Meet one such glorious woman— Anwesa Sen, Global Head, Human Resources & Organisation Development at Geometric Ltd, a global engineering services firm. Anwesa, now in her late thirties, is a successful professional with over 14 years of experience in India and China, working across multiple facets of the HR function. Anwesa credits both her family and her working team for her success. She spoke to Corporate Citizen on the various phases of her life, from the beginning of her career, to the people- centric, open-culture policies of her company, to maintaining the balancing act between work and home, as also offering some advice to the job-hopping youth of today
You did your Masters in Neurophysiology followed by Post-Graduation in business administration (Human Resources)… how did the shift happen?
I come from a background where my dad was in the Ministry of Defence and mom an Economics professor. I have grown up seeing both of them dealing with people… both of them are people’s persons. Looking at them, their lives, I too decided that I wanted to deal with people, be a people’s person and so decided to do my post-graduation in Human Resources. If you look at it, neurophysiology deals with the nervous system of humans and in a way both are interrelated. It’s all about how you deal with people, how people react to certain stimuli, and so on.
Take us through your education and work.
I was born and bought up in Kolkata. I did my schooling from Frank Anthony Public School and Masters in Neurophysiology from Calcutta University. Later, I decided to pursue my post-graduate diploma in business administration (HR) from the Institute of Business Management & Research, Kolkata. I joined Geometric in 2007 from SunGard Availability Services, where I used to head the Central HR function. Prior to that, I spent four and a half years in China with the HR division of Shanghai American School. Before moving to China, I spent five years as the HR head for 3DPLM Software Solutions (a joint venture company of Geometric Limited and Dassault Systèmes). I have also been associated with the HR department of Affar Think Tech Technologies and 3P Consultants.
What was your first job like?
My first job was in Mumbai, in 1999, in the HR department of an IT Consultancy firm called 3P Consultants, where I dealt with recruitment. Life in Mumbai was tough. I still remember travelling by crowded trains to South Mumbai from Powai for recruitment. Mumbai was a new place for me, it was certainly challenging then…but was a different ball game altogether.
You’ve been associated with Geometric since the past seven years. How has your journey been? Take us through the different initiatives taken by you at Geometric?
It has been a wonderful journey. Thanks to my team who have helped me come so far. We are focused on employee engagement programmes at all levels, thereby giving our people a healthy, fun and learning environment. We are not only engaging with employees, but also reaching out to their families through various events and celebrations. We organise annual gala nights with families, Kids’ Day @ Work, Cricket Tournaments where families come out to cheer the teams. We also have an annual global painting competition called, ‘Little Geometrician’ wherein the kids of employees send in their paintings to us. We follow an open door policy. You can go up to anyone in the organisation and talk/give your views. We give our employees a lot of flexibility to work on other domains as well. We have had employees who have gone from pure techie roles to operations to becoming HR heads; or from operations to sales to finance. These endeavours ensure that we remain an employee friendly organisation.
How difficult is it to manage both work and home?
Well, it is really difficult. I am a mother of two daughters, one is nine and the other is three. I completely owe it to my husband, in-laws and parents who have supported me and helped me have a career. They often come over when I have to travel. By now, my children have also realised that ‘a working mom is a different animal to tackle.’ My elder daughter has accepted that she has a working mom and has come to terms with it; but my younger one still hasn’t. I have grown up with a working mother as well and I think that has made me more confident. It’s sometimes tough when I have to travel for work and also help my elder daughter finish her project work. It’s quite a task then! So yes, managing both fronts is difficult, but with the right support system and the right team you can do it. Just believe in yourself, have the self-confidence, and work hard.
Can you take us through your staff strength and expansion plans
We just celebrated our 20th anniversary last year. We have our offices spread across Asia Pacific, North America and Europe. In India, we recently opened an office in Hyderabad, about nine months ago. We will soon have offices in Bangalore and Chennai as well. We hire individuals as and when required, depending on the business demands. Typically, we go to campuses, use job portals or referrals for recruitment. In India, currently we have 2800 employees.
What has been your experience as a woman in the corporate world, especially in this so called ‘Macho’ IT sector?
As I come from the defence background and having studied in a co-ed school, I have grown up like a guy. I have always understood that one has to fight to make a place. I have always believed in myself and that’s what I keep telling my daughter as well. There’s no difference between a male and female employee, ultimately it’s the role that gets paid. We follow this culture at Geometric as well.
“ Young professionals are put to test after a thorough selection process and the ones coming out with flying colours become directly eligible for management level positions in the company”
What are the various programmes for employees?
We keep coming up with various development programmes for employees. We have this two-year programme called the Accelerated Techno Management programme (ATM) where we have tied up with the University of Virginia. ATM focuses on creating technical domain experts with management skills within Geometric. Young professionals are put to test after a thorough selection process and the ones coming out with flying colours become directly eligible for management level positions in the company, which otherwise would have taken them four to six more years to achieve. Participants here undertake a number of assignments, understand business from a closer perspective, and work with the leaders of the organisation.
How do you define your moment of glory?
I still remember when I was interviewing for Geometric (3DPLM). I was to be interviewed by someone else but then suddenly was asked to meet the CEO instead. I was so nervous that I goofed up by mispronouncing his name in the first few minutes of the meeting itself. I was sure I had lost my opportunity here, but as I was walking out I was told to wait and collect my appointment letter! That was truly a moment of glory. Even today, our CEO teases me saying he wanted to appoint a senior person for this role, but he chose me even though I mispronounced his name.
What is your idea of relaxation and holiday?
Work is hectic and I am travelling most of the time. But given a chance I would love to watch a movie or a game of cricket or football. I am a die-hard fan of MS Dhoni. Once a year, if my husband and I are both in town, we do a family trip to maybe Goa or some other destination. We used to catch up on all the latest movie until a few years ago but now it’s difficult. But I still try and catch up on movies while travelling.
Lastly, what do you think is the general trend of youngsters today, in terms of their capabilities, attitudes and willingness to stick on to a job?
Well, today’s youngsters get bored very easily. Hence, it is important to keep coming up with innovative ways to keep them engaged. We also come across many youngsters who keep changing jobs for money. They want to do interesting things & explore new areas. Social media plays an important role for most of them. Youngsters today need to be more stable and not changing jobs frequently. The grass is always green on the other side of the fence, but one must also see priorities and opportunities available for growth. Patience is the key.
By Neeraj Varty
