Episode Details

Today, my guest is Vinaya Mallya, is a seasoned IT professional, who has played leadership roles in the corporate sector, then was an entrepreneur building a team and moving on to create solutions to impact the social sector.

In this conversation, :

• Vinaya shares her career path, including experiences in corporate IT, startups, and the social sector.

Early Career in IT

• Vinaya's original plan was to study civil engineering, but her principal encouraged her to switch to computer science due to her gender.
• Despite initial challenges and limited practical experience, a project in COBOL sparked her interest in software development.
• Her husband, an IT engineer, encouraged her to pursue a career in the field.

Finding Passion at Infosys

• After getting married, Vinaya joined Infosys despite initial reservations.
• The initial training period was difficult, but the collaborative work environment with diverse teams motivated her.
• She discovered her passion for problem-solving, particularly collective problem-solving in a team setting.

Work-Life Balance Challenges

• Marrying young and having a demanding job at Infosys presented work-life balance challenges.
• Her supportive in-laws and husband, who encouraged her to focus on her career for the first five years, helped manage the situation.
• Traveling abroad for work required additional compromises to maintain family harmony.

Leaving Infosys and Starting a Startup

• Inspired by her father's entrepreneurial spirit, Vinaya dreamt of creating jobs someday.
• After 11 years at Infosys, the need to care for her children and the distance from her husband in Malaysia led to her resignation.
• Her mother's strong words about the impact on their children became a turning point.

Starting an Animation Franchise

• Taking a break from corporate life, Vinaya explored franchise opportunities
• Animation, a growing field, emerged as the final choice, and she started a franchise of an animation institute.
• While the business didn't generate significant profit, Vinaya takes pride in providing a platform for young talent to launch their careers.

Work in the Social Sector

• Vinaya's entry into the social sector was accidental. Initially, she volunteered one day a week, but her time commitment gradually increased to five days a week.<