Priya Singh: Being a woman is not an excuse for anything

A practice to make working wonderful for women
Each company should have a governance and equal opportunities code that is clearly stated. So companies pledge to hire eligible candidates as an equal opportunity employer. And making all employees, men and women, aware about the PoSH act and the company’s commitment to comply with it. It should be part of all induction programmes for everyone. This simple thing will sensitize all employees and will act as a reminder to work together with equality and respect for each other.

If you were to start again
In a way, I got into this field of print engineering not by planning but by chance. Having been here for about 20 years, it’s become my métier, so there’s nothing really I’d really change.  Except perhaps also pursuing a further master’s qualification.. either in this or a related field.. which would add value. I still haven’t given up on that idea.
 

Most difficult moment for you
I was taken into sales but was quickly moved to the shop floor with a clear brief that I must spend four hours on the machine at the very least. I don’t know why that was done but somebody must have realised I hardly have the then conventional salesperson’s persona. It was a bit different as I was the only woman on the shopfloor. But the people were amazing and I knew them all from my industrial training days.
What was expected of me was difficult – long hours had never been a problem for me (apart from parental disapproval) but the quizzing I was subjected to was. I was hardly ever at home and when I was, I was reading technical magazines given to me with the warning that I will be asked questions! I remember always being on my toes, always a tad scared that I will not answer a question asked and embarrass myself. I was never asked but being always ready was the most difficult. In retrospect, the best thing to happen to me. I was being mentored and I didn’t even know that.

One mantra for every new woman employee
Hard work is the first step. Equality is not limited to one aspect, but on factors like demand and delivery. Being a woman is not an excuse for anything.

One underestimated technology with a great future
Technology involved in the supply chain. They need to set up supply chain capability that preferably supports B2C but B2B at the very least. Which means they are overlapping now with greater emphasis on tech driven logistics that can ramp up turnaround time.
There is digital that everyone is already rushing into but that is not going to make them profitable; at least not in scalable ways that midsize or large companies need. Offset will still drive profitability, with digital to supplement all short run requirements (otherwise on its own it isn’t going to be really sustainable unless you are a small business). So what they need, though not easy, is to diversify and get involved in the supply chain too to support the business , to demonstrate to clients that they are solutions providers end to end and not merely printers anymore; thereby improving their EBITDA.

Brands that use print-packaging the best
This would depend on sectoral specifics and needs—industry requirements vary so much. But if I were to look at books and the two main strands: educational and trade book publishers, then the larger innovation or design appeal lies in trade simply from a perspective of price insensitivity. Education has scale and volumes and collateral packaging.On the pure packaging side there are too many brands that produce very good designs in terms of appeal, practicality and having a very good scope of displaying innovation.