Tavishi Ipsita simply fell
in love with the cargo industry when she was still a student. As she told
ACNFT, “Building a career in cargo was my choice…”
So when the time came for her to choose her specialization for her post-graduate
course in Travel and Tourism, she could think of nothing else but Air
Cargo Operations and Management. Since then, she has not veered from her
quest for knowledge in her chosen path: “The key to my journey is
all about learning, knowledge sharing, and determination in my work,”
she emphasized. Also the certifications from IATA have helped her “a
lot to add dimension to my career and give me a leading edge.”
She knew what she was getting into. But
then, as she likes to put it, when there is a will there is a way. So
she jumped into a virtually all-male environment to pursue her career:
“Cargo is my passion and I enjoy being part of the cargo industry,”
she mentioned, and went on to point out that while “the percentage
of women in cargo is far less in comparison to male counterparts …
but I joined the industry when the times were changing.”
Obstacles that came in her way were brushed
aside. “If you are determined to achieve something and have set
your goals then surely you will achieve them.” The young lady believes
that she has not faced any trouble so far in her career; thanks largely
“to all my organizations that have given me equal opportunity as
my male colleagues.”
Tavishi has spent more than nine years in
the cargo industry. The first six were when she got her hands dirty but
they gave her the opportunity and experience she now finds very useful
as a Cargo Domain consultant in IT. She is, in fact, associated with Accenture
as part of the Freight and Logistics Software Product Management Team.
The transition from the core airline cargo background to IT has been quite
a change and Tavishi terms it “an overwhelming experience.”
She is elated with the fact that with her industry knowledge she has been
able to contribute in the development of a cargo management system. “The
development and implementation of an IT project for Airline/CTO has provided
me great scope for added value and has been a catalyst to enhance my knowledge
base.” The lady also has IATA certification in Air Cargo Basic and
Advance Rating as well as specialization in IATA E-AWB implementation
and e-freight.
She mentioned that she had been “quite
lucky throughout my career as I have always been with supportive colleagues
who were keen learners themselves. I had great mentors from whom I learned
about cargo and the industry. I believe that knowledge sharing is one
of the keys that act as a two-way communication for competency development.”
Today, almost nine years later, she proudly
says that, “choosing a career in cargo was a right, wise, and rational
decision.” She exults in it because “each day there is a learning
opportunity. I am very keen to learn all new upcoming developments in
the cargo industry. The industry is progressing in leaps and bounds with
all new initiatives like e-freight, e-AWB, CXML, e-booking, etc. With
all these latest developments, our customers know exactly what they want
and they too are moving towards automation of their business processes.”
Working towards fulfilling customers’ requirements, providing them
the solution with an automated system, blending traditional process with
the latest technology “is quite challenging and that is what motivates
me,” she said.
Tavishi leaves us with a Sidonie Gabrielle
Colette quote that best describes her: “The woman who thinks
she is intelligent demands equal rights with men. A woman who is intelligent
does not.”
Tirthankar Ghosh |
