'I have never let being the only female stop me'

For Diana Low, director at Page Executive South East Asia, being a leader means seeing her team members growing on the job. She tells us more.

What prompted your move into recruiting?

I wanted to meet people and do something that I would enjoy daily. I was in the accounting profession prior to joining the recruitment industry and always wondered about a different career path such as sales. I found out more about recruitment and realised it would combine both my interests and drive to do something different …and the rest, as they say, is history.

Please describe a typical day.

We are in the people business, so it is of course a given that communicating with both candidates and clients takes up most of the day. Communication can be in the form of client meetings, interviews, preparing candidates for the interviews, getting feedback, presenting offers to candidates, among many other things. All in all, there will never be a day with nothing to do.

Please share with us your leadership journey so far. Are there any particular challenges that women leaders in recruitment particularly face?

I don’t think there really is any specific challenge that particularly affects women in recruitment. In fact, women leaders in recruitment would face similar challenge as any other woman in the general workforce.

The common struggles of balancing family and work, and women being perceived as less ambitious to take on leadership roles are still common though they are now certainly lesser than in the recent years. As we climb the corporate ladder, responsibilities and accountability get bigger and its easy to see women fall off the chain as they struggle to prioritise and get support from organisations.

For me, it is important to always communicate your ambitions and career goals clearly to your superiors to ensure there is no gap in expectations. Also, be seen an equal among your peers. I was the only female and Asian senior management executive within our business and have never let that fact intimidate or stop me from voicing out what I needed to do to ensure a successful team.

We have a very supportive group of senior leaders in the business and rewards and promotions are based on a meritocracy basis. I am very glad to see more female leaders stepping up as our business grows.

What do you enjoy most about being a leader?

I would say it would very much be the day-to-day job satisfaction that you get out of it. It’s an absolute pleasure when you see your team succeed under your guidance and advice, and seeing members grow to be a leader themselves one day.

How can women grow as leaders both in and out of the workplace?

Be ambitious and confident about expressing your goals and career aspirations.

Good time management and setting up the right infrastructure for support are also key to ensure that you can focus on work at work and family at home. Although this is easier said than done, with technology and flexible work arrangements among other forms of support, it is achievable.

Click here to be inspired by stories of women and read about about leadership tips, working across cultures and achieving work-life balance.