Leading the charge: Meet the women at the helm of innovation in India's business landscape

The ascent of women into leadership roles is a transformative force driving innovation, diversity, and sustainable success. India, in particular, stands out on the global stage, boasting a noteworthy 36% representation of women in senior management positions within mid-market businesses, surpassing the global average by an impressive 4%, according to Grant Thornton's International Business Report.

Through our AWS Women In Tech Series, HerStory has had the privilege of delving into the experiences and insights of three remarkable women leaders who have carved distinctive paths in their careers, currently steering the ships of Rezo.ai, Gameskraft and Razor Group.

Dr Rashi Gupta is the visionary force behind Rezo.AI. This pioneering AI-driven startup revolutionises contact centre operations with its cutting-edge solutions and real-time support. Apart from being the co-founder, Dr Rashi plays the role of the Chief Growth Officer at Rezo.AI.

On the other hand, fuelled by a passion for immersive gaming experiences, Neha Gupta, Vice President, Gameskraft, orchestrates a dynamic team of the skilled online games company, where technology and gaming seamlessly converge.

Joining them is Shrestha Chowdhury, Co-founder and CTO of Berlin-based unicorn, Razor Group, a top global aggregator of ecommerce consumer goods businesses. Established during the pandemic in August 2020, Razor Group achieved unicorn status in 2021, making it one of Europe's fastest-growing companies, with a team spanning five countries.

Dr. Rashi, Neha and Shrestha share their personal journeys, the guiding principles shaping their decision-making processes, initiatives promoting gender equality in tech, strategies for fostering a culture of innovation, and insights into the exciting emerging technologies shaping the future.

Edited excerpts from the interview:

1) Can you briefly share your personal journey and how did you pave your way to your current position in your organisation? Could you highlight the unique selling proposition (USP) that distinguishes your organisation in the market?

RG: With a doctorate from the University of Helsinki and dual masters from IIT Delhi, I've navigated a diverse career at WNS Global Services, Absolutdata, CorrZ, and Jawaharlal Nehru University. In 2016, I identified customer experience challenges, inspiring the vision for a Data-First Contact Center at Rezo.AI. After two years of product development, I launched the company in 2018, onboarding Maruti and Delhivery as first clients. Our USP lies in reducing the cost per call while enhancing interaction effectiveness. Led by experienced co-founders and with strong financials as a seed-funded, cash-positive startup, Rezo.AI thrives in delivering innovative solutions to industry challenges.

NG: My journey into the online games world was fuelled by a passion for creating immersive experiences. With a background from the Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) and diverse roles at Infosys, Pramati, and SAP SuccessFactors, I now lead a dynamic team at Gameskraft, blending technology and gaming innovation. Joining Gameskraft was driven by their vision for crafting engaging skill-based online games for the Indian audience. My role involves collaboration with a passionate team, resulting in continuous learning and growth. Gameskraft's unique selling proposition lies in its visionary approach to tailor online games for the Indian market, fostering innovation and creating engaging experiences for enthusiasts.

SC: Originally from India, I pursued computer science at Stanford before delving into tech, data science, and eCommerce, split between the US and India. After roles including Chief Product and Technology Officer at StalkBuyLove, I co-founded Razor Group, a leading global aggregator of eCommerce businesses. Our edge lies in innovative technology, managing complex supply chains across multiple marketplaces. With over 200 brands integrated into our AI platform, we excel in solving business challenges like supply chain optimization and multi-channel sales expansion. This technological advantage sets us apart.

2) What are the key principles or values that guide your decision-making process? How do you ensure these principles are reflected in your team's work?

RG: In my current role, I spearhead the company's growth and revenue generation, guided by key principles that shape my decision-making. We prioritise innovation, fostering constant exploration. Collaboration is encouraged through open communication channels. Excellence is non-negotiable, with high standards for quality. Our results-driven approach focuses on tangible outcomes. Adaptability ensures flexibility in response to trends or challenges. Empowering talent is a priority, creating an environment for professional growth. These principles guide our team's work, promoting a dynamic and high-performing culture.

NG: As VP, my decisions at Gameskraft are guided by player-centricity, innovation, collaboration, quality, and a long-term vision. To embed these principles in our team's work, I lead by example, ensuring regular communication, empowering team members to make decisions aligned with our values, and fostering continuous learning. This approach creates a company culture centered on innovation, collaboration, integrity, and unwavering player satisfaction.

SC: As a co-founder and CTO, my primary focus revolves around maintaining close alignment with the business while driving a proactive approach to ideation, development, and refinement of cutting-edge technology solutions. As startup CTOs, we have to be very open to feedback from our co-founders, investors, and customers. We cannot fixate on perfection but must embrace rapid iteration and agility. Speed, adaptability, and responsiveness are fundamental qualities for a startup CTO.

3) As a woman in a leadership position, how do you work towards normalising the presence of women in tech roles? Are there specific initiatives or practices you've implemented within your organisation?

RG: Promoting gender equality is a central focus, and we have implemented several initiatives to address this commitment. Our proactive approach includes regular analysis of the gender ratio within the organisation, ensuring a balanced representation. We are dedicated to eliminating gender pay gaps, adhering to a policy that rejects disparities highlighted in the Gender Pay Gap 2020 report, where women earned 19% less than their male counterparts for equivalent roles. I take pride in fostering the professional growth of female employees by providing them with leadership and management roles. This not only contributes to their individual advancement but also enhances the overall value and diversity within our team.

NG: I promote the normalisation of women in tech by fostering an innovative and experimental culture. We cultivate a growth mindset, empower teams to experiment freely, and embrace failure as a natural part of success. Our culture emphasises collaboration, open communication, and data-driven decision-making. This approach allows us to navigate the evolving tech landscape, delivering exceptional gaming experiences while prioritising adaptability and continuous learning for long-term success.

SC: Much of my success in tech is owed to mentors and advocates who paved the way. I'm passionate about supporting women in the field, especially in management roles. At Razor Group, we've actively recruited talented women, leveraging our connections to India's talent pool. While we haven't solved gender disparity in tech leadership, acknowledging biases and championing women is crucial. At Razor Group, our commitment to this cause is evident through our deliberate recruitment efforts and my personal dedication to mentoring women in various stages of their tech careers.

4) With the rapid pace of technological change, how do you approach innovation and encourage a culture of experimentation within your team and organisation?

RG: To drive innovation and a culture of experimentation amid rapid technological change, we prioritise regular team training, open communication for idea sharing, allocate dedicated time for experimentation, support calculated risk-taking, and invest in emerging technologies through projects and collaborations with tech innovators. This comprehensive strategy ensures our team stays at the forefront of advancements and embraces continuous innovation.

NG: At Gameskraft, our innovation strategy revolves around a growth mindset, empowering teams to experiment freely with new ideas. We foster a "fail fast, learn faster" culture, encouraging rapid prototyping and iteration. Open communication and collaboration foster idea exchange, while a data-driven approach guides decision-making. This comprehensive strategy enables us to navigate the dynamic tech landscape, ensuring ongoing relevance and delivering exceptional gaming experiences.

SC: At Razor, we’ve navigated our rapid expansion by doubling down on our tech advantage. Our motto is simple: everyone at Razor is part of the tech team. We’ve fostered an organisational culture of thinking tech-first. We always opted for tech-driven solutions that would enable us to drive disproportionate growth and scale efficiently.

5. What upcoming technologies do you find most promising for industry revolution, and how has AWS helped you drive innovation and improve customer experiences?

RG: In the realm of emerging technologies, we are keen on GenAI's impact across industries, deploying Large Language Models for enterprise use with a focus on data privacy. Augmented and Virtual Reality advancements, such as Virtual Customer Experience Centers, are also on our radar. AWS plays a crucial role, providing cognitive services like Text-to-Speech (Amazon Polly) and Speech-to-Text (Amazon Transcribe) modules, forming the robust backbone of our innovative solutions.

NG: In our perspective, several exciting emerging technologies are poised to revolutionise industries in the coming years. At the forefront of our technological journey is AWS, playing a pivotal role in driving innovation and enhancing customer experiences. AWS offers scalable solutions, advanced analytics, and a secure environment that has proven instrumental in our endeavours. Notably, AWS's scalable infrastructure has been crucial for handling variable demand, such as during our successful Guinness World Record Rummy Tournament. Moreover, leveraging AWS managed services has significantly reduced our time to market by allowing our development teams to focus on product development rather than infrastructure management.

SC: At Razor, we leverage cutting-edge technology to streamline our complex supply chain and operations across hundreds of brands, tens of thousands of SKUs, and multiple countries and ecommerce platforms. Powered by AWS, our business integrates key AI and ML solutions for demand forecasting, dynamic pricing, product innovation, multi-marketplace content management, and beyond.

6) In your opinion, what are some key considerations for successful digital transformation within a company? How do you drive and lead these initiatives?

RG: Successful digital transformation in a company requires strategic alignment with overall business objectives, a customer-centric approach, and data-driven decision-making. Creating scalable and agile systems is essential for adaptability, and involving employees in the process through training is crucial. To lead these initiatives, champion these considerations, fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration.

NG: Successful digital transformation requires a strategic leadership approach, as exemplified at Gameskraft. Key factors include a clear business-aligned vision, customer-centricity, data-driven decisions, agile IT infrastructure, robust cybersecurity, and collaborative partnerships. These strategies ensure a concise and holistic approach to organisational transformation.

SC: Our business thrives on complex supply chain operations, streamlined through technology. Digital transformation is vital, with technology and data science at our operational core. AWS has played a pivotal role in our growth, collaborating closely to develop our scalable AI-driven platform, addressing crucial business challenges throughout our value chain.