Pitch perfect: Renita Lobo’s journey from marketing to sales

Name: Renita Lobo | Designation: Regional E-Commerce Manager | Company: Hewlett Packard Middle East | Place: Dubai

(May 09, 2023) Sales was never part of the plan for Mumbai-born Renita Lobo. Having done her Bachelor of Management Studies from Mumbai University and then MBA Marketing from St Xavier’s College, she’d kicked off her career as a marketing executive for a beauty care products company. “My early mentors, however, recognised my excellent soft skills and ruthlessness in accomplishing tasks and encouraged me to take up sales instead,” says Renita, who is now the regional e-commerce manager at Hewlett Packard Middle East.

Today, as part of her role, she manages the e-commerce sales for HP’s product portfolio across the digital space in the middle east market. Her go-getter attitude has seen her receive several accolades, including the high achiever of the year at her previous job with Samsung Gulf Electronics. This sales professional believes in the power of networking. “Although it’s been a while since I job hunted, I firmly believe that networking is key. One must be networking with the right individuals from their industry to make headway in today’s competitive market,” says Renita, who gets to work with a very diverse team in her organisation.

A dog mom, she loves to spend time with her dogs. “I work from home two days a week, so most days I have plenty of time with my dogs who are my biggest stress buster. This helps me stay focused and productive at work too,” she smiles. “At HP, we don’t believe in the number of hours we spend at work, but believe in the number of productive hours. My day primarily includes spending quality time with my dogs, meeting my customers for forward planning and addressing challenges at work. After work hours are reserved for heading to a bar with colleagues, a movie sometimes and working out at the gym.”

During her time off, Renita likes to experiment with her look and try a different hair colour every quarter. She also loves to travel. “My time off is basically spent exploring new countries. I ensure I take my time off every quarter and travel i.e three times a year minimum. When I’m in the country I love long drives and spending time outdoors with my dogs.”

A firm believer in the mantra ‘Life’s a journey with problems to solve and lessons to learn. But most of all experiences to enjoy,’ Renita wants to live life to the fullest. “I don’t just want to survive. It is my desire for a better lifestyle that makes me strive hard every day,” she says. Which is also why she’s constantly updating her knowledge and skill sets. “I ensure I stay abreast of trends that are relevant to my field and career. I’ve also recently completed a professional degree in Digital Marketing.”

While Dubai is a very metropolitan city, she still manages to stay in touch with her roots by travelling back home at least once a year. “While in India, I enjoy doing everything that I used to when I lived here earlier. But after retirement, I picture myself living in some other country,” she says, adding, “Another way I like to stay in touch with my roots is through food. In Dubai I get to relish cuisines from all states of India, which I truly enjoy as I  am a foodie. I also frequent the desi music bars here and at work too we celebrate Indian festivals and traditions.”

She goes on to add that people in Dubai are very open to Indian culture and love Bollywood movies. “Shahrukh Khan enjoys a huge celebrity status here, even among the Arabs. People here also very fond of Indian spices and are intrigued by our rich culture and heritage. A lot of the non-Indians I know here want to travel to different parts of India on their holidays. Fact at work: from all the diverse cultures and ethnicities here, they find the Indian English accent the most understandable,” she signs off.

Takeaways: 

• Don’t fear mid-career change of sectors. They might just open doors to something better.

• Find what helps you stay focused and motivated. It could be a life goal, a pet, or short-term goals.

• Always pursue courses and certifications to stay relevant in your role.

• Wear your Indianness on your sleeve. Be proud of your heritage.