Sheba Nandkeolyar is the Chair of the Australian India Business Council and the CEO of multicultural marketing agency MultiConnexions.
“MultiConnexions is a marketing agency where we provide a lot of services to our clients such as above the line solutions, TV, radio, digital, social media.”
With a background in Advertising back in her home country of India, she found a niche in the Australian advertising and marketing industry to assist corporates and government organisations to engage with Australia’s vibrant multicultural community.
“Something we gradually and organically grew to, which is communications, cross-cultural consultancy and international marketing.”
MultiConnexions consults on multicultural campaigns for corporate and government bodies. Source: Supplied
Her first piece of advice is that Australian businesses should explore India as a viable exporter. Sheba admits that Australians are falling behind the US and Japan in tapping into the Indian economy.
“Australian businesses are a bit slower on the uptake because they have traditionally been very involved with China, so it is going to be hard to start looking at other markets. At the end of the day, India is in the threshold where China was ten years ago for Australia in terms of opportunities.”
The education sector is the second largest export in Australia, and Sheba sees a huge potential for Australian companies and academic institutions to train up Indian students to better both economies.
Despite being the first female chair of the Australia India Business Council, Sheba had to downgrade her career when she first came to Australia. As a high-level employee back in India, she realised that the only way for her to climb up the ladder was to go down. And so she did.
It’s one piece of advice she passes on to individuals looking to continue their career in a new country.
Humility is key to overseas success. Source: Supplied
“Try to maintain the humility factor and be humble and see if you can start much lower than your previous country,” she says.
This advice is also applicable to businesses looking to expand overseas. Sheba says it’s important for businesses to be open-minded, and to pick up the best of cultures.
“One of the things that people get wrong – right on the top of the list – would be not understanding the cultural dynamics of doing business in that country, “ she says.
“Australians traditionally are impatient – they want to get work done quickly. Whereas when they go to these cultures, they love to have tea, they love to get to know you, they love to understand what you’re about, build a relationship before they really start talking about business.”
Adversely, she says that businesses coming to Australia also need to accept the Australian way of running a business.
“Be very open to the cultural ways of doing business here.”
“Some people come with a cultural baggage. Cultural baggage is something that just does not work.”
It's important for businesses to be open-minded about other cultures. Source: Supplied
A notable cultural difference that has affected the way her life is the work-life balance.
“Advertising industry in India doesn’t go to sleep,” she says. She worked late nights and weekends to get the job done.
However, her life in Australia is very different. “I think Australia has offered a lot to me personally, and the work ethics, the way the family-life balance scores, it all adds up to a much happier business here. I'm very careful about not working on a Saturday and Sunday.”
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