19 OCTOBER2026W MAN LEADERGLOBAL W MAN LEADERGLOBAL LEADERS UNIQUELY INFLUENCING THE DESIGN OF FUTURE WORK ENVIRONMENTS THAT PRIORITIZE BOTH PERFORMANCE AND MENTAL WELL-BEING?One of the biggest shifts on account of AI is that whilst routine tasks are being taken over by AI, the higher cognitive tasks are being performed by humans. This will require more empathy and intuitive leadership styles that are more natural to women leaders.From a physical environment, one of the biggest influences women leaders have over men is in helping design workplaces that are life inclusive. For instance, building lactation rooms that are not just an afterthought or wellness suites that think through the softer aspect of psychological safety that are not `one size fits all' but gender inclusive.FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE ACROSS APAC, WHAT SUBTLE GENDER-SPECIFIC CHALLENGES DO SEE WOMEN FACING IN NAVIGATING HIGH-STAKES CORPORATE ROLES? HOW CAN PSYCHOLOGICAL AWARENESS HELP OVERCOME THEM?One of the biggest challenges I feel are specific to women leaders is what they call Likeability vs Competence double bind. In Asia, women are expected to be nurturing and communal. Top leadership requires decisiveness and assertiveness. Unfortunately, an assertive woman is often termed `aggressive' and if not, then termed `soft' and thus incompetent. Women must lean in and assert harder to be selected for tough roles. This will require a high degree of Cognitive Reframing.One of the biggest challenges for women is navigating "hidden" power networks. What we call `missing the meeting before the meeting". A lot gets done over informal meetings ­ like late night drinks, clubbing or a game of golf, all traditionally more male dominated environments.And lastly, a `lonely leader' syndrome. Being a minority at senior leadership leads to lack of understanding and exhaustion. This leads to a state of hypervigilance leading to quicker burnout and high cortisol.WITH YOUR EXPERTISE IN FINANCIAL STRATEGY AND MENTAL HEALTH, HOW CAN WOMEN LEADERS BETTER BALANCE BUSINESS OUTCOMES WITH EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE WHILE DRIVING IMPACTFUL, SUSTAINABLE WORKPLACE TRANSFORMATIONS?Building social connection points helps brain release oxytocin that helps build trust and reduces anxiety. There is a load of neuroscience research connecting physical environments to wellness and we apply that to building workspaces
< Page 9 | Page 11 >