Spirit W | A woman's ability to rise above pressures and perform needs to be saluted: Lodestar's Sujata Pawar

On a day when the women across the world are recognized and appreciated Adgully gets you the not so fairer sex from the Media world. Women's Day is here and so we get you a week full of women who may not be heading the agency sphere but are leading the pack in their own way.

Today we get you Sujata Pawar, General Manager, Lodestar UM and as she shares with us her role models, thoughts on the media industry and about that spirit of women that we all cherish.

Recalling about how she began her career, Pawar says, "After my post graduation, thanks to a friend who was in this business, I went for an interview to I B&W. It was in Mediacom & on Marico that I learnt the ropes of media planning & buying. Was fortunate enough to have worked with the biggies like - Jasmine Sohrabji, Harish Shriyan, Divya Gupta, Andre Purushotam, Shashi Sinha and Nandini Dias. To me media is quite challenging yet comfortable and that's probably why I always wanted to belong here."

Retrospecting she remembers some of her work that makes her really proud, she recalls how way back in 1999, while handling Marico, she and her team had proposed to Cartoon Network a CN Toons Awards show for Sil Jam. While the idea got executed the team clearly did not have enough money to put behind it. However which has now become an annual event with huge promotion and mileage.

Pawar further spiritedly adds, "On L'Oreal there have been many highs. In a market place dominated by HUL & P&G, in just 5 years we generated tremendous visibility by our unique approach of 'BEAT them where they don't expect'. On the basis of our understanding and syndicated software to back our gut, we backed the rather ignored channels on TV like Niche channels, news channels and English movie channels, especially when the whole world ran after GRPs & reach. On Print too, we ensured dominant mind space for L'Oreal Paris across a plethora of magazines for 5 years. Obviously L'Oreal's market share increased hugely from 0.2 to 5% + now."

So we ask her which of the women leaders have inspired her, she puts across a list which includes names like-

Savitribai Phule - the 1st Lady to teach Indian girls

Indira Gandhi 1st woman Prime Minister

Kiran Bedi - 1st woman to join IPS

Karnam Malleshwari ' 1st Indian woman weightlifter, Bronze medalist in 2000 Sydney Olympics

She further adds, "Many women have undertaken initiatives or taken up positions that have traditionally been dominated by men. Sometimes they have dared society and sometimes they have broken conventions. Of course they would have faced challenges internally and externally from family, friends and many unknown people. To be able to rise above all that pressure and still perform is a feat one needs to salute."

So are we to say that women have an edge over men in the media space?

Pawar smiles and says, "I think there was an era when media space was dominated by women. In recent times I think increasingly this ratio is balanced out. A higher percentage of women do have the ability to multi-task, a unique advantage."

However she feels that if there something that the media industry lacks organizationally than it is the fact that the Industry lacks the ability to get what is due to them for services rendered: Higher Fee. She thinks that most consultancies do the same job but are smart marketers. The hunger for more money is universal, but to drop fees to a new depth while acquiring business is in itself a defeatist approach. "Compromise then becomes the mantra. Given that compromise is the new approach on that specific business, it reflects on all people, structure, intellectual capability etc.," Pawar adds.

While signing off we ask her if she would want to suggest a change in the way she is perceived by her seniors or peers, and she says, "Most people, peers or senior associates who have worked with me know my strengths and weakness well. So am happy with regards to their perceptions about me. The rest of the world's perception is inconsequential!"

And to that shining spirit of women which says - "The rest of the world's perception is inconsequential!"- here's wishing all the homemakers, leaders of the corporate pack, college divas and any lady and every lady who adds the woo factor to a man's world-- Happy Women's Day! | By Prabha Hegde [prabha(at)adgully.com]