ING Malaysia president and CEO Datuk Dr Nirmala Menon proves that with determination, principles and dare, nothing can stand in a woman’s
path to success, writes INTAN MAIZURA AHMAD KAMAL
STRONG women fascinate me. My mum is one. In her own unassuming way. Other women who come to mind? Oprah Winfrey, Aung San Suu Kyi, Margaret Thatcher, and even Angelina Jolie, come to think of it. Then, there’s Datuk Dr Nirmala Menon, the dynamic president and chief executive officer of ING Bhd. The first woman CEO in the insurance industry, she was recently named one of the recipients of the Leading Woman in Finance and Investment at the Women in Leadership (WIL) Asia Awards 2011. The award recognises and rewards influential Asian women leaders who have broken new ground in the business world with their outstanding achievements.
The 51-year-old Menon, who has more than 16 years’ experience in insurance, dismisses the notion that things are more challenging just because one's a woman. “I’ve never felt that being a woman is my biggest challenge in my line of work,” she says, brows furrowing. “I can say that the first few times I went for industry meetings, it was just all men present. I was ignored for a bit, but I never felt intimidated. I usually state what I want to state, I'm not afraid, and therefore I've never felt that as a woman, I face a challenge.” The challenge, adds Menon, is in being the CEO. “Because I have to keep the stakeholders happy, my shareholders happy, my employees happy, my distributors happy, and I have to grow the business. I have aggressive targets, so it’s the same as running anything else,” says the lady, who was previously head of employee benefits at ING.
This strength in character probably has a lot to do with her upbringing. Menon and her younger sister were brought up to believe that nothing was ever too difficult. “My mum worked all her life and she was in a very male domain. She was the first female partner in a very male-dominated firm,” she shares, eyes alight.
“From the time I was a child, I lived with a very achieving mother, who’s strong, determined, takes on challenges and able to overcome hurdles. I recall her telling us that when she first started working as a lawyer, the person who interviewed her said that he didn’t want to hear the swish of a sari around the corridors — he later became her mentor!” It was Menon’s father who generously helped to propel her mother’s career path. “When they got married, she was not a lawyer and he actually sent her to study law in the UK. I guess I come from a family of non-traditionalists, where the father looks after the child while the mother goes off to study.” The driven Sagittarius, whose ultimate dream is to see Machu Picchu, the ancient Inca fortress city in the Andes in Peru, confides that there are three people whom she credits for her success. One is her father, a chemist who subsequently became the head of SocFin’s technical division. “He was my biggest fan and my biggest regret is that he's no longer here to see all of this. He taught me that I could do anything and made me believe that I could fly.” Her mother is the other. With a smile, Menon, a medical practitioner by training, recalls: “My mum always kept me grounded. She taught me that challenge is good, and that you should never back down from any dare. The main thing that my parents stressed on were values and ethics. Having good principles was very important.” The mother of three adds: “I teach my children that the most important thing is knowing what you stand for and to never compromise on values because that’s who we are inside. Whatever the trappings externally, ultimately, you are who you are and that must shine through.” Menon, whose role models are the late Mahatma Gandhi and the Dalai Lama, also gives credit to her financial analyst husband whom she says has been a pillar of support throughout. “I’ve been with him now for half my life. If it wasn’t for him, I could never have reached where I am today.” The excitement over the WIL has now abated and Menon’s currently feeling charged up about ING Insurance’s Spread the Smile 2011 initiative.
A collaborative effort with the Cleft Lip and Palate Association of Malaysia (CLAPAM). The first phase of the movement kicked off in 2009 with the two organisations leveraging on the social media networks (www.ing.com.my/spreadthesmile/www.facebook.com/spreadthesmile) to help raise awareness of the condition, and to encourage Malaysians to channel their support to a fund that goes towards corrective surgery via CLAPAM. The encouraging support from the public and the media has further propelled the initiative this year. For Spread the Smile 2011, awareness of the condition is being spread through the creative arts, including paintings and sculptures created by the cleft children, together with a group of aspiring young artists from Dasein Academy of Art. “There’s a lot being done for cancer, heart surgery but what about those with a cleft lip and palate? Many children are born with it and they’re shunned,” says Menon. “There are so many issues — confidence, eating, speech, a gamut of stuff that needs to be looked at. So we came up with a programme that spreads awareness that the condition can be cured, to put the smile back on the the child’s face.”
Sources- NST
