- Name: Sheet
- Instagram: @sheet.dila
- Industry Experience: 8 years
- Favorite Drink: Absolute favorite, old-fashioned; beach, pina colada; dance floor margarita or tequila water. Also, absolutely anything made ‘Make My Cocktail’ style!
- Favorite Non-alcoholic: Water
It isn’t everyday that a journalist finds herself making a career switch into hospitality but Sheet and her “friends thought, oh, what fun it would be to work at one of our favourite bars!” So began the journey of many milestones, from an email applying for the role of social media manager at Cocktails and Dreams, Speakeasy. “I still have it, of course, writing that one email, for my first ever job application in the F&B industry”
With 3 years under her belt as a journalist, starting a fashion label, a stint at a marketing agency, an advertising agency, and a small but prolific portfolio of copywriting assignments, Sheet credits her entry into the world of hospitality to her first bosses (now mentors) Yangdup Lama and Minakshi (Co-owners at Speakeasy, Sidecar, The Brook). In the 8 years since that fateful email, Sheet’s career in the F&B industry has skyrocketed – she now leads all India marketing for Pass Code Hospitality (Ping’s, SAZ Cafe, Jamun, PCO, Raki, Mister Merchant’s, etc), one of India’s biggest hospitality groups. The journalism exposure of engaging with different people in the workspace sure came handy, plus the fact that “there’s no set role as such in both industries, especially when you’re starting out – it’s all about having the knack, working hard to find your space. Plus they’re both passion driven and involve being comfortable with people in general, there is definitely a common connect,” adds Sheet.
For Sheet, the learning curve has been the most rewarding aspect of her career so far, along with of course, traveling to different countries, meeting some of the world’s best bartenders and hosting the best bars, launching brands like Pistola,attending events like ‘Asia’s 50 Best Bars’ live, “The industry is a wild ride. It is challenging, but so rewarding…This industry is for everyone. It’s inviting, it’s thriving, it can throw unexpected challenges at you, but boy, if you catch them, gift wrap them, you are in for a treat!”
Sheet considers herself fortunate to have crossed paths with industry stalwarts like Yangdup Lama, Minakshi Singh, Vikram Achanta, and now Rakshay Dhariawal. Whether it was being immersed in all and different aspects of her role as the marketing manager at Speakeasy under Lama’s guidance, or learning from Minakshi “how to be strong and not lose hope in an industry which is still massively male dominated. Be a no-nonsense person” And now, with Rakshay, picking those precious nuances on running a massive business, doing it all and more, all while fully believing in yourself! The initial few months in the industry were all about soaking it all in and the past few have been about using those learnings to become stronger, better, and also sharing the knowledge and passing it on. “I would meet them at the bar, talk endlessly and pick up gems from the very invaluable conversations with them from all the cocktail workshops and events we did with industry stalwarts and legends. Because I was young and curious and also in a way lucky to have spent that much time with them in the very start of my career. I believe one should always be curious, hungry and passionate. Even in times of doubt or uncertainty, find that hunger and passion.”
What about the work-life balance? Being a journalist adept to traveling all over, the transition was not very difficult for Sheet. Small things like not scheduling calls post working hours (for herself and her team), an understanding partner and mutual respect for each other’s drive, making time for family and not operating on autopilot are her secret sauce. “I make sure I plan holidays, enjoy them to the fullest…If there’s a will, there’s a way. It’s definitely not easy but it’s doable for sure!”
– Nagwa Kureshi