Meet The UAE-based Most Inspiring Woman Business Leader From Odisha

Meet The UAE-based Most Inspiring Woman Business Leader From Odisha

It’s 21st century but the corporate sector is still largely ruled by men. The resistance to the efforts made by women to reach top ranks in a corporate hierarchy is glaring. But despite the inequity, there are women who continue to rise above the ranks – steering major corporations towards success. One such woman is Madhusmita Nayak from Bhubaneswar who has managed to break the corporate glass ceiling. Defying all odds, she reached the top tier in the UAE and was awarded with the Most Inspiring Woman Business Leader Award 2021 during the Women Leadership Summit 2021 held in Dubai recently.

The Women Leadership Summit was launched in association with the private office under the patronage of Sheikh Ahmed Bin Faisal Al Qassimi to appreciate commendable works done by women leaders in various business sectors. Madhusmita was among the 7 women awarded on the occasion. My City Links caught up with the business leader to know about her journey so far.

“I am honored to have been recognized with the award. I was awarded in terms of business excellence and quality. Basically, my job is to write applications for different companies to get them rewarded. Business excellence is when you identify a company’s best practices, major achievements, and their milestones among others. I came across this profile that invited women leaders who have made good impact on the business sector. It required a 2 or 3-page application entailing your work and achievements with relevant proofs attached. Nausheen Mukhtar, a prominent woman in the UAE who helps in branding women, encouraged me to apply. She is the brain-child behind this event. This was the first time I went through all of my achievements and I was happy about myself. In our daily lives, we don’t really count what we have achieved so far, but when I got a chance to look at my certificates and milestones, it felt satisfying. This is how I applied and winning the award subsequently was a big surprise for me,” she informed.

Daughter of Dr Chaturbhuja Nayak and Bidulata Nayak, Madhusmita grew up in Bhubaneswar, completed her schooling from DAV Public School, Unit 8, went on to study at Rajdhani College and finally completed her BTech in Electronics from ITER, Bhubaneswar. Despite being placed in the campus recruitment of the college, she could not go through with it due to an unfortunate accident that left her hand fractured. “Despite going through his tough period, I pursued MBA after which I got placed in UAE Exchange. Although my parents are very supportive and outgoing, sending their only daughter away to a foreign country with no friends or relatives was a concern for them. Those days, foreign companies coming for recruitment was a rare scenario. Pushing aside all inhibitions, my parents gave in to the idea, mostly because they did not want me to suffer more for a delayed start in career. My husband (then boyfriend and senior), my brother and my parents stood by me and encouraged me to go after my dreams. It has been 13 years since then and here I am.”

Madhusmita admits that initially it was a struggle but asking for help has helped make her comfortable. She talks about people’s misconception about Dubai being a Muslim country. “There is a notion that the laws and authorities in a Muslim country must be very conservative and strict. But in reality, that is not the case. In fact, it is much safer and people have a forward-thinking mindset. Being here has exposed me to cultural diversity and multiple opportunities. I would advise people to accept change and use their exposure to their benefit. After being in the UAE exchange firm for 5 years, I created a good network of my own. I started contributing for the government of Dubai as a business excellence assessor where the work was to go to different companies, assess them and give them awards. Presently, I am working as Senior Strategy and Business Excellence Officer in Ports, Customs and Free Zone for the Government of Dubai. Now there is no turning back.” Madhusmita believes that one should experiment with their own abilities and talents and see where one can reach.

She has been representing the Government of Dubai and Abu Dhabi in conducting business excellence and innovation, and labour rights assessments for more than 50 companies from diversified sectors and industries which includes government, semi-government and private firms in UAE and other countries.

A woman strongly rooted to her motherland, Madhusmita believes that Odisha has not been represented globally as it should be, despite the achievements and glories that it brings to the country. “It is disheartening to say that people do not identify Odisha, particularly Indians. A few faintly recognise the State for cyclones or the Puri Jagannath temple. I have made it a habit to exclusively mention that I am from Odisha. And then I don’t mind explaining where it is. At least this way, people will be enlightened about our land. We have a community here called Odia Samaj. It is so nostalgic and fun to meet the people of our land at one place. We celebrate Utkal Dibasa and other festivities together. Although I am not very active because of my work, it is a proud feeling when you meet your own people, converse in Odia, eat the delicious Odia cuisine and relive the memories back at home.”

In 2020, she was felicitated with the Distinguished Leadership Award for her contribution in the field of Education at the International Education Summit and Awards 2020 held on December 20. She was also voted as LinkedIn’s most powerful profile of the year 2020. She was also nominated as Director-General, UAE for the Global Council for the promotion of International Trade.

Apart from being a business tycoon, Madhusmita takes a keen interest in writing and reading. She has co-authored two books Falling in Love with India and She Dares with world renowned authors. In the first book, she has contributed a chapter titled Unconditional Love which is based on the unbreakable bond she has with her grandmother and her village. Though fiction, it is based on true stories and her experiences in the village with her grandmother. She Dares is based on biographies of 30 influential people across the globe, their struggle and achievements. The chapter that she has contributed is The Imperfectionist Mother which talks about the growth of a mother along with her child, the guilt she feels about doing more and better for her child and her instincts.

Talking about her future pursuits, Madhusmita reveals that she aims to make a difference by being a consultant. Volunteering is her passion and she volunteers as much as she can for quality forums, assessments and for governments. She has also been mentoring two blind girls in Pune, where she works on the theme Beauty Beyond Mirrors. “The idea is to make these children ready for the corporate world, make them feel beautiful even when they cannot see,” she said.

Advising the present generation especially girls, Madhusmita emphasised on the fact to not give away any opportunity by overthinking. “Overthinking drives us to focus on the negatives which eventually discourages us to even give it a try. So experiment and you’ll be amazed to discover new things  yourself. Build your own network. Networking is very important. And do not shy away from asking for help. There are a lot of people to help you if your intention and purpose are firm and clear,” she signs off.