BW MIW: Saakshi Verma Menon - Not A Superwoman

Saakshi Verma Menon kicked off 2024 in a new avatar. Moving on from her duties at Kimberley-Clark India, she took on a mandate at PepsiCo, which not only meant moving into a new category but also made her among the few marketing leaders who are leading other regions, based in India. Her current mandate includes Africa and the Middle East, both being important markets for PepsiCo, in addition to South Asia.

Menon advises aspiring women marketing leaders to be an ‘empathetic leader’ and not an ‘empathetic woman leader’. The most important value to her is empathy. “When you see inequality at your workplace and you don’t speak up, you are doing the biggest disservice to yourself and women around you. View your career as a criss-cross and not as a ladder. Recognise that you are not a superwoman, there will be days when you are not the best mom, the best wife or the best employee and that is alright,” she says.

Not being apologetic about her desire to balance work and life and that her family comes first, Menon shares, “I am a mother to two young boys, Riaan and Raghav, and it truly takes a village to bring up children. I am fortunate to have a husband who is an equal parent to our boys. I am lucky to have my mother play a huge role and pitch into our responsibilities to enable me and my husband to pursue our careers.”