To celebrate and spread the message of women empowerment, several female leaders in the tech industry from across the globe attended the ET Femina Femtech 2023 which was conducted at the Taj Santacruz in Mumbai, and shared their thoughts along with unique personal life journeys. One such leader, Ashima Bajaj Seth, Global Head – IT Applications, UPL, sat down with ET Insights for an exclusive interview and shared her inspiring story.
Edited excerpts
Can you take us through your childhood schooling and lessons that you learned early on that have stayed with you till date?
My upbringing was in Delhi. So, I was born and brought up in Delhi and I studied at DPS RK Puram and did my bachelor’s in mathematics honours from Lady Shri Ram College. And later, I went on to do my Master’s in computer applications. The most important aspect of my upbringing was that my mother always insisted that her daughter should be financially independent. She was a homemaker, but she wanted her daughter to be independent. She believed that women should be financially independent. So, that was a very important life experience. And because of that I’ve always given special importance to education.
How has your upbringing impacted your attitude towards life both personally and professionally?
Global Head – IT,
UPL
So, I was focusing on education, but I was also into sports. I used to play soccer in my colony and I was the only girl playing soccer amongst boys. And my parents never stopped me from playing soccer as they wanted me to do well on every possible field. So, I would say that my parents’ backing boosted my confidence and led me to believe that I could do better at whatever I do.
How have you invested in yourself to keep your skills improving?
I believe in continuous learning. In life, if we stay as a student and as a continuous learner, then we will continue to grow. I finished my data and analytics course at IIT Mumbai last year. I didn’t mention this – but I did my MBA from SP Jain after marriage when my son was 6 months old. And of course, that was possible because of support from both families – mine and my husband’s. And thanks to their support, I could complete my MBA. Leaving my 6-month-old child at home and then going to college and studying was quite a challenge. Additionally, I received support from the college as well, since I was the only day scholar who was permitted. So, I would state that life has been a continuous learning process. And I would suggest to all the women out there to definitely invest in themselves if they want to grow in life.
