Meet Ipsita — PMO & Recruiting Ops

Nice to meet you, Ipsita. Would you please introduce yourself? 

Hi, I am Ipsita Mishra from PMO (Program Management Office) & Recruiting Ops department which is a part of the People Operations organization. During my 7 months of tenure in Coupang, I have managed various exciting People Projects as a Project Manager.  

What experiences did you have before joining Coupang? 

I have an enriching experience of 11 years in the various verticals of HR, involving strategic HR, organization development, employee engagement, diversity & inclusion, talent acquisition and talent transformation. Before Coupang, I was taking care of the HR function at a major Indian corporation, which has manufacturing units across four countries and sales offices across 17 countries with an employee base of 1700+ of various nationalities. Across my career, I have been instrumental in designing and deploying various HR policies and practices in different companies in line with organizational goals. 

What is the main role of your team at Coupang? What kind of projects do you work on?  

I manage HR projects like the Global Mobility project, which focuses on talent migration across the world; integrating Workday (HRIS) with ATS (Application Tracking System) used at Coupang; and the annual compensation management project, which involved improving the process and communication of employee compensation. 

What makes Coupang special in your opinion? 

Coupang is very special to me and it will remain closest to my heart forever.  

Coupang is unbiased, a true equal opportunity employer. Coupang does not qualify or reject based on your visa status, nationality, or knowledge of the local language.  

I was a dependent visa holder in South Korea, did not know the local language, and applied for a job in Human Resources, where communicating with employees plays a vital role.  

I had five marathon interviews during my evaluation process. Each interviewer was carefully selected and prepared to test my skills and leadership quality against Coupang Leadership values. It was a unique experience. Though I have handled a lot of projects in my career, I was never a Project Manager as per role in my career, but I was not judged by that. I was only evaluated on the necessary skill set that fits the job description and potential for me to adapt and learn. 

I am the first foreigner and a non-Korean speaker on the team. But the onboarding was so smooth that in no time, I became one of them.  

I have experienced a mutual trust in the culture, which many companies try to build but very few can achieve. 

Coupang gives flexibility in terms of working hours, place of work, and way of work. Thanks to this, employees give their 100% or more in recognition to a company trusting them without strict supervision or monitoring. This not only helps in building strong culture but creates leaders from within the company. 

What are you looking forward to at Coupang? 

I am looking forward to having an amazing learning career at Coupang. As a Project Manager, I have been exposed to various HR teams across the organization to lead interesting and meaningful projects. I would like to keep myself open to more opportunities that will provide me with new challenges and learning. I would like to utilize my skill and expertise in those opportunities to drive excellence. 

Any advice to the next generation of female leaders? 

My advice is very simple, but if followed in a true sense you can achieve all your goals. 

Believe in yourself first. Treat every day as your first day at work. Be open to learning. Don’t hesitate to unlearn. Connect and communicate.