S4E168: From First-Generation School-Goer to VP of Operations: Tejaswini Manjunath on Maritime, Leadership and Sponsorship
How does a first-generation school-goer become a Vice President of Operations in global maritime and supply chain? In this episode of The AboutHer Show, Sangeeta Relan sits down with Tejaswini Manjunath of Rippey AI to talk about sponsors versus mentors, leading Gen Z alongside seasoned professionals, hiring for smarts and hearts, burnout, and the riskiest bets of her career. She also shares the advice that shaped her leadership: lead upwards with clarity, lead downwards with empathy.
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Chapters
(00:00) 👋 Introduction
Meet Tejaswini Manjunath, VP of Operations at Rippey AI.
(02:54) 🎒 The First-Generation School-Goer
How growing up with a mother and an aunt who believed in her still shapes the way she leads.
(07:01) 🤝 Mentors Shape Your Thinking, Sponsors Change Your Trajectory
The moment someone advocated for her when she wasn’t in the room.
(10:45) ⚓ Breaking Into Maritime and Supply Chain
What it takes to be taken seriously in a male-dominated industry.
(14:22) 🌍 Leading Across Generations
Managing professionals with decades of experience alongside Gen Z talent.
(18:01) 🌱 Slower Now, Stronger Later
Why she chooses to coach people instead of doing the work herself.
(21:46) 💛 “Take Care of Yourself”
The leave, the manager’s kindness, and what it taught her about leadership.
(24:30) 📈 Leading Upwards with Clarity
How she disagrees with senior leaders and still keeps their trust.
(28:25) 🧠 Hiring for Smarts and Hearts
What happens when brilliant on paper isn’t right for the team.
(31:40) 🌐 Building a Career Across Time Zones
Lessons from working in a fast-paced US-based organisation from India.
(34:31) 🎲 The Riskiest Career Decision
The bet that could have gone wrong and what she was thinking before making it.
(37:36) 😄 Ambition Without Burnout
Taking the work seriously without taking herself too seriously.
(40:50) 🔮 Twenty Years From Now
The one sentence she hopes her team says about her.
(41:48) ⚡ The Reveal
Quick-fire questions, first thing that comes to mind.
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