Building a better business world
Breaking Down Barriers on the Path to the C-suite Jasi Halai, Chief Operating Officer at leading global investment company 3i, joined Mark Bateman, CEO of WeQual, for an enlightening conversation about breaking through the glass ceiling and forging your own path. The full event recording is available here. As both a woman and someone from an ethnic minority, Jasi falls into a very small (3.1) percentage of the FTSE 100 C-suite. Her unique experiences highlight the myriad challenges faced by ethnic minorities and women in top corporate roles.
condition,” she says. “What I learnt from this is to manage others’ expectations and take time out to re-energise. My advice to you is to schedule in regular holidays and down time, and make sure you add in one or two things that can really help you switch off.”
How does Jasi handle it? She can’t stress enough the importance of authentic leadership. She’s a firm advocate for staying true to yourself, leading with a purpose, and not succumbing to the pressure of fitting a certain framework. This approach not only empowers leaders like her but inspires their teams.
“Trust your team to do the right thing.” EMPOWERMENT AND MENTORSHIP Nobody is an island. We all need external help sometimes to pull through a challenging time. Jasi believes in drawing on the strengths of her team, and providing opportunities for their growth. “Nine times out of 10, if you empower your team, they’re doing a good job,” she says. “They know the answer. So, I shifted the responsibility and accountability back to them in a very empowering way. I wasn’t saying I wasn’t interested. I was saying: “I trust you to do the right thing.”
“If somebody is offering you a promotion, take it, don’t think about it.” Jasi shares her advice for breaking through adversity to achieve your goals:
SEIZE OPPORTUNITY Jasi is a firm believer in the value of taking opportunities as they arise, even those that might not align perfectly with your initial career plans. “Sometimes the seemingly ‘worst’ opportunities; those that don’t have a queue of people lining up to do them, can give you an opportunity to shine,” she advises. “If somebody is offering you a promotion, take it, don’t think about it. But when you take it, be very clear that you need the space to do it your way.”
BALANCE AND SELF-CARE
Jasi’s journey exemplifies resilience and adaptability. She is a testament to authentic, purpose-driven leadership. Her story offers valuable insights and advice for women striving to ascend to leadership roles, especially in environments where they may be in the minority.
ABOUT JASI Jasi Halai, Chief Operating Officer at 3i, was born in India and moved to Kenya aged 2, before relocating to London at 19 years-old to study. She continues to live in London and is a mother to three teenage children.
She admits to struggling with work-life balance, particularly during early motherhood. “I pushed my body so hard that I developed an autoimmune
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