Inspiring Women in STEM: Q&A with Akshayaa Govindan, Product Manager, Wish
For this employee spotlight, we’re highlighting Akshayaa Govindan, a Product Manager on the Merchant & Logistics team at Wish. Akshayaa, who resides in Toronto and works remotely, is an impressive individual who can speak five languages and has lived in four countries. Read on to learn about how Akshayaa’s STEM journey led her to where she is today, and why we should all embrace being uncomfortable sometimes.
Monica: When did you first become interested in STEM?
Akshayaa: I’ve been interested in engineering and technology since I was a kid. I have always loved tinkering, taking things apart, and understanding their inner workings. At school, math spoke to me because it was universal across any problem I faced or country I lived in, while science helped me understand why things around me acted or behaved the way they did. I knew I wanted to pursue a career that helped me harness the knowledge in these fields to apply them to real world problems.
Monica: Where did you go to school and what did you study?
Akshayaa: I went to the University of Waterloo and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Nanotechnology Engineering.
Monica: What is your current role here at Wish and how do you use your interest in STEM on a day-to-day basis?
Akshayaa: I am currently a Product Manager in the Merchant & Logistics team, working on solving the problem of product quality and compliance. As a Product Manager, my main function is to be a problem manager. My interest in STEM prepared me to not just think about logical ways to break down a problem, but to also analyze how to identify problems, how to quantify them, and select which problems to prioritize now. Although I don’t actually code, I get to apply the problem solving skills I learnt during my engineering degree, and infuse them with a deep understanding of our customers and our business, in order to work with the team in developing an ideal solution.
Monica: What do you like more about your current role? What do you find most challenging?
Akshayaa: I love that I get to think critically and logically about problem solving at a higher level — not just how to solve the problem but also identify answers to 1) what is the problem? and 2) why solve this problem now? Through this process, I get to interact with people in so many different roles (engineering, design, data science, operations, customer service, business development, legal, etc.) and learn about the ways they approach the problem.
The part I find most challenging is often aligning all these different approaches in order to build the ideal solution for our buyers and merchants. It’s a muscle I get to exercise and train everyday as a Product Manager, supplemented by everything I’ve learnt as an engineer.
Monica: What advice would you give young girls who are interested in pursuing STEM activities or careers? What words of encouragement would you share with them?
Akshayaa: STEM isn’t just about math or science. It’s about learning how to break down a problem logically, arriving at a solution and applying it to create change. Don’t shy away from these degrees or industry just because it’s quite male-dominated, or you feel like it will only allow you to focus on a heavily technical path. Instead, be aware that the path down STEM may be challenging; however, the way you apply the skills and knowledge you gain to identify and solve the next big problem is completely in your control.
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