Aatm Nirbhar Women’s Association Trust (ANWA) is the non-profit wing of Aatm Nirbhar working on building an ecosystem that supports, guides, and inspires entrepreneurial women. Recently ANWA team awarded our CEO, Rachita Sharma with the ‘Most Promising Women in IT Award’ and interviewed her to share the vision of impacting lives through Girl Power Talk.
ANWA: Please tell us about yourself.
Rachita Sharma is the Co-founder of Girl Power Talk & Chief Marketing Officer at Blue Ocean Global Technology. Rachita specializes in helping clients achieve digital transformation and elevate their online reputations. She leads strategic partnerships with PR firms and digital marketing agencies. Rachita is passionate about fostering an entrepreneurial culture for tomorrow’s leaders that rewards integrity and innovation. She serves as the Regional Chairperson for the All Ladies League (ALL), the largest network for women with over 70,000 members in 150 countries.
ANWA: Share more about your business.
Girl Power Talk strives to inspire girls with persistence, empathy, and confidence. We empower young women (and men) with merit-based opportunities to grow and achieve their full potential. In collaboration with our sister company, Blue Ocean Global Technology, we develop girls in India to become global leaders. We are relentlessly committed to education, gender equality, and integrating the strengths of specially-abled communities. We celebrate the diverse talents of each team member.
Through our nurturing culture of learning and mentorship, we instil young people with exceptional soft-skills, technical knowledge, and purpose in life. We provide a platform to share the voices and stories of girls and women across India. #GirlPowerTalk
“One girl empowers another. Let’s change lives together: one girl, one woman and one human being at a time.”
Blue Ocean Global Technology is the New York-based sister company of Girl Power Talk. We collaborate to proactively build, monitor, and repair digital reputations. We create and promote top digital assets that accelerate the growth of brand equity. We consult on digital transformation and provide comprehensive reputation management services, which often includes implementation through Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Social Media Marketing (SMM), and web development. When an individual or organization faces crisis, legal or PR issues on the internet, we specialize in mitigating the impact of the defamatory content and creating a positive narrative. Blue Ocean Global Technology serves both clients directly and an exclusive group of PR, Law, Digital Marketing, and Web-Development agency partners.
“Future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams” — Eleanor Roosevelt
I have always been passionate about serving as a voice to those don’t have one. My life’s mission is to be an agent of change by providing young women more opportunities and a better path for achieving their full potential. Girl Power Talks is our vision in action:
- Build an organization with a moral fabric for doing good in the world.
- Catalyze changes through the growth and development of each young adult that joins our community.
- Provide women with a platform to celebrate their successes and amplify their voice.
- Offer education to inspire innovation and eradicate stereotypes.
- Grow an innovative technology company into a case study for digital transformation.I started my career at the age of 20 under the mentorship of Blue Ocean Global Technology’s Co-Founder, Sameer Somal. Technology pervades all spheres of our lives and we are increasingly dependent upon it. Our goal was to help clients make optimal technology decision. We empower people with the knowledge to thrive in the face of the digital revolution. Our commitment to education includes thought leadership and speaking engagements at conferences. I formed Girl Power Talk to align with Blue Ocean Global Technology’s commitment to gender diversity across global communities.
ANWA: What have been some of your achievements in your professional life?
I am at a very early stage in my professional life. I have founded a company in Girl Power Talk that is growing and making a difference in the lives of young people in India. The fact that I have started realizing my vision to integrate purpose with my entrepreneurial passion is my greatest achievement to date. I hope my journey inspires other young women and men to not settle for a job and follow the purpose in their hearts.
ANWA: What is the difference you have made to others?
As a key leader & CEO, I am responsible and involved in almost everything. While at times the demands of operating and building a company can be a challenge, I have learned to put my energy where it matters the most. For me, that is creating a strong vision and having true alignment amongst our growing team. To do that, you have to genuinely care about someone and invest the time to develop a real friendship. Naturally, this special bond is built on a foundation of mutual trust. We don’t just hire people that fit a particular job role, but rather identify through interviews the ones that actually share in our company values. We then empower each leader to do their best work and contribute in ways that transcend the barriers set by their traditional course of study. We recognize the importance of gender equality and seek to attract those with extraordinary potential.
India is a country with a disproportionately large young population. Naturally, this presents both advantages and disadvantages. Regretfully, the demographic dividend results in bright young adults struggling to find meaningful work opportunities. Because they are so easily replaceable, few graduates receive offers from an entrepreneurial culture or one that invests in their personal development. We hire, nurture and help these young people to build confidence and interpersonal skills. We collaborate to discuss and then implement their creative ideas. We change lives one person at a time. This is the true mission of Girl Power Talk.
Additionally, we hold workshops in villages for primary school students. Our interaction motivates young girls to pursue studying and follow their dreams for a better life. We strongly believe that this mindset and guidance received at a young age supports how girls pursue their ambitions. We also hire young women from colleges across India. We start by providing them with remote opportunities to contribute and interact with our global team. This interaction helps us better identify who may be a long-term fit for joining us full-time.
Our organization is committed to featuring other impactful organizations and how they are making the world a better place. We proactively reach out to women business owners and leaders to learn about their challenges and support them. Our Instagram and social media highlight stories of strong women around India. We are building a global community to engage more people, celebrate the success of women and support our relentless commitment to developing girls to become tomorrow’s leaders.
ANWA: What do you want to be acknowledged for?
As a woman who is committed to paying forward opportunities, I have an abundance mentality in sharing all that I have learned for others to benefit from my mistakes. I am dedicated to changing the trajectory and opportunity set for the brightest young minds in India for decades to come. I stand by what is right and am not afraid of questioning the wrong decisions or established practices of society. I have learned that failure and mistakes happen, through trial and error, one must always move forward.
I shall never give up on the dreams of all those who are Girl Power Talk. I recognize that my end goals are a life’s work and feel humbled to be at the beginning of this journey. I dream of building a better world, one where purpose and profit are harmonized. My aim is to curate an ecosystem where ideas, appreciation, inspiration, optimism, and equality are the standard. Girl Power Talk is where the seeds of future dreams are sown.
ANWA: Anything else you wish to share
“Investment in knowledge pays the best interest” — Benjamin Franklin
Through my conversations with many friends and acquaintances working across industries, I have an acute appreciation for why our special culture is needed. In most countries, but especially in India, the individual works at a company to fit in a particular job role and function. That is their sole focus and it usually becomes quite mundane. It is an incredible honour to now be in a position to patiently build an organization where everyone works hard to invest in their minds. We care about one another and are a family. We have a focus on actually bringing out the best in one another. We celebrate the contributions of each individual.
Originally published at https://girlpowertalk.com on April 22, 2020.