I’m Sheenam Ohrie, Vice President of Dell Digital, and this is how I Lead from Within
Sheenam Ohrie’s professional journey is defined by taking on roles that offer her something new, and charting into territories that are not her area of expertise – all in a quest to learn. Vice President, Dell Digital and CIO Leader, APJ at Dell Technologies, Ohrie has had an illustrious career of over 27 years in the corporate world. Resilient, empathetic and a champion of doing what is right, her insights are relatable and illuminating.
My Defining Moments
> I started my career with a walk-in interview for a startup called Citicorp Information Technology Industries Limited (CITIL), an offshoot of the Citicorp Overseas Software Limited, which was the captive for Citibank. I was among the 25 candidates that joined CITIL, rounding off the company size to 40 employees. My learning at that job set the foundation for me to be a strong, confident and hardworking professional.
> The second defining moment for me was when my son, Adi was two years old and my husband, Alok got a work opportunity in Mumbai. Since Adi had gotten admission in a good daycare Montessori, I decided to stay back in Bangalore and Alok would move to Mumbai for about a year and a half. During this period, my son enquired if I too would leave him like his father. This is when I understood the impact Alok’s move had made on our child. I assured my son that I would never leave him, till he feels comfortable with me travelling to other cities and I informed my manager about this too.
I felt immense guilt throughout, since I was working for a young software company where implementation is the core business and we all had to be onsite. To compensate for this, I offered to do everything that needed to be done offshore – building test organizations, building support organizations, undertaking development, executing interfaces. The choice I made gave me an opportunity to learn more and at a faster pace than any of my peers. I did not anticipate this but it definitely gave me an edge.
> In 2004, when I finally travelled, it was to convert a red customer in Canada, to green. I had never seen a customer site before, but my manager’s confidence and belief in me was more than I had in myself. I’m so grateful for it because it made me feel like I could take on any challenge. And I did take it on and converted the customer to green. That was probably the biggest defining moment of my career and I haven’t looked back since.
Onwards to Greater Learning
In 2006, I began to look out with the dream to work with a small company and help build it. I joined Business Objects, later acquired by SAP, which was a huge change from my previous work experience. It had a more global focus and hence different roles and technologies to learn. It was super interesting.
Almost eight years later, after having served in many senior positions at SAP, I began to look for a new opportunity, which is when Infosys and EdgeVerve happened. I went from being VP Strategy at SAP, where I did not have to manage any teams, to leading 3,800 people at a global P&L organisation. The move to Infosys made me a well-rounded leader by giving me a composite view of how to run a company.
And finally, my current role where I lead mobility and date for Dell Digital, was again a result of striving to do what I hadn’t yet experienced professionally. I’m so excited to be here because every day is a new learning experience, and I’m learning at a pace that I never have before.
On Priorities
At different junctures in life, you will need to make choices based on your current priorities. This choice will be the right thing to do; one that will drive the happiness of your ecosystem. At some point your career will take precedence, at others your family might. When I was offered a hugely demanding role like the one at Infosys, I knew I could take it on because Adi was moving out for college. I knew I’d have more time and fewer family demands. You get to decide what is important for you at every stage of your life, and then treat that as your priority.
On Resilience
> Both my parents are Virgos; they are perfectionists and persistent. The one thing that I have imbibed from observing them is how not to give up. I learnt to define my priorities and uphold them, and to pick my battles and fight them till the very end.
> I’m stubborn but I see it more as clarity of intention, which is important to do anything in life. In my very first meeting and conversation with Alok, my husband, I told him that my career is important to me and so I alone will decide how long I work and when I decide to quit.
My Core Values
> Trust, integrity, honesty: Doing the right thing, and ensuring that you and your brand are synonymous with it, goes a long way. The right thing could be different at different points in time but if people know that you operate with fairness, honesty, integrity and transparency, you will be trusted – and that is paramount for me.
> Empathy: If you’re able to relate to the people you work with, they are more open to your ideas and willing to work on them. To me, empathy is crucial for running a strong and happy organisation, and that’s the culture I always try to build.
Diversity and Inclusion: Then and Now
When I started out, there was no concept of diversity. Back in 1992, there were hardly any women in engineering and tech colleges, who could later join the workforce. Diversity became the buzzword in organisations around 2009-10. Companies wanted to open up vacancies, especially for women and give them promotions but because all this was so sudden, women would often shy away from such opportunities.
Today, bringing women into the workforce is not a concern; retaining them is. We are no longer asking “why women” or “why diversity”. We are channelling our energies and resources into training and flourishing women employees, into increasing the number of women in executive positions and C-suites. The conversation is entirely different now.
Advice for Young Women
> Your happiness matters: As a woman, it’s likely that you will be the fulcrum of more than one home – your parents, your in-laws, may be even your children’s home. The multiple roles that you play of a mother, wife, daughter, daughter-in-law, sister and friend, are affected by your state of being. So it’s important that you stay happy. Find what makes you happy and have the courage and conviction to follow that path.
> Make yourself visible: You must have compelling technical skills but it’s also simultaneously important to build your brand. Read a lot and network with other women whom you can learn from. Be aware of your strengths and seek opportunities where you can shine. When opportunities come your way, grab them – it’s your responsibility to build your career, no one else’s.
> Act like a woman: Don’t try to mask any of the traits that make you a woman – that’s the unique perspective that you bring to the table and that’s why you are needed in the organisation. At the same time, recognise the challenges that come with being a woman. If you can’t meet a client for dinner, set up a lunch/coffee appointment. Being aware of the limitations will help you tremendously in working around them instead of getting discouraged at the seeming lack of opportunity.
My Energisers
I like my work so at a principle level, I’m motivated. But there are the days when a conversation, a meeting or a remark can bring me down. I think it’s important to recognise when something like this happens; I always acknowledge such a dip in my mood and energy. I have a few stress busters:
> I go shopping. It’s a way for me to pamper myself.
> When I’m low for a few days in a row, I go to the spa and get a massage.
> I read a lot, I catch a movie pretty often, I go out for dinner at least once a week – basically, I include slots in my week for letting my hair down and just being myself.
> I try and catch up with friends at least once a month.
