#ShareTheSpotlight: It takes a village to drive change: Sonia Khurana of Digitas India
Sonia Khurana, chief executive officer of Digitas India highlights introducing Publicis Groupe’s VivaWomen! to Digitas India. It is a programme designed to enable women to be successful at work.
Note to readers: Storyboard18's Share The Spotlight aims to highlight inspirational stories of women who continue breaking barriers and setting the precedent for other women marketers, entrepreneurs and communication specialists.
The initiative aims to kick off a movement where people from across these communities step up and share their spotlight with other women. They could be women in their team or any other team, a new group or previous one, from a past workplace or the current one.
Share The Spotlight calls on us all to come out and share words of praise and encouragement for each other, appreciating and acknowledging the contributions of so many people who make businesses, brands and workplaces better. Learn and understand how to face challenges and seize opportunities while bringing along others on the path to progress.
This is just the beginning of a long journey to spotlight individuals who are empowering others and bringing change and growth for all. Together we rise.
All achievements and failures look big at that moment. And then as time passes, they lose that lustre, feel a touch ordinary. The high from the wins lasts for a few hours/days until you move on to the next. It’s the feeling of that high that you try to own and retain, and since it’s unsurprisingly elusive, you then seek it through the next adventure/achievement.
“I still seek it, but I am more wholesome about the experience these days. I value the process, the teamwork, the thinking, the insights triggered, the feeling of the brain ticking, adding value to the client, seeing them happy… the process in its entirety offers a lingering aftertaste that I savor long after,” shares Sonia Khurana, chief operating officer at Digitas India.
Most recently, the big achievement that Khurana cherishes will undoubtedly be introducing Publicis Groupe's VivaWomen! to Digitas India. It's a programme aimed at enabling women to be successful at work. VivaWomen! is a project that focuses on key issues and encourages open discussions about personal experiences, navigating successful careers while maintaining a fulfilling personal life. Both current and future female employees are supported and nurtured through tailored training programs and networking opportunities.
“The first two initiatives have been a roaring success. But we still have a long, long way to go. And it’s in this context, Khurana shines the spotlight on Shweta Gopalakrishnan, VP – Diversity & Inclusion at the Publicis Groupe India, Sonika Suraj and Nidhi Mehta - her HR business partners. “It takes a village to drive change! Shweta, Nidhi and Sonika have been wonderful and such a joy to work with. Their commitment is contagious!,” Khurana says.
While addressing professional challenges, Khurana reveals “I feel a little vulnerable writing this but let me share. Not being able to hold onto good people and see them leave is something I take quite personally. Always leaves me wondering what I could have done better, different. They were part of creating that sustainable high, and there is a sense of deflation when they leave. But then new fresh faces come in, the energy rebuilds. That’s life, I guess.”
Know anyone you’d like to share the spotlight with? Join the movement, give them a shout-out on LinkedIn and tag Storyboard18 so we can take it forward.
