We’re delighted to announce that Klarna’s US Head of Merchant Success, Raji Behal, has been selected as a 2021 Amazing Women in eCommerce Honoree.
Amazing Women in eCommerce was launched by Yotpo in 2018 to recognize and celebrate the women shaping our industry. Each year, Yotpo collects nominations from the public and selects a group of women to honor, while raising money for Girls Inc. Girls Inc. is a non-profit organization that empowers and inspires young women through long-lasting mentoring relationships, a pro-girl environment, and research-based programming. In recognition of Raji and this year’s honorees, Yotpo is making a $10,000 donation to Girls Inc. To date, the program has raised over $43,000 for Girls Inc.
Read on to get a sneak peek into Raji’s career, leadership style, and favorite eCommerce brands, and head over to Yotpo’s site to check out Raji’s full profile and the entire honoree list.
Tell us about your career.
I’m currently the Head of Merchant Success at Klarna, the leading global payments provider and shopping service. I lead one of Klarna’s Merchant Success teams in the US, growing our largest and most strategic enterprise merchants and ensuring that their needs are being met. One of Klarna’s core values is customer obsession, so our merchants and their customers are our number one priority.
Before making the jump to fintech, I was at Macy’s for 13 years where I was most recently leading Leased Merchandising & New Business Development. It’s been a huge change, but it’s been such a great experience.
What’s your leadership style?
I am a true believer in servant leadership. I’ve certainly improved my leadership style over the years, but at this point in my career, I believe in listening to my team, giving them the tools they need to be successful, and empowering them to make decisions without much oversight from me. Ultimately, my goal is to breed trust, respect, and transparency with my teams, so that everyone knows and feels like they have a seat at the table, and that their voices matter.
What has been your biggest professional success so far?
I used to say that my biggest professional success was becoming a Buyer before age 25 and then reaching the Vice President title by the time I was 30. In hindsight, I realize that titles aren’t a proxy for success and professional satisfaction.
Today, I would say my biggest success has been taking a leap of faith in Klarna – leaving a company and sector I knew and loved and pushing myself outside of my comfort zone to a new space within fintech. I have learned so much in such a short amount of time at Klarna, and I believe my decision-making and “gut feel” have improved exponentially, given the speed at which we’re growing and needing to move.
Name an eCommerce brand you admire and why.
Avya Skincare is a brand I truly admire. During COVID, I haven’t been wearing much makeup but I am definitely prioritizing my skincare routine. Avya takes traditional Ayurvedic ingredients with medical-grade efficacy to concentrate and boost their natural healing powers, and I can’t live without their serum! In addition, they are a woman and founder-led company that truly focuses on giving back to their local communities and committed to contributing to social progress, especially for women and minorities.
Read Raji’s full profile here.