How Ashima leads the way for women in STEM
Ashima Purohit first came across Freshworks in the summer of 2018 when she was planning to move back to India from the US. “Freshworks popped up as a promising startup in the SaaS space. But by then, I was already offered a job in another company—only to find out they were on the same premises.”
Her second brush with the Freshworks Kudumba (family in Tamil) did not happen until two years later—when the Freshworks recruitment team reached out to her about a leadership position. Looking back on the interview process, she remembers feeling “impressed by the humble, appreciative, and respectful conduct of every single panelist who shared a common goal and reflected the true value of Freshworks.”
She adds:
Not many companies live the values and culture that they advertise, but Freshworks is one such company where even before receiving an offer, I became a fan of the work ethic and Kudumba culture.
After a swift and seamless onboarding process, Ashima joined Freshworks in June 2021. She brought with her more than 15 years of experience driving engineering excellence, maximizing operational growth, and building and scaling high-performing teams.
For Ashima, each workday is “uniquely interesting, and no two days are the same,” as she relies on the triad of “collaboration, empowerment, and community” to drive operational excellence in her team. As a Director of Engineering, she is responsible for steering the strategic direction, vision, growth, and performance of IT Asset Management (a customizable, modern, intuitive, and fast time-to-value solution that eases service management for IT).
Moving away from industry jargon, she defines her role in simple terms. “As part of the first Indian SaaS-based company to go public in the US, my role involves designing and building intuitive solutions so that any unexpected interruption or reduction in service can be promptly reported and acted on to restore normal operations as quickly as possible with the least amount of disruption. My role spans everything from handling trouble tickets to total service outages to constant innovation and proactively broadcasting upgrades and fixes to prevent the breakage altogether.”
I strongly believe that craftsmanship, security, proactive monitoring, and continuous delivery are some of the foundational requirements for designing robust and scalable systems that customers and employees love to use.
Opportunities in STEM
Ashima believes that “every problem has a solution, and every situation has an outcome.” When things get tough, she relies on her ability to work hard, enjoy her learnings, and celebrate her successes and setbacks. “Continue to put in your best efforts: There is always light at the end of the tunnel,” she says.
At a time when the representation of women in STEM roles remains low, Ashima combines her passion for “staying abreast of new technology” with a purpose: to close the gender gap in STEM. She says, “When it comes to diversity representation in STEM, giving back to society is not only my passion but also my life principle, the purpose of my life.” An advocate for leading by example, she enjoys speaking at tech conferences and leadership training sessions where she can share her skills and expertise to encourage more women to join the workforce. “It gives me great joy to be associated as a mentor at the Cherie Blair Foundation, Unity PayPal, Freshworks Women 360, and Scaler Academy, where I get a chance to nurture new talent, share my own experiences, and find my younger self in my mentees.” Her insights have been featured in the Women Entrepreneur magazine.
When she’s not innovating with her peers or leading programs like Freshworks Career ReStart and Freshworks: Leading with Multipliers, she enjoys spending time “creating something beautiful from nothing. Gardening is my stress buster, while hobbies like knitting, making jewelry, or recycling plastic bottles into vases helps keep my hands and mind busy.”
In a water cooler conversation for ‘A Freshworker’s Life’ series, Ashima describes the work culture at Freshworks as “progressive, competitive, and nurturing.” Keep reading to know more about this inspiring leader.
Interested in working with passionate Freshworkers like Ashima who have discovered their potential, passion, and purpose at work? Look no further! At Freshworks, we empower people who power businesses, and we are hiring across roles.
