Leaders

Achieving sustained success in the current ultra-competitive and rapidly changing environment is no easy task. With new trends constantly emerging in the market, having the right team that can lead the organization through such developments is crucial for businesses to succeed. Rikta Doshi, Head – Special Projects and New Initiatives (MD’s Office), at Nodwin Gaming is one such pioneering leader who has been able to successfully navigate strategic programs at various organizations that she has been a part of.

In her career, Rikta has worked across roles like strategy and new initiatives within the Founder/CEO’s office. This has helped her gain expertise in structured problem solving, cross-functional collaboration, and leading key projects in the zero to one phase. In an exclusive interview with Women Entrepreneur, Rikta talks more about her professional journey and how she continues to achieve success in her career.

How did your Alma Mater, ISB impact your growth as an individual and as a business leader?

I pursued my MBA early on in my professional life which gave me a head start in my career post-MBA and gave me the chance to align myself to organizational priorities. As a business leader, the one year at ISB gave me a perspective on various industries, the skills to tackle business challenges and a very responsive and helpful alumni network. As an individual, ISB taught me the importance of prioritizing time management and gave me a community to grow with.

Throw some light on the prior industry experience that you bring to the table.

Pre MBA, I was a credit ratings analyst with CRISIL and I believe that I still carry the analyst gene in my DNA. Post MBA, I have been a part of a media conglomerate, a consumer tech start-up and now a gaming and esports company. My roles throughout these companies have been in very close proximity to the Founder/CEO and focused on strategic priorities for the company. What I bring to the table therefore is the ability to identify the internal and external challenges facing the organization, liaise with stakeholders to develop a response plan and collaborate across functions to implement it.

In your career, what are some of the major projects that you have been a part of. Also, what is your success mantra?

At Viacom 18, I was part of the strategy team identifying emerging market trends and advising the CEO on how to capitalize on relevant opportunities. That’s how I came about to work in the team that incubated esports at Viacom18. This allowed me the opportunity to bring structure to an ambiguous plan and collaborate with stakeholders inside and outside the organization to bring the plan to fruition.

"Throughout my professional journey, i have over-indexed on collaborating with other teams in the organization. I believe that cooperation and alignment to a goal are crucial to achieve success"

At Bounce, which is a dockless scooter solution operating out of Bangalore, I was introduced to the consumer internet space. Here, I worked to revamp our customer care division. With the help of the product team, we were able to upgrade our app into a selfservice app which assisted the customers in finding a speedy resolution to their grievance. This had a drastic impact on both the customer satisfaction and the cost incurred by the company on consumer care. Now at Nodwin Gaming, I’m setting up the data and analytics team with a view to drive business decisions and counter challenges faced by us. Using data to unlock insights into customer behavior and to monitor metrics real-time are the things I’m very excited about.

Throughout my professional journey, I have over-indexed on collaborating with other teams in the organization. I believe that cooperation and alignment to a goal are crucial to achieve success.

How important is it for business professionals to stay updated with evolving industry trends? What steps do you take to align yourself with industry trends?

As leaders who take decisions that significantly impact the organization, it is likely impossible to thrive without staying informed about the industry. While there is no one formula to do this, I use a variety of tools from google alerts to podcasts and well researched articles. The ISB network is also very helpful in this regard owing to various knowledge sharing and brainstorming sessions between alumni.

Rikta Doshi, Head – Special Projects & New Initiatives (Md’s Office), Nodwin Gaming

Rikta aspires to be a trail blazer in the industry and her advice for aspiring women business leaders is – ‘Figure out what success means to you and be relentless in its pursuit. Tap into your support system to keep going. Just do not give up’.