International Women's Day Interview: Srividya Kannan, Founder - Director, Avaali Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Name: Srividya Kannan

Occupation: Founder – Director, Avaali Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

ST: Please tell us briefly about you.

Srividya: I run Avaali Solutions which is a five-year old consulting and
technology services company specializing in Information Management solutions
for large enterprises. I also run a publication called Illuminar. Illuminar is
a digital enterprise digest, a monthly publication that focuses on digital
transformation topics for B2B audiences and CXO’s worldwide. We circulate it
monthly to about 20000+ audiences. I also run Avaali Academy where we work with
universities and SI’s to plug the digital skill gap.

I’ve got a finance background and did diverse stints with large
organizations before starting Avaali. Amongst my diverse experiences include
financial services, collection management, innovation, business finance,
technology sales, managing partner ecosystem, business operations, field
training and enablement etc.

I’m blessed with a very loving family. My husband, my daughter,
my father and my pet dog make my world.

ST: Who is a woman that inspires you the most and why?

Srividya: There are
several women who highly inspire me. From business, sports, entertainment and
spirituality, there are so many women achievers and their stories are each,
very powerful and energizing. My mother continues to be my role model for her
zeal towards life, her never say die attitude and sheer energy. She stood by my
side and encouraged me at all times. She made me what I am today and I am ever
grateful for that.

ST: How are you celebrating this year’s International Women’s Day?

Srividya: We do an event every year on International Women’s day where we invite
successful women to discuss their experiences and thoughts with our teams.
Their journeys, struggles and thinking around what makes women achievers is
truly inspiring for me and my team. These are very content rich events, focused
on bringing learnings and experience sharing.

ST: What is the most important message you want to send out to all the
women around the world on this occasion?

Srividya: All the power is within each one of us, so we really don’t need to wait
for anyone to empower us. I believe that each one of us needs to take ownership
for our lives and how we lead it is solely in our hands. Hence, we could choose
to be bold, follow our passion and speak our mind. We could choose to chase our
dream relentlessly and drive our lives towards a path of happiness and
fulfilment. It is all within our control.

ST: What according to you is ‘women empowerment’?

Srividya: Women empowerment is not for someone else to give us some rights, but
for us to take responsibility to get ourselves to the destination that we want
to be in. There are lots of struggles no doubt, but the power and energy is
within us and not somewhere outside. We control our own destiny.

ST: What would you say are the main challenges facing women at present
in India?

Srividya: Women are still raised in a verypatriarchal environment where we still
fear for safety, where it is perhaps still challenging for a woman to be
respected for her work. This is especially true in rural India where right to
education, right to work and right to even free thinking is controlled and
directed in some way. Gender discrimination is still a huge challenge faced by
women. Education is still a challenge and most of their work is unpaid.

ST: Where do you want to see yourself in next 5 years?

Srividya: I see myself
as a successful entrepreneur, having delivered tangible outcomes to our
stakeholders and influencing the way they live and work. I will have a much
deeper understanding of myself. Over the next five years, I will invest
significantly, into working for social causes or for common good. I also see
myself as an author of a best seller.