“Be Authentic” Joanne Chua Regional Account Director, Robert Walters
On Thursday, 20 April 2017, S P Jain School of Global Management hosted a six-member panel discussion made up of women leaders from the industry. The session, which is a part of the MBA (Executive) Leadership Series, was addressed by Prof Veena Jadhav - Assistant Dean of MBA (Executive), S P Jain School of Global Management.
Women in Business – Experiences and Takeaways
The women in business have evolved from just having supportive and nurturing roles, to earning the professional and leadership titles. They have started playing a critical role in driving the innovation and sustainability of organisations. In the current business context, there is a need to go beyond the stereotypes and revisit the challenges and opportunities faced by professional women.
The panellists shared success stories, challenges and opportunities faced by them, and their strategies to overcome these challenges. They also shared their experiences and pointers to guide aspiring women professionals to accelerate their career goals.
The session was one of the most interactive and close-to-heart session ever witnessed in the campus!
The panellists included
- Dr. CJ Meadows (Moderator), Director, i2i- The Innovation and Insights Center, S P Jain School of Global Management
- Amanda Oldridge, VP & Head of HR, Verifone
- Anuprita Bhomick, Director, Strategy and Operations, Hewlett Packard Enterprise
- Joanne Chua, Regional Account Director, Robert Walters
- Kanika Agarwal, Founder & CEO, Passion Peers
- Srividya Maliwal, Chief Producer, Playware Studios Pte Ltd.
Wisdoms
When asked to share their best wisdom with the audience, each speaker had something different to bring to the table.
Srividya reached out to mothers, telling them to believe in themselves and to not stop planning their life journey. They should never be afraid to ask for help.
Amanda emphasised that one should not be afraid to speak up. They should always try to find a passion in their job and learn to focus on the different priorities of the job at different points of time. Joanne was firm on two words – “Be Authentic”. She asked the women not to let people of society dictate who you are and what you want to do. You can always bring your own character and style into the workplace, you don’t need to copy anyone’s style.
Kanika, the youngest in the group, shared three interesting pointers – “Live with no regrets – find something purposeful”; “Take risks in our lives” and “Don’t be afraid to be different”.
Anuprita emphasised that finding a partner – “the right partner” who understands and supports your goals, is crucial.
Do Not Lose Your Track
The discussion attracted a couple of questions from the floor. Kanika encouraged the audience to take one hour a day for themselves, doing something that they love to enable them to focus. Anuprita complemented by telling one to not just manage their time, but also to manage their energy. It is also important to not overwork yourself when you get too engrossed in something. At the end of the discussion, the crowd stayed for the networking session where more offline interactions took place. We hope to see most of them in our upcoming events!
