Freedom is always there with Poornima Shenoy

In this conversation - as part of the Women’s month in 2022 - Shiv is in conversation with Poornima Shenoy, CEO - Hummingbird Advisors.

Poornima shares her thoughts and experiences related to:

• Wanting to be in advertising when she started to work 30 years ago
• Starting her own company - Nexus - into recruitment and getting Wipro and Infosys as their first customers
• How the IT industry grew by attracting people with non IT backgrounds and how passion and integrity were the key skills that helped them succeed
• How her gut has always played a key role in her success - a combination of hard work and some luck
• Not sure if you can develop your gut, no substitute for hard work
• Her career in three phases : entrepreneur, Corporate world - for profit companies, not-for-profit world NASSCOM Semiconductor Association, 
• Her experience in setting up the India Semiconductor Association, a first of its kind in India
• Her perception of differences between software and hardware professionals, without stereotyping
• Entry of women into the sector is not so much of a problem as it is to retain them in the sector
• WFH: problem to find physical space for people who live in shared spaces’ but it is a plus when people needed to run around to manage day to day chores
• There are benefits that come with a corporate job; but, as an entrepreneur, nothing can be taken for granted to enable switching off
• First time entrepreneurship was because she could not get along with her boss
• Women should not hesitate to talk about money: salary, funding, accounts etc
• About her book for women entrepreneurs: wanting to write from her teenage years, but kept postponing it after some other milestone
• Name of the book: ‘Accelerating her business’
• Her experience in getting funding as a woman entrepreneur
• Starting conversations first with your family

Poornima Shenoy Is the CEO of Hummingbird Advisors which works with young companies. She is on the Boards of 4 companies –Dixon, NSEIT, Co-Forge BPM, and Padget Electronics. She is a TiE Charter Member and a British Chevening Scholar. 

Poornima is the Co-author of Accelerating Her Business which focuses on women's entrepreneurship.She lives in Bangalore with her family.

Twitter:@PornimaShenoy

linkedin.com/in/poornimashenoy

Email: poornimashenoy0@gmail.com