that will help us scale quickly, to provide value to you, the community.
We are starting with the San Francisco Bay Area as the “test-and-learn” location for our first launch. We will listen and learn what works, what doesn’t…we will iterate. But we dream big…we hope that we create something that resonates clearly with many in the community. And we anticipate that there is enough demand and unmet need out there to replicate this in many, many other places.
But for right now, hold your breath…we are almost there!
Author Bio Chitra Nayak is co-founder at Neythri.org. She is a senior executive with proven expertise in driving transformational change and building businesses globally in explosive growth environments. Her experience includes operations, new business/product launch, sales, marketing and strategy with industry-leading firms and startups in technology and fintech.
Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.
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