A relatively early marriage did not deter Neha Batra from pursuing her dreams. Instead, with the help of her husband, she began her own venture in the 90s. Today, she is one of the few women making her presence felt in the IT industry

Background: Neha Batra just graduated from Delhi University in 1986 when she tied the knot with her husband. However, marriage never posed as a roadblock when it came to fulfilling her aspirations. After her marriage, she completed a management course from the Delhi University and with the support of her husband, who was then a civil servant, she started her own venture. Be it meeting key clients or taking relevant business decisions, Batra's journey and experiences in the industry has taught her enough about the tricks of the trade.

“My life is full of pleasantly surprising incidents. I had never imagined that I would work after marriage. But then I had an earnest desire to achieve something in life. During my college years, I dreamed of doing something creative and IT featured nowhere in the picture,” recalled Batra.

First lady: As the Director of Mayanks IT Solution's, Batra is responsible for managing and controlling the entire organization. From interacting with customers and concentrating on vendor tie-ups, she plays a crucial role in running the organization.

“Mayank's is essentially a system integration company and has been working with brands including IBM, HP, Microsoft, Cisco and Linksys. We deliver all kinds of IT solutions right from servers to data center solutions,” said Batra

“This is a challenging period and thus we need to focus on customer relations­hips and understand their needs and demands. Slowdown is a part of the economic cycle and we have to learn to deal with it and keep moving forward,” she added.

Challenges galore: Before Mayank's IT Solutions came into being in 2006, the company was known as Mayank Computer Hut. After its registration as a private limited company in 1996, it was renamed Mayank's IT Solutions.

Batra has been in this business for the past 18 years and has witnessed several highs and lows. Previously, the company distributed peripherals and Mayank's was working with Godrej distribution. Its association with Godrej helped Mayank's to garner key clients including Digital Equipment, HP and other leading brands. Within one year of this tie up Mayank's picked up good orders from Alpha Servers.

However, when the IT industry experienced a slump in early 2000, Mayank's IT Solutions was affected as well. The slowdown, however, did not affect Batra's confidence in herself and hence she concentrated on executing government contracts. Due to lack of experience in this sphere, the company was unable to achieve success here. This resulted in the company opting for a new business strategy, in which Batra ensured that some new brands were added to Mayank's product portfolio. Mayank's had earlier been working for IT and ITeS brands only. However, later the company also included other brands such as APC to offer data center solutions.

“We expanded our relationship with HP and also started concentrating more on FMS and on-site solutions. Today, the customers that we have been working with are still sticking to us, because of the level of services that we have been able to provide them. One needs to understand the demand of the market at the right time and then capitalize and respond to it immediately. Only then can one survive in the market,” reiterated Batra.

Strengths: Batra is blessed with a son and daughter. She believes that her family is her strength. Though there are times when she repents not having spent enough time with her kids when they were growing up, she finds solace knowing that she has an emotional bond with her children. “Both my children understand why I was unable to spend quality time with them and they have never complained. They are very sensible and are emotionally attached to me. If I am depressed or overworked, my children help me in overcoming the situation,” emphasized Batra.

Hobbies: Batra is fond of cooking and takes over the kitchen when she is free. She is good at cooking Indian dishes and gardening is yet another activity that she indulges in. “I had a limited circle of friends while I was growing up and now when my old friends meet me, they never stop wondering. While they are all busy housewives, I am a busy working woman,” chuckled Batra.

Future Plans: Though she is a business woman, Batra does not believe in setting goals for herself. She rather has a different take on future plans. “Every day I get up I tell myself that I need to keep moving forward. I don't know where destiny will take me. I believe in having a deep understanding of the current situation and putting in hard work. This is what keeps me going,” concluded Batra.

Pooja sharma
poojas@cybermedia.co.in

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