4/2/22: Koffee Conversation with Nitin Srivastava, DGM Marketing for Polyplastics Industries
This fun-filled interview, hosted by Lion Amir Virani and Mansoor Thakral, took place on Instagram Live. Mr. Mansoor kicked off the interview by asking Mr. Nitin about his academic and professional journey. Mr. Nitin told us about his enjoyable academic life at Dehradun Institute of Technology and then spoke about his professional experience of 19 years in sales and marketing.
Mr. Nitin discussed how working with Bharat Seats and other large auto component makers was a great experience as he had to handle critical business decisions and transactions with automobile giants like Maruti Suzuki. He has worked with both Indian companies and MNC. But he feels that working for Indian companies is better because they give employees a lot of freedom to experiment and learn, compared to MNCs where many job profiles are mostly desk-based and limited to a few responsibilities and activities.
Mr. Nitin feels that working in sales and marketing is a tough ask so his journey to his current position of DGM Marketing for Polyplastics Industries India Pvt. Ltd was not without its challenges. He mentioned how he had to deal with rude clients at the beginning of his career but over time, he established high credibility to gain clients’ trust and close more deals. At the end of his chat with Mansoor, Mr. Nitin told the audience that with hard work, anyone can achieve anything in life. He also said that the only person we should compete with is ourselves because that’s the only way to get better and enjoy a successful career.
The second part of the interview was conducted by Lion Amir Virani who asked Mr. Nitin about his personal life and his alternative career as a writer. Mr. Nitin told us about his wife who is his most loyal and constant supporter. Regarding his writing career, Mr. Nitin said that it all started with his love for reading. In 2014, he published a short story on Facebook which was very well-received by his Facebook friends. He then started publishing more short stories via WhatsApp. One of the biggest compliments he received came from a friend’s 9-year daughter who called herself “his biggest fan”.
Following these early beginnings, Mr. Nitin is now a published Hindi fiction author with 2 paperbacks to his name and a loyal fan base of 7 lakh+ online readers. Towards the end of the interview, Mr. Nitin mentioned that he had a new book coming out soon which excited many members of the audience.
Each member of the audience enjoyed interacting with Mr. Nitin Srivastava. They also loved the digital branding calendar, presented by 5S Expressionss, the gifting partners of TEIF and Koffee Conversation.
24/2/22: Masterclass on Litera Compare
TEIF organised a Masterclass on Litera Compare on 24th February. The Masterclass was conducted via Zoom. Lion Amir Virani introduced the session to the audience, after which the solution expert Miss Madhu Mallah took over. She explained the different uses and benefits of Litera Compare.
Madhu informed the audience about the various ways in which they can evaluate two documents in Litera Compare, and how they can identify changes to headings, abbreviations, numbers, and texts. She also explained the software’s “suggestion” feature which helps users to select suggested words and make changes to their document quickly.
After explaining the , Madhu handed over the session to Mr. Subhash Nadaranother solution expert who explained that Litera Compare is not just to compare Microsoft Word documents, but can also help compare Excel and PowerPoint documents.
Subhash explained how Litera Compare can be used in the same way in Excel and PowerPoint as Word. He pointed out that the software can be used to figure out changes made in individuals cells in an Excel file and compare them to make any necessary changes. The same can be done in PowerPoint where changes to texts and even pictures can be identified through Litera Compare.
25/3/22: Koffee Conversation:: Stree Shakti – Empowering Women Around You Within You
This special episode of Koffee Conversation featured some of the most well-known women from India’s legal sector: Ms. Khushnuma Khan, Ms. Dimple Merchant, Ms. Pakhi Garg and Ms. Gaurangi Patil.
Usually, a Koffee Conversation event features one or two special guest speaker. But this unique event featured four! It was co-hosted by Lion Amir Virani, Mansoor Thakral, and Ms. Khushboo Kharbanda. During this 2-hour event, our four special speakers shared their work experiences and knowledge as women and as professional women. The event consisted of 4 parts: professional questions, technology questions, Shree Shakti questions, and finally, a rapid-fire question round.
Ms. Dimple Merchant, Managing Partner of IV Merchant & Company, was the first speaker. She spoke about her career in litigation and how she rose through the ranks. When asked about her 23 skills listed on LinkedIn, she graciously responded by saying that she picked up these skills by working hard and learning them through her day-to-day practice. Finally, she suggested to the younger members of our audience that they should avoid doing too many internships since that could hurt their career. She suggested that they should instead focus on a single internship to learn and develop job-ready skills.
The next speaker, Ms. Khushnuma Khan is the proprietor of M/S. K K Associates. She shared how she had no office or funds after passing her law exams. Instead, she worked out of a friend’s loft and worked hard to gain her first client and case. She touched upon her award-winning career and her membership of the International Bar Association of USA. Regarding technology, she said that it had both a positive and negative effect on her career – positive because she could work remotely but negative because she could no longer charge her clients the same prices as before.
The third speaker, Ms. Pakhi Garg is the in-house counsel at Gartner. She shared a very detailed overview of her technology career after landing her first job at PWC, one of the Big 4 global consulting firms. As a part of the technology fraternity, Ms. Garg is well-placed to talk about the role and impact of technology in law. She spoke about the role of cybersecurity as cyber fraud, bullying, stalking, and catfishing have become so common in today’s digital age. She also touched upon her role in the Cyber Securities International Forum and how she advises various companies and governments about cybercrime, cyber security, and cyber laws like GDPR.
Our final speaker, Ms. Gaurangi Patil is the proprietor from GP Associates. She shared how she had had a bumpy career journey as a woman lawyer. She also said that she had tried out different kinds of law practices, and had discovered a particular affinity for corporate law. Ms. Gaurangi explained how her diploma in IPR has helped her career and gain a perspective on the future of intellectual property. She also talked about how technology helped her when she was still a student and helped her balance her life. Towards the end of her interview, Ms. Gaurangi advised students to focus on gaining knowledge and participate in moot court competitions to get a real-life experience of India’s court system. Like Ms. Dimple, she too suggested that students should focus on one internship instead of trying too many.
During the Stree Shakti portion of the interview, all four speakers turned on their cameras at the same time and spoke about their struggles as women in law. They also shared important advice for young women looking to start a career in the field of their choice while overcoming societal and familial constraints
Towards the end of the event, Ms. Dimple Merchant answered a question about career opportunities in Technology Law. She spoke about GDPR rules and regulations related to data protection. She also advised students to look at the latest cases laws in relation to GDPR and the judgements passed by EU with respect to technology law. Finally, she discussed the importance of cryptocurrency and NFTs and how students should read about them to learn more.
This exciting Koffee Conversation came to an end at around 7 PM. Lion Amir Virani closed the event by informing attendees about how TEIF and Lion’s Club had sponsored 20 students in a Technology Law Certification Course organized by Pravin Gandhi College of Law, Mumbai as a part of the Sakshum Student Empowerment Program. The interview ended with Ms. Khushboo’s closing remarks and thanking the sponsors and organisers: Prime Infotech Solution, Lions Club of Mumbai Shining, India Business Group, November Students Learning Group, Team TEIF, and gifting partner 5S Expressionss.
