Shalini Govil-Pai , VP & GM, TV @Google, and Founding Circle Member & Advisor, Neythri Futures Fund, gives us insights from her life’s journey. This interview was conducted by Sonal Chandna.

At the time, when you were pursuing undergrad at IIT Bombay, computer science was not a very popular discipline for women to step into. How many girls were there in your class? 

One of the reasons that I wanted to pursue computer science was because of my ambition to work in the entertainment industry.  Having worked in one Hindi film that was such a flop that even my parents didn’t see it, I realized that acting may not be for me. At that point, I noticed Pixar Animations was using computer graphics to make short, simple films. I realized that computer graphics was ushering in a whole new era of filmmaking. Thus, my mindset was such that I didn’t want to pursue computer science to be an engineer but instead, to help me achieve my dream of working in the filmmaking industry.  Computer science wasn’t one of the very popular courses back then, especially for girls. And yes, I was the only girl in my class. 

What were some of the challenges you faced during your time at IIT Bombay? Do you think those challenges still exist for girls today who are trying to pave their path in technology?

Challenges have always been there and will continue to exist. At that time, it was very difficult for people to accept that girls could also be competent in math and science. And that perception, when thrown at you at such a young age, influences how you feel about your own competency, solely based on your gender.  Therefore, the biggest challenge begins when you question your own capabilities!

One of my challenges was that I also began to question my own confidence. Being the only girl, I was in a women’s hostel while the rest of the class lived in the men’s hostel, which was a mile away. They all did their homework together as peers while I did mine alone. It was a big challenge and I did not have the confidence to go and ask the group to include me during those homework sessions. 

Women in the field of technology were definitely in the minority, so when you decided to explore a career in the tech field, was there any resistance from those around you?  

I personally had a lot of support from my family, especially my dad. He was a scientist at Tata Institute and was always very supportive of whatever I wanted to do. The fact that out of a batch of 300 boys at IIT, there were only 9 girls indicates that many girls must have experienced much resistance. 

In one of your interview, you discussed challenges women face in terms of networking and getting the right opportunity. How did you manage to get into Pixar (your dream company) right after graduation?

After my Bachelor’s degree from IIT, I did my Master’s degree at Penn State, specializing in Computer Graphics. I would reach out to the folks at Pixar practically every day. Eventually they invited me for an interview, but I did not get through. I actually worked for another company for a year while making sure that I kept in touch with Pixar. After a year, Pixar acquired a contract with Disney for Toy Story and they called me to ask if I was still interested. And I just packed my bags and moved to work with Pixar. I was very persistent, and I kept in touch, and I think that worked out for me. When I see these qualities in people, I am really impressed. 

Two remarkable movies, Toy Story and A Bug’s Life. Please share your journey at Pixar – obstacles, learnings, and accolades.

Toy Story was the first computer animated movie so no one knew what to expect. Prior to Toy Story, Pixar had only done a lot of short movies or commercials. It was an amazingly gratifying experience. I remember working long hours that were intense but also fun. We were a group of young, energetic people, wanting to create something together and we set our bar high. I think all of us being that ambitious and trying to work together made the movie a successful venture. Our topmost challenge was to find the right blend of story that could be created with the right kind of technology so that our audiences not only understood our story telling but were drawn to it. 

After Pixar, you took a surprise turn to Google AdWords, leading you to YouTube, which was altogether a different industry. What led you to this arena? 

My dream was to always work in entertainment. At Pixar I had seen the production side of things. As the internet was booming at this time, it became clear to me that distribution of content would not be limited to traditional mediums like television, but in fact, would be vastly distributed on that platform. I realized I needed some exposure with internet-based technology and then I figured out how distribution on an internet platform would work. Thus, I joined Google and then gradually worked my way into YouTube. 

It was very interesting to give people the autonomy to be able to create and publish videos and make money from it. Now anyone and everyone can create content – it’s the democracy of entertainment. At YouTube, World of TV was being launched on the internet with broadband coming in, and voice technology was introduced, making people’s lives easier. Eventually we realized that YouTube was not just a good platform for creation and distribution of short videos, but for full movies or long-form content like a series that could be watched on one’s own television. These insights made me feel that there might be scope for Smart TVs, and then Fire TV from Amazon had just emerged. So two and a half years ago I moved to the Android TV division as General Manager, managing the entire portfolio.

How would you describe your leadership style? Has it evolved over time?

Leadership is a learning process. There is no one leadership style that fits all, you need to follow what is authentic and comes natural to you. My style is very collaborative. I give my team all the freedom to take charge and make decisions. Of course, I am there to advise them on anything they need, but I don’t tell them what to do. I also have a very strong empathy factor. It is not difficult for me to step into another person’s shoes and understand their perspective, making it easier for them to trust me.  

What attributes do you seek when building a team? 

I look for two things. I look for someone who can listen. I don’t expect them to be as empathetic as I am, but they should have good listening skills.  The second is ownership. I need to know if the person sitting in front of me who I am interviewing will take ownership or not. I am not very fond of people who need to take instructions to do anything. And I follow this not just in my professional life but in my personal life as well. For example, at home, every Sunday evening, we have to put the garbage out as it gets picked up Monday morning. Just because no one has told me to leave the garbage out doesn’t mean I won’t do it. I own that responsibility.

What is the biggest deterrent, in your opinion, on women succeeding in the workplace? Any tips for them to overcome these challenges?

The biggest challenge is your own confidence. If you are not confident, nothing else will come to your rescue. Confidence comes with the knowledge of experiences, learnings and, of course, time. Another challenge is to make allies. If you enter a room full of people you should be aware of the temperament of those people. It does not mean that those people will stand beside you and agree with you. But you should be aware of what lies ahead of you when you attend that meeting. So preparation is very important. 

You wrote two books on Computer Graphics. What inspired you to do that?

Apart from being part of the movies, I wanted to be an author as well. My husband was trying to learn computer graphics at some point in his life and we realized the books available either went too deep into theory or were too simple. They didn’t teach the basics of what was needed. So, my husband and I wrote the first book together. The book entails the basic concept of Computer Graphics which is neither too deep nor too simple. My husband was able to give his inputs as a new learner and I was able to share the insights of an expert. I was happy that the book was well-received and was selected by a few universities as a text book. The second one was a follow up. 

Tell us about your family background and your childhood.

I grew up in Bombay. We lived in Kolaba close to the campus. All the families around us were full of scientists. My mother was a homemaker and liked art. She made us create a lot of paintings. I think that’s why I have a blend of creativity and engineering together. My sister is also a part of Neythri. Her name is Shivani Govil and she is Chief Product Officer at CCC Information Services, and I have a brother who lives on the East Coast. My parents are currently living in Bombay, India. 

What was it like for you when you arrived in the U.S. after graduating from IIT Bombay to attend Penn State University? Were there any changes in your perspective?

Before coming to the US, I had lived in a hostel for four years, so I was pretty independent already. A lot of people do get some cultural shock in coming to the US as they used to live with their families and now all of sudden, they have to manage on their own. It was a little easier to transition here for me, and the Indian community was very supportive and looked out for each other. In those days, there were not as many immigrants as there are now. When I got to Pennsylvania, people would ask me questions like if I spoke English, or why I don’t have an accent, or whether we sit on elephants in India.  Clearly, people used to think very differently about India. 

Do you believe that your South Asian heritage has influenced your success throughout in any way? In your experience has your South Asian heritage been an issue at all?

I think it’s been the best part of my growth. When I moved to the US, the Indian community was so strong and supportive of each other that it was amazing and actually made my transition so much easier. South Asian people took care of each other, were willing to introduce them to other people in the community, and were willing to take time to guide you through whatever you needed. It was incredible.  

Any advice for our readers?

Follow your passion. No matter how hard it is to achieve your dreams, do not deviate just because another profession or goal can be easier to achieve. Second, believe in your instincts. That is, have an instinct and be aware of where the world is going. Try and imagine yourself 5-10 years down the line. And take risks like I took with Pixar; when I joined it, there were only 50 people. You have to take risks for things you are passionate about.  Make allies along the way and keep them all through your journey. 

So, to end this interview with one fun fact about you, what is one thing you are passionate about apart from work? What is your biggest stress reliever?  

I am passionate about my family and my kids. I read a lot. The moment of Lift by Melinda Gates is an amazing book that I suggest everyone must read. 

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