In an advancing world, we are still biased in various measures undervaluing the multifaceted personalities of women. Women around the world are still struggling to be treated with the same respect and seriousness as their male colleagues. However, there are many women who are striving to break these stereotypes with their intellect, drive, passion, and determination. Niharica Dutt, Founder of Learnathon is one such inspirational woman, going from pillar to post, to get women the recognition they deserve in the corporate world. As founder of a corporate training company, she is working hard to encourage more women, especially those looking to restart their careers in the corporate arena, to join the workforce again. Looking forward to drive more women employees into her company, Niharica is also working tirelessly to collaborate with firms as their employee training partner. Here are some highlights from our interaction with Niharica Dutt, Founder of Learnathon.

Take us through your early educational journey and prior industry experience. What are some of the important features about your expertise as an HR professional?

After earning my MBA with a specialty in human resources and Industrial Relations, I was one of the select few students employed by Indian Oil Corporation, where I worked under the leadership of Rajkumar Dubay and Nilesh Nikaljay . After which, I started working for Unilever and was there for a long time. Throughout my 12-year educational and professional journey, peer connections have been essential to me, and I have realized the important value of excellent communication and leadership skills. I partnered various function at Unilever and worked with a wide spectrum of stakeholders and clients. I gained expertise in a variety of areas, including talent and learning, supply chain, R&D, managing diversity, and increasing productivity.

How has your experience helped you in creating Learnathon? What motivated you to start your own organization? What are some of the services offered?

Learnathon aim is to unleash a Pandora's Box of skill and knowl­edge. After working in employee learning and development I learned that transition training when employees join a new and internal training are inadequate. We address this gap by offering instruction in experiential outbound training, behavior, leadership andcoach­ing. To assist students and employees in developing excellent communication skills by working on cul­ture exercise thereby keeping in mind and creating employee experience, we work with businesses and institutions. In a B2B setting where clients can obtain specialized training, we are delivering experiential learning-focused courses and programmes. Our courses foster the development of solutions by deeply examin­ing problems and customizing to their needs. For the finest learning results, technology and gamification are blended. As a part of our CSR we create campaigns for financial awareness and basics of employability skills which women and young professionals with limited access should have.

What are the various roles and responsibilities you shoulder as the founder and CEO of the company.

Due to my interest in business strategy, I oversee the business development division. I design strategies and make key decisions in my capacity. India is home to our 65-person crew. My team manages multiple contrac­tors, training partners, and more. that we employ to make sure the team runs smoothly. I am focusing very hard on attracting clients globally. In the early stages of establishment, while I was trying to establish our foot­print in order to draw investors and clients, I worked in all capacities. Now that I have a staffed, we are always expanding and seeking additional workers, particularly women resuming their careers, retired professionals, interns to outsource some part of project work.

Are you coming up with some kind of pressing challenge that you encounter as an entrepreneur and how are you mitigating those?

First of all, it might be challenging for female business owners to be taken seriously, at times they are less confident in their abilities, knowledge, and experience. Although bias exists, it is deteriorating over time. I've come to realize that, frequently, my own mental blocks kept me from taking chances, which I believe is com­mon among entrepreneurs. This makes moving forward despite any doubt a difficult task. Many people initially just saw us as another training company, which also created a challenge to highlight the differentiating factor that separates us from the industry. However after understanding the caliber of the work done, they became repeat customers and didn't waver.

Tell us about the most significant milestones that you have achieved throughout our professional journey? What has been driving you towards success?

Our motivation is to excel in talent development and Learning. We aspire to grow globally, while focusing on employee experience and wellbeing for every employee. Resilience is what best describes me. Failures are a part of life, but it's important to have tenacity and enthu­siasm to accomplish your goals. When you approach challenges, you require resilience to get through it. Giving up is not an option, being financially indepen­dent was the first milestone I achieved, with my stint at Indian Oil Corporation, and subsequently Unilever. The biggest achievement was launching my own business and getting to the point where I could promote more women to join our team. We are inclusive as an organi­zation and promote talent and skills.

Drawing from your experience what would your advice be young women and girls who also aspire to become business leaders and entrepreneurs in the future?

Take charge of your voice, is what I would suggest. Don't allow society to define what you are capable of accom­plishing. Find your passion, work for your aspirations with perseverance, discipline, and make an effort to be versatile. Concentrate on your expertise and focus on being financially and emotionally independent and serve as your own best advocate and role model. Be your own hero and stay rooted.

Niharica Dutt,  Founder,  Learnathon

Learnathon's founder and CEO Niharica Dutt is an accomplished human resources professional with experience of over 12 years, working with some of the greatest leaders in the industry. She is a self-starter with a lot of energy who sets high standards for her team and for herself.