One such leader is Munira Rahemtulla, who currently serves as a Director in video advertising at Amazon. Before arriving at her current position, Munira worked in a variety of other roles, serving as a software engineer, a software manager, a product manager, and a technical program manager.
Although women are often underrepresented in technology, Munira has not felt disadvantaged as a woman. “In its own way, being a woman has helped me,” she said. “For example, it has often been the case that I would be the only woman in the room. I think I was more memorable, so I would often get opportunities despite having stood out from being different.”
Though she hasn’t felt barred by the “glass ceiling,” an invisible barrier that prevents women and minorities from climbing the ranks, Munira has still encountered gender biases and stereotyping. “There were definitely times where people assumed I did not have a technical background, and they would underestimate my ability to challenge them in technical areas,” she explained. Yet, having earned both a B.S. and M.S. in Computer Science from Stanford University, and also having worked in a variety of roles, she was able to challenge many of those assumptions.
Sherina Ebrahim is another such leader working in business, a traditionally male-dominated field. She is currently a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, where she works in Consumer Goods and Healthcare consulting. She is also Chair of the Aga Khan Foundation USA National Committee and previously served as a member of the Aga Khan Youth and Sports Board for the USA.
Like Munira, Sherina also feels that she hasn’t fully experienced the glass ceiling. “I think it’s partly the industry and the company that I’m in,” she said. “There’s an acknowledgment and an understanding that we’re underrepresented, and McKinsey is a highly meritocratic organization.” However, she does acknowledge that she sees unconscious and systemic biases against women in corporations.
Having served in management positions both at McKinsey and at AKF, Sherina feels that inclusion of women in leadership roles is greatly valuable to an organization. “We are fifty percent of the working talent pool. At a minimum, when you don’t have gender diversity and/or balance, you’re missing out on half the talent pool, which makes a big difference,” she said.
Throughout Sherina’s various leadership roles, a large source of her inspiration has been to set a positive example for those around her. “At some point I realized, as one of the few females in a leadership position, part of my inspiration was helping to pave the way and set a good example for my daughter, other women around me, and other men, frankly,” she said. “It started out with always trying to do my best, and then realizing I could make a bigger difference if I tried to create a path for others.”
Sherina’s advice for future women leaders is to be confident, support other women, and never be afraid to speak up or ask for an assignment or promotion. She also added that seeking out the right mentor – male or female – can go a long way.
Samira Rajan, currently the CEO of Brooklyn Cooperative Federal Credit Union, expressed that it’s also important to remember that leadership can take on many forms; it isn’t constrained to high-ranking positions or titles. “Leadership is also about being able to discover ways to make an impact, even if that means doing something unusual,” she said.
Samira’s trajectory to her current role reflects these sentiments. She first started at Brooklyn Cooperative Federal Credit Union as an unpaid intern in 2001, and gradually worked her way to becoming CEO in 2008. Her career path was influenced by her father, who worked with her in the credit union and also served as a model of positive leadership, both throughout his career and also through voluntary work in Jamatkhana.
Seeking social justice and making a positive impact in low-income communities was the main focus of Samira’s career. Leadership and the accompanying titles came second. Rather than viewing herself as a “CEO,” Samira considers herself part of the founding of a small business, and she also views entrepreneurship as a form of leadership.
Samira’s advice for aspiring women leaders is twofold: 1) Don’t be afraid to ask questions in a way that’s respectful of the other’s time and experiences, and 2) Listen to those around you. “I spend a lot of time listening to the ordinary families that I serve and understanding their challenges and the ways in which the Credit Union can make a difference in their lives,” she said. “In order to be impactful, you should be able to listen to those around you, no matter where it comes from.”
