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Brilliant (business) woman

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Rohini Kappadath wins recognition for her corporate acumen at the Telstra Business Women Awards

Rohini Kappadath.Indian Link
Never sacrifice family life at the altar of corporate success becomes an interesting observation coming from Rohini Kappadath, the winner of the recently held Telstra Business Women Awards 2015. Rohini, the Director of Cross-Border Business at Pitcher Partners Consulting, was a finalist and winner in the Corporate and Private category from Victoria.
For Rohini it has been a hard fought journey, replete with compromises and setbacks, however winning this award is just the beginning.
“I enjoyed corporate success when I was very young, but then I had to rebuild my life again and the second time around I ensured that I took a scenic detour,” Rohini said. “I realised that success can come at a price and it taught me to navigate my career by striking a balance.”
Rohini’s children, 20 year old Ayesha, 11 year old Shiv and six year old Mia, are the three treasures that inspire her to achieve.
According to this proud mum and career woman, if you believe in yourself, are driven, focused and result oriented, then it doesn’t matter if you are not stuck to your desk every minute and you can command some flexibility to harmonise work and life.
Moving to Australia from India in 1987, Rohini holds a Master’s degree in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from Swinburne University.She has worked as Director of Cross-Border Business with Pitcher Partners for five years now, helping Australian clients to access Asia and facilitating Asian businesses to invest and grow business in Australia. She has many years of experience working with businesses in Australia, Asia, Japan, North America and New Zealand, helping them to grow and expand into new markets. Previously Rohini had achieved corporate success as the National Sales Manager and Managing Director of SAS Institute India.
“I have made many choices and compromises along the way to keep the balance between my family life and my career. I elected to take a step back, dialed down my professional life and chose not to rise through the ranks rapidly to raise kids.  During that time, I ran my own business that gave me the flexibility to work yet remain available for my children. It was only after my youngest was one that I started getting back into it,” Rohini explained, as she shared the story of her trajectory.
Rohini Kappadath.Indian Link
“In my current role I work with certain autonomy and the stakeholders are well aware that I can deliver results. There is still a lot I would like to achieve. I am currently involved with a social project that is very close to my heart,” Rohini said, with characteristic enthusiasm.
Without disclosing too much about the new venture which is still in its pre-launch stages, Rohini shared that it will disrupt the manner in which we share our pre-loved belongings. The Share Box will encourage redistribution of resources that are in excess to areas where there is a need for them.
Rohini is candid with her reply when asked about glass ceilings, particularly for women from multicultural backgrounds. According to Rohini an unconscious bias does exist in most professional services and firms, however, you need to navigate through it and rise above it without letting it come in the way of achieving your goals.
During her acceptance speech at the Telstra Business Women Awards, Rohini received tremendous applause for pointing out that according to a recent study Australia ranks 2nd as the best place in the world for female entrepreneurship.
“Australia has a very high calibre of women,” said Rohini. “There are so many examples of women starting their own ventures in Australia. The advancement of digital technology has enabled and empowered women to get ahead on their own terms with determination. This is a wonderful era for women in business.”
All Rohini’s opportunities have come from staying ahead of the curve. She encouraged all the enterprising women to get in early, as continued innovation by Australian businesswomen is critical to Australia’s economic and social future.
Without equal participation by women in creating and scaling businesses, countries like Australia will not be able to maintain the level of prosperity that they have enjoyed, Rohini concluded.
 
 

Preeti Jabbal
Preeti Jabbal
Preeti is the Melbourne Coordinator of Indian Link.

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