Photographer: Carly Wollaert ©
Make-up artist: Sharmila Vooren
ROJO CONSULTANCY
“Because my dreams should not be limited by your expectations. This isn’t about women fitting in to a male definition of leadership, this is about people of all genders, orientations, religions and backgrounds feeling empowered to bring their talent, in their way, to the front. Because until our leadership teams look as diverse as our streets, and until it’s as normal to hear “she” or “they” as it is “he” when referring to a CEO or Engineer, each one of us has a duty to amplify and support the anomalies. Because being a member of a minority is not a problem… but systematically excluding minorities is (whether consciously or unconsciously). Because 50% of the population is not a minority!”
Gillian O’halloran & Swati Singh
Chief Operating Officer and Head of Innovation & Product Development
About
Gillian – ”I began my career in London as a Management Consultant to learn as much as I could as quickly as I could about business… and it worked! After moving to the Netherlands, I transitioned into the tech world with the ambition of someday becoming a COO and helping tech companies become empowering, learning organisations that operate with maximum efficiency and empower their people to be not just excellent performers, but happy and helpful colleagues too.”
Swati – “I am a Computer Engineer by education and have over a decade of experience in the Information Technology Industry. My love for coding started when I was 12 years old. At that time, personal computers were not a household occurrence. We had 1 computer in our school and I was always mesmerized by the concepts of coding and how logical everything was. After completing my degree, I went to work for global organizations like TCS and EY before moving to Rojo Consultancy where I got the opportunity to work with very talented and dynamic colleagues in the area of Enterprise Integration.”
Why do you think is important that Role Models need to be visible?
Gillian – “Because our imaginations are the real limitations on our ambitions… and if you don’t think it’s possible to break the mold and be the first, then you’ll never even try. What a waste of talent! In the 1920s, women were as intelligent as we are now, but they were hardly contributing to science, economics, engineering or industry… it hadn’t been done and people therefore doubted that it could be. While now it’s POSSIBLE for a women to become a CEO or an astronaut, because we hear stories of them all the time, they are the EXCEPTION, not the norm. THAT is why it is crucial to showcase just how many women and minorities are taking the lead. If there are enough “”different”” representations on display, I know that I have a chance at being considered… and all people need is a fair chance; with that, their limitations will lift and ambition will guide the path forward and upward!”
Swati – “Sometimes you don’t know what you are looking for until you see the possibilities. Having plenty of role models around you gives you the opportunity to explore what is possible and helps you in choosing your own path.”