Leading Women: Leadership with humility and a sense of humour

As part of our Leading Women series, we want to highlight the professional challenges and career aspirations of the women we work with here in Asia.  
 
In this story, we speak to Anita Menon, Chief Risk Officer at Prudential BSN Takaful Berhad and winner of ‘Upcoming Personality (Risk Management)’ at the Global Islamic Finance Awards, as well as the Top 50 Women in Islamic Business & Finance by Cambridge IFA in 2019. She shares how she navigated her way through several male-dominated industries, the importance of having a sense of humour in leaders, as well as how equality begins not at the workplace, but at home with the family.  

Q: What leadership traits resonate with you the most?  

The first thing that comes to mind is authenticity. Increasingly, I think leadership is really about being true to yourself and being authentic. I’ve had the  privilege of working with many such leaders in the course of my career, and they all have clear visions and strong sets of values. They are also people who are willing to mentor and lift others up. They also give credit where credit is due, and they are very professional. I also admire leaders who have the courage and the conviction to speak up, even if it is not a popular choice to do so. Lastly, I think a sense of humour is very important, too, because it creates bonds with the team.  
 
This is an abridged version of the full interview with Anita Menon. For the full version of the interview, click here.