#SheHour is a step towards diversity & productive work place: Babita Baruah

From being an avid blogger to a published author, a roadie, a mother, and an advertiser, Babita Baruah has been an epitome of today’s women leaders and trend-setters. Baruah has been associated with J. Walter Thompson India for over two decades. She was recently entrusted with independent charge of JWT’s business unit – Power of One (PO1) – that handles a large number of PepsiCo’s flagship brands, crowning the role of Senior Vice President & Managing Partner and Head, PO1 JWT Delhi at present. 

Baruah is also part of the inaugural edition of DIGIXX Awads 2017, an initiative of Adgully in association with ad:tech. DIGIXX will be held during the ad:tech conference in Delhi on March 9 and 10, 2017. 

Beyond work, Baruah is actively engaged in mentoring students and women at work, speaking in industry forums, and is part of JWT’s Worldwide Diversity Council. She stands as an inspiration for all women and defines a women leader aptly in today’s ecosystem. Diversity in the workforce has become a necessity today, and more so in the leadership positions. It can’t be denied that women bring a high level of creativity and empathy while solving problems and handling crises. 

Involved in many women’s causes, Baruah has initiated the #SheHour session recently at her Delhi office in PO1, where women shared stories about Fitness and health, Parental love and responsibilities, Creative Expressions, Productivity at work, The power of networking, Diversity of ideas and more. The first session culminated on February 2, 2017. 

Commenting on the introductory session of #SheHour, Baruah told Adgully, “Our first session was extremely encouraging. It was an hour where everyone dropped designations and inhibitions. Fitness and health, creative expression, drive productivity at work, issues of family and parental responsibilities, how to get around them were just some of the many things on the table. The most important thing was the fact that we were together around one table, connecting beyond just work. That is the first step towards diversity and a productive work place.” 

Talking about the objective behind initiating #SheHour at PO1 and the other initiatives in place at JWT to further the cause of women empowerment in the agency, Roopa Badrinath, Chief Talent Officer, JWT South Asia, said, “#SheHour at J. Walter Thompson will be a networking platform for all women employees where they can connect on various issues - Sharing stories, Challenges, Opportunities. There are several initiatives to be launched this year to encourage and promote an inclusive work culture.” 

When asked about the plans to take forward the #SheHour initiative to encourage the women workforce in JWT after the first session, Badrinath said, “This will be an initiative which will be driven across J. Walter Thompson South Asia. The aim is to create a network where women leaders serve as inspiring role models. This initiative aspires to demystify the challenges by sharing compelling and powerful real life stories. The mantra at the moment is ‘For the women by the women’.” 

Baruah was Business Head in JWT Mumbai till July 2010, before moving to JWT Delhi. She worked on Nestle for two years before moving on to head PO1, an independent business unit for PepsiCo. Her portfolio has been extensive – Unilever brands, Godrej brands, Kotak brands, Aditya Birla Capital, Kingfisher Airlines, Diageo, Kelloggs, Wills, Bata, Emami, World Gold Council, De Beers, and Nokia. 

She blogs regularly on Advertising and takes guest lecture sessions in leading Indian management institutes like IIM, SP Jain, IIFT and MDI. Baruah is a first class economics graduate from Cotton College and holds a first class MBA degree in marketing from Gauhati University.

Advertising
@adgully

News in the domain of Advertising, Marketing, Media and Business of Entertainment

More in Advertising