Vidya S. Nath, Research Director (R&D), Frost and Sullivan

Vidya S. Nath started out as an independent media consultant and filmmaker in 2002, later joining Frost and Sullivan as an analyst, and then working her way up to the position of research director.

As an analyst who has been studying the digital landscape for more than a decade, Nath has seen the industry change dramatically. Today, being an analyst is very challenging, she says, because one needs to be on top of the technological changes that the industry is witnessing. “We need to be well-equipped to give our clients suitable guidance.”

Nath is of the view that the industry will witness exponential growth over the next decade. “Media consumption has been in a linear format for years. But it is fast changing with the advent of digital platforms. Telecom operators that were largely playing the role of a distributor no longer want to remain just that. They want to provide a service and an optimal customer experience. This will bring a change in their business models,” she explains. There will be a convergence between the telecom and the IT sectors, throwing up interesting opportunities in the digital media space.

The industry, Nath feels, is still under-represented by women. While she is happy that her organisation boasts of a gender ratio of almost 50:50, she wants to see more women taking up leadership positions in the industry.

Nath is particularly proud of the time a small US-based company engaged their services to help raise funds just before the 2008 recession. “Despite the recession, it managed to raise $10 million. That we could help an upcoming company raise capital was rather satisfying,” she says.

Nath leads a team of 150 analysts spread across various business units. She has spent a lot of time in building and strengthening the team, and putting in place a robust training strategy. To manage this large team, she uses a combination of delegating and being hands-on when required.

Being a good listener and a good talker are important skill sets, Nath believes. “One has to have the ability to listen really well and glean the right data,” she says. She spends her free time with her six-year-old daughter and her husband, who she says is very supportive despite being extremely busy himself. She often takes short breaks with her family to nearby locations. “A quick get-away now and then is refreshing,” she says. How­ever, she is planning a longer trip to Kerala in the near future.