With the brain of an engineer, and the heart of a designer, Bharti Singhal, Head of Product, Happy has been skilfully connecting the aspects of the business to put together successful, innovative, and transformational products that bring customers closer to being happy.Bharti, for over 10 years, has worked with multiple leading corporates and startups like IBM, Nagarro Software, EXL Services, Midland Credit Management, and Oyster Financial to drive the groups’ vision; overseeing the development and management of their product’s roadmap based on the adopted strategies and goals. She is a highly analytical individual who is able to work quite effectively in a matrix environment and is adept at synthesizing various technologies, designs, and capabilities into the business’s products in such a way that they are loved and accepted by all her customers. Currently, at Happy, she is crafting strategic visions and building Fintech Products while empowering & strengthening micro and small businesses with easy access to finance — credit, savings, payments, investment, and insurance. Going forward, she aspires to keep identifying opportunities that lead to the growth of the product through innovation while steering the organization in a new direction to expand its reach and align with larger business goals. Let’s hear it from her.

Introduce us to Happy. What are some of its key areas of specialization?

Happy is a completely Digital Lending Fintech targeting a multi-billion-dollar credit gap in India’s micro-businesses, delivering flexible & easy short-term access to credit for small business owners & proprietors in urban & city settings. The goal of Happy is to be able to uplift the livelihoods of people while helping them increase their earnings. It is an initiative to bring more and more people close to being happy. We understand that people need financial assistance and services for their economic growth, hence Happy is disrupting the digital transformation of financial services to build India's largest platform where business owners can avail money at the snap of a finger.

Tell us about the various responsibilities you shoulder as the Head of Product at Happy.

My role as the Head of Product is to identify our customers’ and partners’ needs and the larger business objectives that a product or feature will fulfill. I articulate what success looks like for a product, and rally a team to turn that vision into a reality. While developing any product, I look through fine lenses to implement the appropriate design and technology and also focus on enhancing the definition and growth of the product in the market. I closely work with the engineering, design, marketing, sales, and other departments of the organization.

Enumerate the most critical business challenges you encounter in your current role. How do you overcome them?

Keeping everyone in the organization aligned toward one single goal is the biggest responsibility/challenge as a product leader. To overcome this challenge, I usually break down the main goal into intermediate steps or smaller tasks enabling the bigger problems to be solved in smaller pieces. This way we as a team solve one problem at a time while establishing ways to eradicate such challenges in the future.

"I articulate what success Looks like for a product, And rally a team to turn that Vision into a reality"

What are your key strengths as an industry leader?

I am able to visualize products in a zoomed-out fashion while innovating and improving the day-to-day product activities in such a way that ensures the constant growth of the product suiting the consumers’ needs. Having empathy with customers is one of the most important tools that I carry. I am able to perceive what might work and what might not with a particular customer and accordingly connect all the dots that are available in order to bring out the best results for the business.

Tell us about some of the major milestones you have achieved throughout your professional journey. What has been your success mantra?

Throughout my professional career, I have received opportunities to work with both corporates and startups, but for me, one of the major milestones was being able to get into the startup world. This is because startups taught me to run businesses from the ground level, and disrupt things on the way without being afraid of failure. This is where I also learned that we don’t have to plan out everything ahead of time, sometimes we must go with the flow and let the direction follow us. Therefore, my mantra has been to shoot first, and aim later. I believe we must constantly keep going, and not worry about being right.

What advice would you give to young women who aspire to become business leaders in the future?

Women must listen to their inner voice and not let anyone tell them that they are not capable of achieving something. Throughout the journey, they must play to their strengths, empower themselves by trusting their knowledge and abilities and look for opportunities to build their self-knowledge, skills, and networks. With passion, awareness, and a drive to bring people with them on the journey, there’s no limit to what women can achieve.

Bharti Singhal, Head Of Product, Happy

A visionary, future-oriented, and problem-solving business leader with a Product Management degree from IIM Lucknow and exceptional skills as a Product Developer, Angel Investor, and Fintech Product specialist, Bharti is leveraging her strong analytical capabilities to develop informed product strategies thereby improving business performance.