Profile Q&A: Pooja Aggarwal

Pooja Aggarwal is a Publisher EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), who began her career at the Macmillan Publishers in 1999, working in various divisions before moving to its Nature Publishing Group (NPG) in 2005. Pooja is part of the Microbiology Society’s Equality and Diversity (E&D) Working Group, helping to develop and embed the key principles of the issue throughout the Society’s practices. Benjamin Thompson asked her about her background, her career and why the work of the E&D group is so important.

What does your role as Publisher EMEA involve?

My division at NPG works on the development, production, sales and marketing of specialist niche titles, many of which are published on behalf of third party societies. I look after a small number of these journals, working with editors and publishing partners to develop content and the widest dissemination of that content; although NPG is a relatively small publisher with around 100 titles, we want each title to reach as wider an audience as possible – it’s really quality over quantity.

How did you get into publishing?

I did my first degree in Economics and Politics at the Social of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London, then I went on to study for an MPhil in Development Studies at Queen’s College, University of Cambridge, which focused on the international relations, politics and economics of low-income countries. It doesn’t have much to do with publishing, but it did give me a good understanding of just how complicated things can be, no matter what industry you’re in. Whether you’re an economist, a politician or a scientist, there are always certain things you want to achieve – that’s the crux of it, you’re hoping to bring about change. When I started in publishing, I felt a lot of the underlying principles were similar.

Why did you choose to do publishing?

It was really by chance, to be honest! I was looking at a lot of graduate schemes and thinking about my next step. Macmillan was one of the few publishers with a graduate programme – it sounded really interesting and looked like it would give me a good foundation in an industry that I didn’t know much about. In the 14 years I’ve worked here I’ve learnt so much about the ways in which business is done, but also the best ways to interact with the different communities that you serve, be they mass-market, or a single university looking for a textbook for their course.

What is the best part about doing your job?

I really do enjoy working at NPG – that’s why I’m still here. I think an organisation is only as good as the people that are in it, and we have some great people in the Macmillan groups.

Have you always had an interest in science?

My brother is a surgeon – he studied science and went through medical school, so I’ve always had an interest via him. Coming to work for NPG has definitely opened my eyes a lot more. I might not be a scientist, but I’ve definitely learnt about the field from editors, going to conferences, and of course the Nature news channels. I think you don’t necessarily need to know the technicalities of everything to know what someone is trying to do – you don’t want to be so detailed that a wider audience doesn’t understand. This is especially important if you’re thinking about people around the world for whom English isn’t their first language.

Why are you working with the Microbiology Society at the moment?

I’ve known Hilary Lappin-Scott for a number of years – we worked together on the launch of the ISME Journal in 2007. She and Nigel Brown reached out to me and asked whether I’d be interested in joining the working group. I bring a different perspective to the group as someone who is not a scientist, but works in science communication, and also because of my background. I’m a British-born Indian and a female, so I perhaps have a different view of what things should be taken into account when talking about equality and diversity within STEM.

Why is this work important?

The work is hugely important – there’s not a day that goes by when you don’t read in the papers about the need for more women CEOs in top businesses, the need for more women in the boardroom – we need to reach out to more girls in schools to encourage them to take science, maths or engineering courses, if we want to stop missing out on the potential contributions from this huge talent pool. Here, we’re focusing on the SGM and the microbiology community, but the principles could apply anywhere. We’re looking at the stats, the prize winners, the people on the committees – it was an eye-opening experience and something we need to address. Other organisations are doing the same thing; this is back on the agenda, although it always should have been there.

Who is your role model?

There have been a number of people I’ve looked up to in my personal and professional life that have really helped me. One person who will always be very special is my first boss at Macmillan, Ray Fiddler. He taught me a lot about how to manage my time, how to step back and work through problems to find solutions and how to interact with people from different walks of life. He always had time for me, which I’ll always remember.

What do you do to relax?

I do have two small children – 5 and 2 years old – and they take up a lot of my time. We have a big, extended family, so there are always lots of birthdays and anniversaries. I get to travel a lot with work, which is great. NPG have been hugely helpful with regards to flexible working, so that really helps me to balance my work and home life. That said, I also enjoy a takeaway in front of a movie – which is usually a soppy romcom…

If you were sent to a desert island, what one album and luxury item would you bring?

Probably a compilation album that my husband gave me on our first anniversary, containing all our favourite songs. As for a luxury? Perhaps my Mum’s chicken curry, or maybe my phone – I like to talk!

If you weren’t working in publishing what would you be?

I think I’d be a teacher – probably of primary school children. I’m not sure what I’d teach, but it’s always something I was interested to do. Seeing my daughter at school having just started in year 1, it’s such a crucial age for moulding children’s ideas and I think this is where we can really grab their attentions that hopefully pave the way for a bright and successful future for them.

BENJAMIN THOMPSON

Public Relations Manager
[email protected]