Rituja Rao
Rituja is a Digital Transformation and IT Implementation consultant. Early in her career, she is extremely driven and has progressed rapidly to lead a range of projects. Rituja uses skills from her studies in journalism as a tech blogger and speaker and was shortlisted for the ‘Digital Hero of the Year’ award.
2022 photo credit: Elena Rossini
Rituja joined the 2020 Women on Boards Bursary Programme as she was keen to understand more about the boardroom and believes her combination of communication skills and tech expertise will enable her to make a strong contribution as a NED.
She joined the board of innovative start-up charity as a trustee.
Rituja shares her experience of the Women on Boards Bursary Programme:
“The Women on Boards bursary opened up the world of non-executive directorship to me at just 22 years old. Honestly, I had considered board roles something you do after you have reached a senior level, but I feel I have discovered a whole new career path that can run parallel to my executive work.
I really appreciated how flexible the bursary programme is – you can prioritise the parts that are most useful to you and work at your own pace. Personally, I found the webinars incredibly inspiring. I attend as many as possible as I love hearing from people further on in their NED careers and it gives me confidence it is possible for me to get there too. Connecting with other participants in the bursary programme is also really encouraging to know there’s others on your path too.
I found the training events are very hands-on. The Financial Literacy for the Boardroom session, in particular, was super practical. Being so early in my career, financial management isn’t something I have a lot of experience in but suddenly I knew about all the important concepts to operate as a board member.
I also got a fantastic piece of advice at the ‘Get on Board’ session, which made all the difference to my search for my first board role. In my situation, networking is vital and I was told to make my ambition for a board role known to as many people as possible.”
“Thanks to Women on Boards, I had the language and knowledge to put myself out there in the right way.”
“I was so pleased to find the opportunity to join the trustee board of a charity who were developing more digital support, so my IT project management background is useful. They also wanted a trustee with experience of South Asian culture to help shape their services. Being on the board has been a bit of a rollercoaster at times, but it was a fantastic stretch opportunity and I learnt a huge amount about many areas of business.
The Women on Boards bursary has set me off on the right track, and I know what skills I need to develop to continue on my board journey.”