Name: Ritu Gupta
Age: 41 years
City: Gurgaon, India
Occupation: Co-founder and COO, Trak N Tell
ST: Please tell us briefly about you.
Ritu: I
am the Co-Founder and COO of Trak N Tell, a Gurgaon-based IoT services company
that provides sophisticated vehicle telematics solutions. I am a seasoned
professional with proven expertise in various fields, and oversee sales,
marketing, finance, administration, and procurement at Trak N Tell.
am the Co-Founder and COO of Trak N Tell, a Gurgaon-based IoT services company
that provides sophisticated vehicle telematics solutions. I am a seasoned
professional with proven expertise in various fields, and oversee sales,
marketing, finance, administration, and procurement at Trak N Tell.
I graduated in law and moved into
working at Bank of America, where I worked as a Team Leader for managing the
accounts of HNIs and supervised client relations. I had an exceptional track
record there and was awarded for achieving the highest retention of HNI clients
amongst all my peers. In 2010, I helped launch the company with Pranshu Gupta,
and together we sought to use IoT and telematics technology to make vehicles
safer and more secure.
working at Bank of America, where I worked as a Team Leader for managing the
accounts of HNIs and supervised client relations. I had an exceptional track
record there and was awarded for achieving the highest retention of HNI clients
amongst all my peers. In 2010, I helped launch the company with Pranshu Gupta,
and together we sought to use IoT and telematics technology to make vehicles
safer and more secure.
Today, I am a proud entrepreneur, a
dynamic hustler, and someone who strives to excel. When I’m not working, I
enjoy practicing yoga and traveling to explore offbeat destinations.
dynamic hustler, and someone who strives to excel. When I’m not working, I
enjoy practicing yoga and traveling to explore offbeat destinations.
ST: Who is a woman that inspires you the most and why?
Ritu: My
mother is my constant source of inspiration. Brought up in a different time and
a different, less egalitarian society, she still was possessed by the
entrepreneurial spirit. She found the time, energy, patience, and drive to
simultaneously manage the demands of her family life while pursuing her
professional dreams. She miraculously set a perfect example of balancing home
and work life, in a way that women are still looking to find today.
mother is my constant source of inspiration. Brought up in a different time and
a different, less egalitarian society, she still was possessed by the
entrepreneurial spirit. She found the time, energy, patience, and drive to
simultaneously manage the demands of her family life while pursuing her
professional dreams. She miraculously set a perfect example of balancing home
and work life, in a way that women are still looking to find today.
She inspires me because even today,
these things are difficult. Technology helps, and society has become more
accepting. Accomplishing all that she did in her time must have taken
astronomical effort and focus. I am absolutely certain that if not for her and
the example she set, I’d never have been able to come this far. She helped me
appreciate the value of following one’s dream, being financially independent,
and never letting anyone tell us that something was impossible to achieve.
Actually, that’s what she did. Every single day, she accomplished the
impossible. And this is what inspires me to strive for the same today.
these things are difficult. Technology helps, and society has become more
accepting. Accomplishing all that she did in her time must have taken
astronomical effort and focus. I am absolutely certain that if not for her and
the example she set, I’d never have been able to come this far. She helped me
appreciate the value of following one’s dream, being financially independent,
and never letting anyone tell us that something was impossible to achieve.
Actually, that’s what she did. Every single day, she accomplished the
impossible. And this is what inspires me to strive for the same today.
ST: How are you celebrating this year’s International Women’s Day?
Ritu: The
same way my mother always did, even before International Women’s Day was an
acknowledged event – I’ll go to the offices of Trak N Tell, where my team and I
are constantly searching for ways to make our customer’s lives better. However,
I will be more aware of the shoulders of the giants I stand on – the pioneering
women that stood up to patriarchy and helped break down the barriers so we can
go to work and be independent today. I’ll make it a point at the end of the day
to remind myself to never forget their contribution to my life, and to the
lives of the millions of other women today, for whom education and financial
independence are avenues and opportunities, not assets from which they are
barred.
same way my mother always did, even before International Women’s Day was an
acknowledged event – I’ll go to the offices of Trak N Tell, where my team and I
are constantly searching for ways to make our customer’s lives better. However,
I will be more aware of the shoulders of the giants I stand on – the pioneering
women that stood up to patriarchy and helped break down the barriers so we can
go to work and be independent today. I’ll make it a point at the end of the day
to remind myself to never forget their contribution to my life, and to the
lives of the millions of other women today, for whom education and financial
independence are avenues and opportunities, not assets from which they are
barred.
ST: What is the most important message you want to send out to all the
women around the world on this occasion?
women around the world on this occasion?
Ritu: That
today, you are stuck between two worlds. One which claims that your
emancipation shall come only through professional success. The second presumes
that the household is your sole responsibility. Following your heart and doing
your duty are powerful motivators, and what is one to do when they pull in
opposite directions? Too many women today are overwhelmed, placing unreasonably
high expectations upon themselves. They are trying too hard to match an
idealized notion of what they are supposed to be and what they are supposed to
be doing. Don’t feel guilty if you’re not a perfectionist. Running a house,
working, bringing up children – these are difficult tasks. We should strive to
do our best and if at times we leave loose ends, that’s fine. The important
thing is for us to be happy; and that is best achieved when you spread
happiness.
today, you are stuck between two worlds. One which claims that your
emancipation shall come only through professional success. The second presumes
that the household is your sole responsibility. Following your heart and doing
your duty are powerful motivators, and what is one to do when they pull in
opposite directions? Too many women today are overwhelmed, placing unreasonably
high expectations upon themselves. They are trying too hard to match an
idealized notion of what they are supposed to be and what they are supposed to
be doing. Don’t feel guilty if you’re not a perfectionist. Running a house,
working, bringing up children – these are difficult tasks. We should strive to
do our best and if at times we leave loose ends, that’s fine. The important
thing is for us to be happy; and that is best achieved when you spread
happiness.
ST: What according to you is ‘women empowerment’?
Ritu: Women
empowerment is enabling women to make the choices and decisions for themselves,
their own lives, and their career in a manner that suits their interests and
value systems. For too long have women been constrained by social and cultural
norms that limit their ability to do the things that they would enjoy the most.
Women shouldn’t unnecessarily have to sacrifice themselves or their aspirations
at the altar of what society wants of them.
empowerment is enabling women to make the choices and decisions for themselves,
their own lives, and their career in a manner that suits their interests and
value systems. For too long have women been constrained by social and cultural
norms that limit their ability to do the things that they would enjoy the most.
Women shouldn’t unnecessarily have to sacrifice themselves or their aspirations
at the altar of what society wants of them.
ST: What would you say are the main challenges facing women at present
in India?
in India?
Ritu: The
biggest challenge for women in India at present is the irrational preference
amongst parents for a male child. This leads to a bevy of existential
challenges,like the deplorable practice of female foeticide. Caused by India’s
problematic societal preference for boys, it results in millions of missing
women. The government’s own statisticians suggest that it’s 63 million women
who are missing. Amartya Sen indicated that it was nearly a 100 million many
years ago. Then, even where they are born, they are often treated as
second-class citizens. They get little access to education or other social
capital, leaving them completely dependent and vulnerable. As adults, they are
treated as an inconvenience, married off, and mostly seen as a source of
immense expense due to weddings and the like.
biggest challenge for women in India at present is the irrational preference
amongst parents for a male child. This leads to a bevy of existential
challenges,like the deplorable practice of female foeticide. Caused by India’s
problematic societal preference for boys, it results in millions of missing
women. The government’s own statisticians suggest that it’s 63 million women
who are missing. Amartya Sen indicated that it was nearly a 100 million many
years ago. Then, even where they are born, they are often treated as
second-class citizens. They get little access to education or other social
capital, leaving them completely dependent and vulnerable. As adults, they are
treated as an inconvenience, married off, and mostly seen as a source of
immense expense due to weddings and the like.
ST: Where do you want to see yourself in next 5 years?
Ritu: Expanding
Trak N Tell across various different international markets and becoming the
leading exponent of effective IoT experiences.
Trak N Tell across various different international markets and becoming the
leading exponent of effective IoT experiences.
 |
| Ritu Gupta, Co-founder and COO, Trak N Tell |
