Miranda Pothiawala
Software Director
Miranda Pothiawala, director of Samarind and head of software is a multi-tasker par excellence.
Miranda's main responsibilities include generating sales for the company that she and husband, Sadik started in 1987 as well as fulfilling the role of systems architect for the clients who sign up for Samarind's software and web development services.
"I have always had a love of computers," explains Miranda, who worked originally for the oil giant, Shell, on their mainframe computers. "But I didn't want to progress to management in my career, so 21 years ago Sadik and I decided to set up on our own."
The irony is, of course, that management is now very much part of Miranda's job, although the size and scale of the operation is not something that she could have envisaged in the early days working from home in Saughall.
"There were some tricky moments at first," says Miranda with a smile. "Especially when you realise that there will be no money coming in if you don't actually earn it!"
Other realisations included the importance of employing good people - not the cheapest. "I soon learnt that for Samarind to succeed I had to match the right person with the right job which meant that I had to learn to spot other people's strengths." As a result it's not just Samarind's clients that benefit, Miranda does too. The quality of the team makes it much easier to avoid bringing work home.
As Samarind goes from strength to strength, so the company has expanded, moving from the village of Saughall to its present location in September 1999. They've now expanded further, taking 3,000 sq ft of office space spread over two floors and employing 18 staff.
Miranda would like to employ more women and see more women in computing generally. "Unfortunately there's still this geeky image that puts women off, although it is beginning to change. We have a female web designer at Samarind now, for example."
Miranda studied Maths and English as a joint degree and has always had a real love of music, playing both the viola and the piano but perhaps it was her father's influence that provides the key to her career choice?
"He was chief librarian for Cheshire but he has always had a great interest in how things work. He made my first proper bike for me when I was a child and even helped me to build a guitar."
Today, Miranda's 75-year-old father is a computer fan, using it to log details of train rolling stock. At the other end of the spectrum, 14-year-old Alex Pothiawala is carrying on the family tradition, building his own computers from scratch.
Miranda is very proud of what she and husband, Sadik, have built at Samarind over the last 21 years although she wouldn't want to give the impression that life is all work and no play. "I relax by listening to music, anything from Snow Patrol and Pink to Verdi operas. I like to cook and I love to work out at the gym. That's when I really switch off, I suppose."
Others could say that Miranda doesn't really switch off at all; as a busy wife, mother and director of a successful company she's merely on stand-by!
PS For those intrigued by the unusual company name, the clue lies with both directors and not, says Miranda, as a simple anagram of her own name!
Published Winter 2009