Anitha Sharma: Setting Examples For Other Women To Follow
Anitha Sharma
Head of Marketing
Anitha Sharma started her professional journey as a key account manager and after gaining 15 years of experience, today she is the Head of Marketing at Stiebel Eltron, India & Surrounding countries, which is a 100 years old German company in renewables, hot water, and cooling solutions. She has completed her bachelor of engineering biomedical engineering and obtained dual specialization in marketing and International Business. She has also completed a certification in Entrepreneurship in Emerging Markets from Harvard Business School distance learning. Her knowledge and experience helped her to become a hands-on person in the team and one who always leads from the front. A national level basketball player, Anitha Sharma is also a nature and animal lover. She takes a firm stand for women's rights and she educates women to become independent. She is a self-motivated enthusiast and always ready to take on any challenges.
Anitha Sharma engages in an exclusive interaction with the
CEOInsights Magazine
What are the traits that best define your leadership style and what is your success mantra?
Revenue Ownership & Accountability are always there when I talk about my leadership style. Apart from that customer & influencer centricity and team building are some of the other vital traits that I carry in my leadership approach. The only success mantra which I believe is that good marketing with new approaches always takes time to give results.
Define Stiebel Eltron’s role in the renewable energy and hot water heating and cooling industry. Also, as the Head of Marketing, what are the strategies and approaches you have been applying to help increase the company’s brand awareness regarding its offerings?
Stiebel Eltron is the pioneer in the renewables industry proving heating and cooling solutions. By using ambient air temperatures or heat from the ground, the company products can prove hot water to 60 degrees while cooking the home at the same time. Not only are they energy efficient but also help in reducing the carbon footprint.
My strategy has been always to have smart adaptability of international marketing practices to fit local marketing ethos. In short, Glocalize, Optimize, and Maximise Revenue are the strategies that I am applying to increase the company’s brand awareness.
What are the biggest challenges you encounter these days? How do you encourage your team to get the most out of the marketing function?
Adherence to Corporate Identity is one of the biggest challenges we encounter. One of the primary and most important tasks of the marketing team is to replicate the international language in the local country of operation on an optimal budget. The marketing team also faces various challenges in communication with the sales team on what is expected internationally
What are the traits that best define your leadership style and what is your success mantra?
Revenue Ownership & Accountability are always there when I talk about my leadership style. Apart from that customer & influencer centricity and team building are some of the other vital traits that I carry in my leadership approach. The only success mantra which I believe is that good marketing with new approaches always takes time to give results.
Keep doing your part and inculcate a never give up attitude within
Define Stiebel Eltron’s role in the renewable energy and hot water heating and cooling industry. Also, as the Head of Marketing, what are the strategies and approaches you have been applying to help increase the company’s brand awareness regarding its offerings?
Stiebel Eltron is the pioneer in the renewables industry proving heating and cooling solutions. By using ambient air temperatures or heat from the ground, the company products can prove hot water to 60 degrees while cooking the home at the same time. Not only are they energy efficient but also help in reducing the carbon footprint.
My strategy has been always to have smart adaptability of international marketing practices to fit local marketing ethos. In short, Glocalize, Optimize, and Maximise Revenue are the strategies that I am applying to increase the company’s brand awareness.
What are the biggest challenges you encounter these days? How do you encourage your team to get the most out of the marketing function?
Adherence to Corporate Identity is one of the biggest challenges we encounter. One of the primary and most important tasks of the marketing team is to replicate the international language in the local country of operation on an optimal budget. The marketing team also faces various challenges in communication with the sales team on what is expected internationally
as the sales team does not understand the need for investment of time in marketing and feedback for the same.
I encourage the marketing team to work backward. The marketing team first understands the local marketing support needed by the sales personnel and the partners and then creates the best-suited marketed mix as per corporate identity and optimal budget. This way we ensure all are involved in the decision process and hence ownership to complete them successfully is shared.
How do you build and maintain trust between the organization and its customers?
Brand offerings should always be supported with engaged consumer selection, easy of the order process, and backed by strong after-sales service. We guide and support our consumers in the whole selection process based on the best suited mix for their home, and ease, and encourage our end consumers to always contact our toll-free no which we highlight in most of our collaterals. Good experience with a brand plays a vital role in the creation of a lasting brand impression and easy recall.
What is the future destination you are headed for?
I have an ambition of starting a new marketing venture eventually, but right now I have a long way to accomplish and establish the company in my current role.
Anitha Sharma, Head of Marketing, Stiebel Eltron
Coming from a strong defence background, Anitha Sharma had a flair for excellence since childhood. From winning various medals in athletics, being awarded an all-rounder trophy in school, being a national level basketball player, and distinction holder in engineering to being a gold medallist at the Business School, she has proved her never give up attitude at every walk of her life. From a key account manager to head of marketing, her professional journey defines her hard work and dedication towards professionalism. She is an animal lover she contributes a little bit by feeding or rescuing strays and rehoming them.
I encourage the marketing team to work backward. The marketing team first understands the local marketing support needed by the sales personnel and the partners and then creates the best-suited marketed mix as per corporate identity and optimal budget. This way we ensure all are involved in the decision process and hence ownership to complete them successfully is shared.
How do you build and maintain trust between the organization and its customers?
Brand offerings should always be supported with engaged consumer selection, easy of the order process, and backed by strong after-sales service. We guide and support our consumers in the whole selection process based on the best suited mix for their home, and ease, and encourage our end consumers to always contact our toll-free no which we highlight in most of our collaterals. Good experience with a brand plays a vital role in the creation of a lasting brand impression and easy recall.
What is the future destination you are headed for?
I have an ambition of starting a new marketing venture eventually, but right now I have a long way to accomplish and establish the company in my current role.
Anitha Sharma, Head of Marketing, Stiebel Eltron
Coming from a strong defence background, Anitha Sharma had a flair for excellence since childhood. From winning various medals in athletics, being awarded an all-rounder trophy in school, being a national level basketball player, and distinction holder in engineering to being a gold medallist at the Business School, she has proved her never give up attitude at every walk of her life. From a key account manager to head of marketing, her professional journey defines her hard work and dedication towards professionalism. She is an animal lover she contributes a little bit by feeding or rescuing strays and rehoming them.