With a mission to enable organizations to optimize, simplify, and save on all their shipping activity, ShipConsole was established to make shipping packages very easy and cheaper. Today, ShipConsole is implemented in hundreds of warehouses across 10 Countries with seamless integration to Oracle E-Business Suite, Oracle NetSuite, and Oracle ERP Cloud. The company has appointed Sita Mahalakshmi Durvasula to Head the operations in India while she is also the VP for Product Development. Sita Mahalakshmi Durvasula obtained her Master's in Computer Applications from Osmania University and later on, an Executive MBA degree in Management & Strategy from IIT Bombay & Washington University in St. Louis. She is an Oracle Certified Associate, Sun Certified Java Programmer, Supply Chain Management domain certified, and Project Management and Agile certified.

She started her professional journey as a Programmer with Multiple Organizations and went on to become India Head & Vice President of Product Development at ShipConsole. She has a good hold on business acumen and possesses over two decades of experience in software product development. Sita Mahalakshmi Durvasula engages in an exclusive interaction with Women Entrepreneur Magazine, let’s hear from her.

Introduce us to ShipConsole. What are some key takeaways from your past work experiences that you bring to the table at ShipConsole?

ShipConsole is a cloud-based multi-carrier shipping software that provides a simple, single-user interface for all Parcel and LTL shipping needs. It provides out-ofbox integrations with major ERPs like Oracle E-Business Suite, Oracle ERP Cloud, Oracle JD Edwards, and Oracle Net Suite platforms and we support over 200 carrier integrations including major carriers like UPS, FedEx, DHL, and USPS, to name a few.

Prior to joining ShipConsole, I worked in techno- functional roles on different ERP products in Supply Chain Management (SCM) domain and logistics domain. ShipConsole, being a shipping software, which plays a key role in the SCM domain, my technical expertise and domain knowledge have helped me to bring the right knowledge to the table.

Tell us about the various responsibilities you shoulder as the India Head & VP-Product Development.

As a VP of product development, my role is to take care of end-to-end product lifecycle management and as India Head, I am responsible for leading the global development team in all aspects of operations management with profit and loss responsibility, hiring, retaining the right talent, and associate engagement.

What has been your success mantra?

Managing time efficiently and productively is the only success mantra that I have. I value time the most and it doesn’t matter whether it is my time or my clients. Time Management helps me to efficiently and constantly enhance the 4 Q’s of Intelligence, IQ (Intelligence Quotient), EQ (Emotional Quotient), SQ (Social Quotient), and AQ (Adversity Quotient). A business leader can be successful only if he/she can gain the trust and confidence of the team so that they understand your vision and work with you to achieve the desired results. This is possible only when leaders work on the EQ, as Daniel Goleman, an author of best sellers’ books on EQ and a psychologist, rightly said 'as much as 80 percent of adult success comes from EQ'. Social Quotient is important for you to communicate with empathy, build the network and sustain it for longer durations. Adversity Quotient is important for you to face and overcome challenges. So a proper combination of IQ+EQ+SQ+AQ makes me an empathetic and resilient leader, which helps me to spend the time to increase my network, build social circles and invest in my family relations and friends, in addition to my job responsibilities and household activities.

"Continuous learning is the key to keeping oneself updated & upgraded"

How important is it for business leaders to align with industry trends? What strategies do you use to stay aligned with various industry evolutions?

Change is inevitable, we, as leaders need to be aware of the changing industry trends, embrace them, and guide the teams under us to execute them. We can never make a business successful working in silos in this VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous) world, and especially as a Chief Product Officer, your product must be much more relevant to the changing needs of the industry. My strategy has been continuous learning through various modes to understand the forthcoming changes. When I say continuous learning, it is not just limited to theoretical courses but also increases your Social Quotient (SQ) to network with people from different industries. When we are open to learning, all the people around us, and our circles are the sources of information.

What advice you would like to give to aspiring women leaders?

My advice to aspiring women leaders is that there could be situations where work-life balance could be tough, and you may have to incline either towards family or official work. At that time make informative choices and honor them, so that there are no regrets at a later point. You may not receive the promotion that year when you prioritized your family but live by that choice and never regret it. Just decide one thing and stick to it. This proverb has always been a guiding principle for me to strike the right balance, 'If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together'.

Make your family, a part of your career ambitions and success, as you grow up the career ladder.

Sita Mahalakshmi Durvasula, India Head & VP Product Development, ShipConsole

Specialized in business strategy, product development, project management, enterprise architecture, cloud computing, integration technologies, and business development, She possesses over two decades of professional experience. Before joining ShipConsole, she worked with companies like Mahindra Satyam as Team Lead, PB Systems as an Application Architect, and Apps Associates as Head of Product Development.

 QUICK FACTS:

• Currently, President of the IIT Bombay Alumni Association (IITBAA), Hyderabad Chapter
• Past Board of Director for 2 terms at Project Management Institute Pearl City, Hyderabad chapter (PMIPCC)