Shutterstock VP Rashi Khurana: “It is a myth that women are simply not interested in having a career in tech”

I believe there is a myth that women are simply not interested in having a career in tech. Not enough girls are given the opportunity to be involved in STEM education programs at an early age, which is crucial to instilling excitement about science and math early on. I come from a family of three daughters, and luckily our parents created that environment for us from the start. My dad was into math and computers and my mom was a botanist, so she loved the sciences. Getting kids excited at an early age is very important, be it through our education system or any other means. Too many women drop out of these majors early on because of the lack of excitement.

As a part of my series about “Lessons From Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Rashi Khurana. Rashi Khurana is Vice President of Engineering at Shutterstock where she oversees the front end E-commerce, Platform and Mobile engineering teams. Since joining Shutterstock in 2015, Rashi helped lead three teams through a technology transformation, all the while managing day-to-day operations of delivering a quality product to customers. Rashi is passionate about managing teams of engineers to deliver above expectations everyday and building resiliency into all initiatives. Rashi earned a master’s degree in Information Technology and Management at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Upon graduation, she worked at Orbitz in Chicago for seven years — before moving to New York City.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I became interested in technology during my childhood when my dad sent me to a programming class where we learned BASIC (Beginner’s All-Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) and how to make flow charts for simple algorithmic questions. It was so much fun. I was in love with the GOTO statement, a statement found in many computer programming languages that performs a one-way transfer of control to another line of code. In college, I began interning at different companies to gain real experience programming in XML, Visual Basic and Tcl/Tk toolkit and Perl. These internships exposed me to the concept of office set-ups and building software that gets used in the real world, it was exciting!

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began at your company?

The most interesting thing about my role at Shutterstock is that there is no routine and I get to work collaboratively with my team. Early on when I started at Shutterstock, there was a project that needed to be completed within 3 months. The project required us to digitize form submissions from physical paper and upload them to an online center. It required techniques like PDF generation, masking on data and data migration behind the scenes. Not an easy feat to be done in 3 months, but we completed it. We were able to finish because we aligned on a goal and knew that it had to be done, so we relied on our resources and expertise where needed, got the right stakeholders involved to keep testing along the way, and defined new processes to keep multiple teams in sync. Teams can achieve anything if they have the right support and a defined motive behind the ask.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

The mistake I’m going to share is funny only in retrospect. When I lived through the horror of it, it was not funny at all. This was the first time I was going to present a quarterly plan on a podium to a room full of people, including Vice Presidents, my direct reports, and my peers. The moment I got on stage to speak I froze for 30 seconds, but it felt like an eternity. The reason I froze was because I did not realize that a two minute presentation also needs practice and preparation. That evening, I had a pint of ice-cream as I went to bed, but the next day I ordered multiple books on public speaking and prepared so much that I nailed the next presentation a quarter later. Since then, I learned that practice and preparation are required every single time you present to an audience.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

The best part about Shutterstock is that I’m working on a creative platform where people can earn income on the images, video, and the music they create, and in turn, inspire creativity for our customers around the world. It is very rewarding when we hear stories like someone could send their kid to school because of the earnings they make on the platform.

Another great thing about Shutterstock is that I, along with everyone else, feels empowered to make a difference. For example, there was a woman I met who was interested in an internship with us. She had just started college and was passionate about technology. Normally we would not consider her resume because of her lack of technical experience, but I was inspired by her passion for STEM and I made sure she had the opportunity to be considered.

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

Working in tech, there are constantly new projects. My current focus is on building an inner-sourced front end platform for Shutterstock’s core user experience. This is interesting and challenging, not only because it provides a world class experience to our users globally but it also provides a platform that our engineering team loves to develop and our business finds useful through economies of scale, reusability and consistency. Besides user and business needs, building an intuitive, well documented platform that puts quality of code, innovation and developer experience first is the essence of this platform.

Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. Are you currently satisfied with the status quo regarding women in STEM? What specific changes do you think are needed to change the status quo?

I think there is still plenty of work to be done regarding women in STEM. We are moving forward as an industry, but there have been some setbacks and obstacles along the way. I believe people want to be fair, but there needs to be real effort put into undoing the biases we have developed over time. The good news is that people are talking about the importance of having women in STEM but talking is not enough. We need to promote women into leadership positions like men, we need to take their contributions seriously even though they are offered differently and make a real difference by sponsoring them through investing our effort into it.

One way of fixing this is to correct our education system, as I think it is too influenced by the norms of our society. When we hand a barbie doll to a two-year-old girl and a superhero to a two-year-old boy, we are setting the tone for what to expect — there are different places for them in society. That continues in school with the courses that are offered and who studies what. We need to talk to girls about science, the universe, technology, and let them build things with Legos at an early age to pique their interest in science.

In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by women in STEM or Tech that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts? What would you suggest to address this?

I think the biggest challenge is that women have to put in that extra effort to prove ourselves within the largely male dominated tech industry. As women we have to prove that we deserve our positions and that we are fit for it or can do the work. We put great pressure on ourselves.

Another big challenge is the superfluous attitude and biases about women in tech and women in general. I’ve noticed that a woman’s body language is judged very quickly. ‘Does she have confidence, or does she show confidence in meetings?’ Studies have also shown that women have to use a different way of communication. For example, when you want to get something and you’re in a negotiation, you may not be able to say, ‘I want this.’ You need to use the word ‘we’ more than ‘I’ to negotiate some of those conversations. If the world was a little more balanced, that extra onus and the self-inflicted demand of always being on top of your game and carrying the burden to prove something would fade away.

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a woman in STEM or Tech. Can you explain what you mean?

I believe there is a myth that women are simply not interested in having a career in tech. Not enough girls are given the opportunity to be involved in STEM education programs at an early age, which is crucial to instilling excitement about science and math early on. I come from a family of three daughters, and luckily our parents created that environment for us from the start. My dad was into math and computers and my mom was a botanist, so she loved the sciences. Getting kids excited at an early age is very important, be it through our education system or any other means. Too many women drop out of these majors early on because of the lack of excitement.

What are your “5 Leadership Lessons I Learned From My Experience as a Woman in STEM or Tech” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)

1. Have a network of mentors: I don’t think you can have one mentor who can fill all the gaps — you have different people with expertise in different areas, so you need to have a network of mentors rather than just one. I always make myself available for anyone who wants a chat and I like to make them feel comfortable that they can pull me aside. At Shutterstock, we have a Women@Shutterstock group where we can talk about our industry and work out how we can inspire each other, have each other’s backs and recognise our skills. We also bring in inspirational women to talk about their stories and provide advice. For example, Deirdre Bigley, Chief Marketing Officer at Bloomberg recently spoke to the group about her journey to becoming a CMO as a woman.
2. You don’t need to constantly prove yourself. When I spoke at a conference for the first time, I was anxious about being on the podium representing all women and representing India. The book “Brave not Perfect” by Reshma Saujani is a good read for this topic. It is about lessening the expectation of perfection we have inflicted on us and allowing us to exercise the bravery muscle a little more.
3. Success is not built alone. To be successful in STEM, we need to understand that success is not built alone. You could put in your hard work. You could believe in yourself and have the confidence in yourself, but until you have the right advocates who believe in you, it’s still hard to be successful. As you grow further in your career and you really want to be successful, this will become much more apparent.
4. Raise your hand. Recognize your value. When I was an engineer fresh out of college, two years into my job and coding all day, I received an email from my manager saying, ‘Rashi will be going to London with the Head of Product and Head of SEO.’ I jumped out of my chair and I ran to his office because I thought it was a mistake. My manager said, ‘Well, you don’t want to go?’ I replied, ‘No it’s not that I don’t want to go. But you have tech leads on your team. You have senior engineers on the team. Shouldn’t they be going first, before I get that opportunity?’ And he said, ‘End of discussion. You’re going.’

What advice would you give to other female leaders to help their team to thrive?

In order to have a thriving team, you need to be able to foster confidence. I believe women are conditioned to put themselves second and wait for that perfect moment before they can “raise their hand.” In the process, many opportunities are lost and to an observer it comes across as a lack of confidence. Leaders need to teach their team to trust that when someone is called to lead, they are capable of doing it.

I once attended a session where my former CTO was speaking to 400 women in tech. The title of that forum was “Women in Tech: the male perspective.” He described this scenario where he asked a woman he managed to lead a part of his organization, and she politely refused, saying she didn’t think she was ready. He told her that if she wasn’t ready, he wouldn’t risk his organization under her lead. As a leader, you need to have an excellent feedback loop in order to help your team exercise their abilities, as well as the ability to develop and sharpen new skills.

What advice would you give to other female leaders about the best way to manage a large team?

I would advise other female leaders to be themselves. It is important to shape your own journey and discover your own way of being heard and making room for yourself at the table as a leader. In my current role, I am focused primarily on people management and tech delivery, not as much hands-on coding. I like this aspect of my job. I have coded for a long time and now I love having the ability to create solutions outside of a project or a feature, thinking at a much larger level of an organization. Managing projects and deliveries, ensuring quality by ensuring the teams are set right, bringing the best out in people and cheering them to their victories. Maintaining harmony and transparency seems easy, but is very hard. I am very proud of and connected to the teams I manage, and that enables me to do a better job at work. The small wins every day on my team makes me smile. People matter the most in any company and if we can embrace the people, we can deliver anything.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

One person in particular who helped me greatly is my previous boss. He would never shy away from being in a room with people of different levels saying, ‘Hey, I believe in her. And I’m going to let her lead it her way.’ Just being able to hear that said aloud vocally, it does wonders for your confidence when somebody, especially someone senior, publicly puts their trust in you.

I am also grateful for my parents. I was very lucky that I had a great support system at home — I didn’t have to look outside for mentors when I was growing up. My mother has a science background and my father has a mathematics background, which inspired me to follow in their footsteps. My parents did a lot of shaping of my mind when I was young and when I needed that support. They have always pushed me to consider life outside of my comfort zone.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

Change starts with us, within our own circles and organizations. Often we think we don’t have the resources, power or authority to make a change. But more often than that, I am surprised by how small actions each individual takes can bring about great change. Be it the woman who wrote the memo on Uber’s lack of diversity which caused the company to address its issues, or the five year old girl who dressed up as a hotdog on princess day to embrace being her authentic self. With change comes increased awareness and collaboration, which would make the world a much better place.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

There are three things today that are accelerating at a tremendous pace — globalization, technology and climate change. If we want to create a balanced world in the future we need to be a part of this acceleration, otherwise both men and women will be left behind. Humanity should be at the heart of these three movements. Whether in pursuit of economic gains or a better technically advanced world, we should not forget to embrace the core of humanity. With every problem we are trying to solve, we should consider if it is better for humanity. If we don’t start, then the world will not be a welcoming place for a newer generation.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

The life lesson quote I live by is “Do your best and leave the rest.” So often we are met with disappointment in our lives, and it makes us believe we are going after the wrong goal if we don’t achieve what we set our eyes on. I always tell myself, I did my best and that gives me the courage to push forward and invest in the next thing that needs my attention. Sometimes rewards for perseverance and giving your best are spread across lifespans and are not quid pro quo. This is relevant to me everyday when it comes to celebrating friendships, completing projects, working with co-workers and being authentic in my pursuits.

We are very blessed that very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them :-)

I would like to have breakfast with Sheryl Sandberg. I admire her authentic communication style and humbleness with which she manages a leadership position in STEM.