Atibhi Mehra of The Mobixpert speaks to SHEROES today

Last updated 2 Mar 2016 . 5 min read



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Atibhi Mehra launched The Mobixpert in 2015, a mobile services firm committed to providing clients with top class mobile experiences and scale in their marketing efforts. She has been writing about the mobile medium and is deeply committed towards driving the future course of the medium. She invests her time in educating the ecosystem through associations with education institutes and corporates.

She tells us about her venture and professional journey today,

Tell us about yourself

I am the youngest of 3 sisters. Growing up, our parents left no stone unturned to bring us up with a strong focus on setting high standards for ourselves, valuing education and good work ethics. After completing my MBA, I started my career in hospitality with the Taj group, before moving to the mobile domain with Vodafone (then Hutch), Yahoo! as a Regional Product Manager, Mobile for 5.5 years and then Mindshare, handling mobile advertising for APAC. After 15 years of corporate life, I consciously made a shift to start off on my own, to focus on areas I am passionate about professionally as well as personally. Though I work much harder than before, being on my own gives me the flexibility I was seeking and work I totally enjoy doing.

What is a typical day at work like for you?

I divide my day very rigidly between work, my son & family and some personal time, to a point that I am extremely ruthless in cutting off other distractions unless the circumstances do not permit. This compartmentalization and prioritization is what has worked for me and helped me in achieving all my goals. A typical work day for me starts at @8:30 am, out of a business center. At work also I dedicate time towards business development, current assignments and skill development. I am deeply committed to finding ways to drive the future course of the mobile medium, so I make sure that I invest some time in educating myself on mobile through my association with education institutes and corporates. 

Evenings are always dedicated to my son and a fitness routine. I get back to reading & work at night only once my son is asleep.

What helps you plan for yourself and professionally with so many things to juggle?

My 12 years of Buddhist philosophy helps me stay in course, taking corrective measures, expanding myself and others capabilities and dealing with challenges. When I am 70 with one foot in the grave;) , my life’s measure of success will be - Did I Live , Did I Love and Did I matter, I lapped my motto from a video I came across of Brendon Burchard . So I attempt to truly live each day by navigating my life towards the course I want it to take, unconditionally being there for people who matter and making an impact by attempting to be a role model especially for women, who at times tend to confine and limit themselves.

In the capacity of Chief Product Officer at Butterfly, what are the key challenges you face at the workplace?

The biggest challenge is companies, especially startups, hiring great technical and business talent, totally negating the importance of having professionals with product and design background. So I am usually approached once the product needs a complete overhaul, going back to the drawing board and this is often met with resistance internally.

It is also a challenge juggling work and other priorities but i manage that by following an open and honest approach, taking up few assignments at any given point in time so that i am deeply committed and can add tremendous value .

When it comes to the concept of "women at the workplace" - what do you feel companies need to do to boost more participation?

We know the largest dropouts among women workforce is post a child and companies can do a lot in the areas of provision of flexible working hours, child caretaking facilities and skill development. There is a shift in thinking required, placing importance on a clear set of deliverables rather than a number-of-hours approach, support in providing facilities for childcare also really help. I see many women starting to lack confidence when they get back to work as they are unable to attend post office hours meet ups, lack networking opportunities and are unable to keep with the performance norms set by companies. That’s where skill development, productivity enhancements tools will help in their growth.

Any thoughts you would like to leave our readers with?

  1. Set goals for yourself, never shortchange your goals 
  2. Learn the “art of asking”, without hesitation or ego just ask for support from family, friends, spouse, boss.   If you don’t  ask , the answer will always be no! Usually people are always willing to help
  3. Ruthlessly prioritise your day, your week, your month. Don’t  be afraid to let go of tasks, social engagements, people who take more of you and come in your way of things that matter
  4. Learn to compartmentalise, multi-tasking may not always be a good trait to follow by women;)
  5. Give back to the society / community , wether it is monetarily or with your time. it never goes waste 

atibhimehra
SHEROES
SHEROES - lives and stories of women we are and we want to be. Connecting the dots. Moving the needle. Also world's largest community of women, based out of India. Meet us at www.sheroes.in @SHEROESIndia facebook.com/SHEROESIndia


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