Actuality¹⁶⁸

Portrait of Nakita Rao

HIRING, TRAINING AND RETENTION OF TALENTS

Par

Marie Pelletier

JCCM - Jeune Chambre de commerce de Montréal

Gestionnaire de projet bénévole du comité marketing et création de contenu

As part of our March Portraits series, the Junior Chamber of Commerce of Montreal is highlighting committed women who actively contribute to the vitality and innovation of our community.

Portrait 4 - Meet Nakita Rao, a strategic leader who transforms complexity into lasting impact.

Working at the intersection of advanced technology and business challenges, Nakita leads technical teams and mobilizes multidisciplinary expertise around ambitious and transformative goals. She supports organizations in demanding contexts by gaining the buy-in of executives and boards of directors through her strong strategic influence and keen understanding of organizational dynamics.

Transforming complexity into sustainable value

Nakita is deeply passionate about identifying high-impact opportunities and transforming them into structured, concrete initiatives that deliver sustainable value.

She thrives in transformational environments where it is not enough to understand complexity: it must be channeled, structured, and used to develop solid, reliable, and distinctive solutions.

Female role models shaping leadership

Throughout her career, Nakita has been surrounded by female mentors in positions of influence and decision-making who, despite their distinct leadership styles, shared the ability to respond to challenges with confidence.

They taught her that true leadership is not based solely on accomplishments, but on the person you choose to be. Confidence in her ability to rise, take her place, and act with conviction still guides her leadership style today.

Explore, start over, find your place

Nakita has a clear message for young professional women in Montreal: don't be afraid to explore and start over.

“Try different careers, discover both large companies and startups, test what stimulates and challenges you. By exploring, you will learn more about yourself and identify the environment in which you can truly excel.”

She is proud to have dared to start over several times and to have found success in each of her adventures, while inspiring other women to take the plunge and assert themselves.

One piece of advice still guides her path today:

“The robin does not rely on the branch it is perched on, but on its wings to fly.”

This image reminds her not to depend solely on external conditions, but to focus on developing her skills, confidence, and ability to seize opportunities, regardless of the context.

Choosing your own balance

According to Nakita, one of the biggest challenges for women today is navigating an “extreme pendulum” amplified by online discourse and social expectations.

Between pressure to conform to idealized standards and demands to constantly surpass oneself, it becomes difficult to chart an authentic path. Finding balance, making choices aligned with one's values, and asserting one's voice despite the surrounding noise is a major challenge for many women.

Stepping outside her comfort zone

By stepping outside her comfort zone, Nakita realized something essential: no one has all the answers.

“You'll never have all the information you need to make the ‘right’ decision. Everyone learns through experience.”

This realization helped her to trust herself and take action, even in the face of uncertainty. For her, it's better to try, learn, and adjust than to remain paralyzed by the fear of making mistakes.

Grounding and alignment

To stay grounded, Nakita prioritizes sleep. It is often at night that her best ideas emerge and complex problems become clearer. A good night's sleep thus becomes a real strategic tool.

Her favorite place in Montreal to work or recharge her batteries is Café 2nd Gen, the coffee shop opened by her fiancé. There she finds a warm, open, and inclusive space where all communities are welcome.

Inspirations

Among her recommendations, she suggests the book The Profit Paradox, an in-depth reflection on how large companies generate profits today, which challenges several preconceived notions about competition, innovation, and value creation.

She also highlights her admiration for Ayah Bdeir, founder of littleBits, whose unusual career path combining art, design, and engineering demonstrates that it is possible to forge your own path and turn experimentation into real impact.

Connect with Nakita!