Conversation with Ishita Bandyopadhyay: International Women’s Day 2025
This year Frazer Jones and The SR Group are supporting the UN’s observation of International Women’s Day on 8th March, calling for rights, equality and empowerment for ALL women and girls.
In 2023, Frazer Jones and The SR Group, launched the “Belong” strategy to support our ongoing journey towards Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. For us it was about building a workplace where everyone feels comfortable to be themselves and where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. This means we celebrate our differences, and recognize the value of varying experiences, perspectives and approaches – many of which are different from our own.
As part of our celebration, we spoke with Ishita Bandyopadhyay, a seasoned executive coach and leadership development expert, to contribute to the discussion.
Watch the recording
Summary of the conversation
Ishita has over 17 years’ of experience as a certified executive coach, guiding C-suite leaders and high-potential talent, and driving impactful leadership growth across industries. She has led initiatives like the “Elevation Experience,” which multinational organizations use to advance women in leadership and foster inclusive workplaces. Ishita has also been featured in Straits Times and CNA Asia and is proud to challenge leadership norms and champion resilient, empathetic, and high-impact leadership styles.
Ishita discusses how accessing executive coaching is essential for female leaders, as it plays a significant role in supporting women in unleashing their true potential. The previous expectation of any person in leadership, was to emulate a particular type of hierarchical leadership style. Increasingly, organisations and employees are seeing the value of embracing a leadership style driven by empathy.
Ishita discusses key leadership qualities that every leader should follow, including leading with compassion, consistency and discipline, communicating with conviction, as well as being willing to be flexible and adaptable to drive results. She also shares how robust succession planning is a necessity for any organization and how early identification and support will allow women to access their true leadership potential. Additionally, peership is vital to ensure equal partnerships, strong, informal support systems as well as to increase empathy, understanding, and mutual respect.
We thank Ishita for her time and for sharing her valuable insights.
