EDUCATION: University of Waterloo (Ontario, Canada), with an undergraduate degree in speech communications and a master’s degree in business, entrepreneurship, and technology.
MY CAREER SO FAR: I have a unique background that combines my love for tech and events. Prior to EventMobi, the last eight years have been spent working in software for technology giants such as BlackBerry, SAP, Sybase, as well as a few charismatic Toronto-based startups. I am also a proud entrepreneur, managing South Asian weddings locally and internationally under my own brand since 2007.
Based on my experience as both a wedding planner and a business owner, I wanted to explore the corporate-events realm to see if it would also stimulate my passions. Two years ago, I stumbled upon EventMobi and was beyond excited to finally find an opportunity that created a synergy between my love of tech and events. In this role I have really been able to fine-tune my project-management skill set and spread my wings to bring my entrepreneurial and business-school experience to impact our event sales and marketing strategies.
WHAT I DO: I manage the marketing, event logistics, and sales strategy for all events at EventMobi.
MOST INFLUENCED IN MY CAREER BY: Bob Vaez, CEO of EventMobi.
WHAT I LEARNED FROM HIM: Bob has been a phenomenal mentor over the past two years. In observing his leadership, he always encourages his team to think extraordinarily large. He has personally challenged me to expect more of myself as well as to learn to push through unexpected roadblocks, because all problems can be solved.
FAVORITE THING ABOUT MY JOB: Joining such a fast-paced and rapidly growing startup like EventMobi has made me realize I made the right career decision. For now, my plan is to continue to gain experience and build a network within the blossoming tech-startup world in Toronto. Eventually I would love to go back to my entrepreneurial roots, as I crave the satisfaction of creating my own destiny.
MY ADVICE FOR YOUNG MEETING PROFESSIONALS: The best advice I have ever received was to start as young as possible. There will never be the perfect time, and I feel it’s better to just jump and figure out the rest as it comes. I also feel it is important to embrace “uncomfortable” situations, so you can leverage them as learning opportunities, which is much more valuable than never gaining experience at all. Finally, it is paramount to learn the concept and purpose of networking and effective follow-up, as life is a team sport and we need each other to play.
