MAM
Kool Kanya : A women oriented community here to create the workforce of the future
Currently a community of 21K members and growing every day, with a reach of over a million, Kool Kanya is a safe space for women to network professionally, exchange opportunities, share opinions and ask questions. The platform also offers career guidance, mentorship and opportunities for women to help them build careers they love and want to explore.
As the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about financial instability and economic challenges for many, Kool Kanya is that fresh breath of air that is here to sustain and support women who are facing loss of work and are looking for support, guidance and community.
Women based platforms and communities have grown significantly in India, as they are evolving towards helping women achieve their goals and evoking emotions of sisterhood amongst each other. These communities have henceforth come to play a vital role, acting as career support systems to women. Kool Kanya is a blend of online and offline women targeted communities that lend support to thousands of women, both emotionally and mentally.
Offering dialogue, career advice and tools to help modern Indian women build and grow careers as per their passion, Kool Kanya fosters progressive conversations around relevant subjects and focuses on imparting guidance on topics like upskilling, freelancing, entrepreneurship, financial planning and mental health. Kool Kanya also curates online and offline events for women which allow them to network and engage in meaningful dialogue. Currently, they are offering constant online support to their community members through webinars, masterclasses, Digital bootcamps and hiring events.
Vanshika Goenka, Founder of Kool Kanya, “Kool Kanya has been established with the aim of creating a one stop destination for all things related to a woman’s career- from mentorship and upskilling to starting careers and providing an opportunity to find work, all within a nurturing and mutually supportive ecosystem where women build each other up. When a woman thinks of her career, her first thought should be Kool Kanya.”
The platform has done a few remarkable events and surveys in the past. – “Women in the Workplace”, recognizing women achievers nominated by other women and a Gamechangers Networking event, for the mentors in the Kool Kanya community. They have also done an #Unblocked series of events for freelance writers, on Business Funding and Growth and Networking.
During this pandemic they have started an initiative to support women who are looking for jobs called GetWork 2020 – which is an online hiring event for the Community. The latest event saw participation from 13 companies across 18 fields and 697 applications. It is important for women who have faced job loss during the COVID-19 uncertainties.
Brands
Abhinav Rastogi named global marketing director for YouTube Shopping
Google veteran to scale creator commerce and expand shopping across global markets
SINGAPORE: Abhinav Rastogi has stepped into a new role as global marketing director for YouTube Shopping, marking the latest chapter in a more than decade-long career at Google.
Rastogi, who took on the position in February and is based in Singapore, will lead global marketing for YouTube Shopping, a platform designed to connect creators, viewers and merchants in a single ecosystem. His remit includes expanding the service into new markets and strengthening its positioning as a growth channel for both creators and brands.
In a reflective note on the transition, Rastogi pointed to a simple but powerful idea driving the role. For years, creators have quietly built trust with audiences through consistent and authentic content, and that trust often shapes purchasing decisions. What is changing now, he said, is the infrastructure around that behaviour. YouTube Shopping aims to make it easier for viewers to discover and buy products recommended by creators they already follow.
The scale is already significant. More than half a million creators have joined the programme, with recent expansion into Japan through a partnership with Rakuten signalling further global ambitions.
Rastogi believes the future of shopping on YouTube will be driven by a blend of creators, content and communities. In his view, it is the human voice behind the screen, not just the product, that ultimately builds trust and drives discovery.
Prior to this role, he served as director of marketing, YouTube Asia Pacific, where he led regional marketing across creator engagement, brand building and reputation. During that time, he played a key role in launching and scaling YouTube Shopping across eight markets in the region.
Earlier stints at Google include group product marketing manager, consumer apps, overseeing growth for products such as Search, Maps and Assistant across India and Southeast Asia, and product marketing manager roles spanning consumer apps and YouTube, where he contributed to launches including YouTube Music, YouTube Originals and YouTube Shorts.
Rastogi began his career in consulting with Boston Consulting Group and A.T. Kearney, before moving into the technology sector. He is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Management Calcutta and Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur.
Alongside his corporate role, he is also an active angel investor, backing early-stage startups in consumer technology and electric mobility across India and Southeast Asia.
As he settles into the new role, Rastogi is betting on a future where every video can double up as a storefront, and where commerce feels less like a transaction and more like a recommendation from a trusted voice.
