Shikha Upadhayay - South Asia Women in Energy (Sawie)

Shikha leads the Marketing and PR efforts at REC Solar for India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, she is also closely working on overall Digital, Branding and PR efforts for REC at the APAC level. REC Solar is a leading brand of solar panel manufacturer headquartered in Norway with its operational headquarter in Singapore. REC’s Tuas factory in Singapore is a state-of- the-art manufacturing facility powered by cutting-edge technology producing world-class solar panels. In India REC is the largest European brand of solar panels which is a preferred brand for rooftop systems in commercial and industrial segment. She has been in the position for more than 2.5 years now.

Previously she was the Manager Conferences for the eponymous show in India, Renewable Energy India trade show in Greater Noida which she successfully helmed for two-editions. REI is India’s largest trade show in solar and renewables organised by UBM India. She was closely involved in the overall planning, branding and execution for the entire summit. Apart from that she was also leading the Conference division for the overall Renewable portfolio in UBM India.

She comes with a strong background in communications having previously held positions in development sector, infra Sector and education sector. She has also worked as a free-lance communication-consultant most notably for the Kumaon Literary Festival 1st Edition in 2015 which was backed by NDTV and Yes Bank as a communication strategist. With passion for environment and renewables she is an avid reader and writer and a keen follower of the sustainability brigade. She believes in shared responsibilities and power of effective communication to bring about real change at the behavioural level for a long-term change on mass-scale.

She has done her Master’s in English Literature from St.John’s College, Agra in 2009 and comes from Jaunpur, which is a small town near Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. She’s come a long way her career without settling for safe jobs like teaching which is where she started 10 years ago, and it’s her passion for newer challenges which has helped her come this far.