Twarita Arya, Product Manager at Haier

I’m a product Marketer by profession. I currently work for Haier UK, a global home appliances company, where I am responsible for marketing, planning and execution throughout the life-cycle of products.

This includes gathering and prioritising product and market feedback, defining the product vision, and working closely with the IT, sales, marketing and support departments to ensure revenue and customer satisfaction goals are met. I grew up in India and completed my masters in International business. I work between Woking and across the UK with our trade partners. I live with my husband in Woking.

What were you doing before you decided to join Haier?

I have been in the Consumer goods industry throughout my career and I came up the ranks in Product Marketing in LG Electronics and Panasonic in India. Eventually I decided to move to the UK in 2013, shortly after, I was hired by Haier.

Getting involved in Tech is still a new thing for women, what was the motivation for you?

I think it was a choice I made while pursuing my undergraduate studies in biotechnology. I always enjoyed consuming technology and that triggered my interest in being part of creating one! After all, it is technology that helps to pave the way for development on both personal and societal levels.

How have you found your journey so far and what has been your greatest accomplishment?

The fruitful part of my journey has been through the successful launch of new products that help make a consumer's life easier (such as with the Haier Duo which was introduced in the UK market). However, I must say that my biggest achievement is yet to come!

What has been the most challenging thing so far?

Key challenges would be, increasing brand awareness within a very short time span, and bringing the right product at the right time to support the brand, as the consumer goods market is highly competitive. Currently, Haier only has 18% of brand awareness in the UK, and we need to ensure that consumers understand who we are, the products that we can offer, and the benefits that they bring to the consumer.

Do you think more women should get involved in Tech and why?

Yes, absolutely, and I believe that more women are joining the technology sector! Having more women in technology means having more women leaders, hence ‘normalising’ it as a career path. Then more young girls would be able to relate to technology and will want to be part of the sector. It would be great to eliminate barriers for girls/women to take up science and technology in schools and colleges.  Ultimately, we have to create a culture that attracts more women in technology.

What advice would you give to young female entrepreneurs who are stuck on an idea?

My suggestion would be to ask 3 questions to yourself: Why, Who, When?

Why should you work on this idea?

Who is the target audience?

When is the right time to implement it? Neither is too soon nor is it too late!

Then make it your mission and go for it once you have analysed the commercial viability of the concept. Finally, always be open towards feedback.

What does it mean to be a female tech entrepreneur?

Have a goal and believe in it and what better than technology to facilitate this!

Overview of Haier:

About Haier:

Founded in 1984, Haier is the world’s No. 1 Major Appliances brand with a 10.3% retail volume in market share (Source: Euromonitor International Limited; retail volume sales in units based on 2016 data). With its commitment to quality and innovation, Haier brings the inspired living experience to consumers in over 165 countries worldwide. Haier Group consists of 66 trading companies, 143,330 sales outlets and 33 factories with 72,000 employees worldwide. Haier both pursues excellence in innovation through its 9 R&D centres and ensures its products are adapted to the tastes and needs of its consumers in its various local markets. Haier specialises in technology-driven research, manufacturing and trading a large range of durable products. In Europe, these include: televisions, refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, consumer electronics and energy saving home solutions. Haier’s global revenue in 2015 was US$30.3 billion. Haier has been in the UK for over 9 years now.