Nora has been a keynote speaker and moderator around the world – including in the UAE, Portugal, Canada, Bangladesh, and across the U.S. – on the topics of career pivoting and personal storytelling, business and technology news, media and entrepreneurship, creator economy, building inclusive workplaces, and others. As a child of Bangladeshi immigrants, Nora is passionate about elevating historically excluded voices and telling the stories of those who feel like “outsiders.”
Don’t stop yourself from making a pivot or finding a job outside your comfort zone just because you don’t think you have the necessary prerequisites. For many jobs and career paths, there are ways to frame your skillsets in a way that conveys an ability to learn the job as you go. For example, did you take new responsibilities outside of your “job description” in your current role or past roles? Were you entrusted with big projects, and given new tasks by your managers that you hadn’t done before? The ability to execute in the unknown is a huge asset in itself.
We operate with a “startup” mindset while navigating both traditional and new media. What has helped us the most is tapping into our unique network, given that the expertise of our founding team and core operating team span across tech startups, e-commerce, sports, news, business media, and entertainment. We are not afraid to challenge the status quo, and tap into unexplored areas to find unique concepts, partnerships, and business models.
Specializing will be key. It’s no longer just about quality of work, especially because there are now more platforms and tools than ever before to create great content. Audiences want to feel a loyalty to the brands, creators, and companies from whom they consume content, so catering to certain niches or underserved audiences will help new media companies stand out.
I love choosing to do new things that are wildly outside of my comfort zone, and putting in my best effort to get really good at it - both in work, and in my personal life. For example, I’m new to playing tennis as of the last few months, and I can’t get enough of it - I’ve become a little obsessed!
Indra Nooyi, the former CEO and Chairman of PepsiCo. Her story of immigrating to the U.S. from India and navigating career and family is very similar to my parents’ story coming from Bangladesh. I had the privilege of interviewing her for the Business Casual podcast from Morning Brew - a career highlight.
My violin! I love playing chamber music and performing with my peers. Truly nothing brings me more joy.
I don’t know if it’s a trend, but I’m excited to be more “still” in 2024. I’ve been hustling and bustling for most of my life, and I think it’s time to start living a little bit more slowly and savoring the moments - I’m increasingly seeing a similar desire amongst friends and peers as well. Easier said than done!
