It was 26 years ago that Filipinos and the whole world got a first glimpse of Sushmita Sen, her native country India’s representative to the Miss Universe 1994 pageant, which she won when the world’s most popular beauty pageant was held here in Manila.
Twenty six years after, the first Miss Universe from India is still very much in the limelight. A cultural icon and a paragon for women across the globe since winning the Miss Universe crown, Sushmita Sen remains firm in her advocacy. Recently, she and other Filipina business leaders sat down and spoke about their experiences as women in leadership roles, their views on gender equality and uplifting fellow women, in a web series entitled TaskUs 121: Women on Spotlight, organized by TaskUs, an international outsourcing company.
The online talk show features women leaders from different fields coming together to discuss the advantages of having more women in leadership positions. It looks into how diverse and inclusive workplace cultures create sustainable communities. The term “121,” on the other hand, is a play on words referring to TaskUs’s one-on-one coaching sessions between leaders and their reports.
Breaking through the glass ceiling
Through the years, the Indian actress, poet, and philanthropist said she broke barriers and lived a life not weighed down by dated societal expectations on women. She is proud to have broken through the glass ceiling––a proverbial metaphor for the barrier that prevents women from reaching their full socio-economic potential—and encourages other women to follow suit.
Sen, famous for her winning answer to the question, “What is the essence of being a woman?” during the pageant, expressed how thrilled she was to be part of the web series and determined to use her influence to amplify women’s voices on pressing issues.
“In the twenty-six years that I have spent after that moment, I still stick to my answer: A woman is a precious gift of God, and we should all appreciate her. At 18, I answered that question, and it has taken me twenty-six years to understand its true meaning, and I’ve lived it,” said Sen.
A CEO for women, a company for women
“TaskUs is committed to creating diverse and inclusive work environments that respect everyone’s unique abilities and cultures. We aim to achieve a gender-balanced workforce that is free from discrimination and enables women to succeed and participate in leadership. Our company is built on global diversity and we see our strong culture of inclusion as one of our key indicators of success,” said TaskUs CEO Bryce Maddock.
Maddock has been recognized by HR tech company Comparably as one of the Best CEOs for Women, and TaskUs as a Best Company for Women.
The Philippines has made progressive strides in terms of gender equality in the workplace, and TaskUs is committed to strengthening that leadership, and improving existing statistics: while 47.7 percent of working-age Filipino women participate in the workforce, they remain to be underrepresented in senior leadership positions.
“TaskUs is committed to increasing and improving representation for women in leadership roles, especially in the Southeast Asia region. I am proud to say that 75 percent of my direct reports are women and that I work with women colleagues who are key decision-makers in the organization. As we continue to grow, we also strive to reach a gender-balanced talent pipeline for our emerging high-growth and leadership roles,” said TaskUs Senior Vice President for Operations in Southeast Asia Jean Lim-Parlade.
The web series brings out insights of leaders who act as the company’s cultural heralds and gatekeepers. Its mission is to inspire women to take space, advance in positions of leadership, and pave the way for others to succeed—values that set TaskUs apart from its competitors and make up the company’s “ridiculously good” culture.
Time to be aware of female strength
Similar to how TaskUs sees its women talent as key to its success, Sen believes it is time for society to be aware of female strength.
“Male dominance is a perception. That perception is fueled by the fact that women have accepted it because our conditioning has taught us that,” she said.
“Human beings have tremendous potential. If you were to put a man and woman together, faceless, without knowing their gender, to sit down in an exam to get into an organization, you’ll be very impressed to see how many women actually make it.
“To get over our biases is one of the most important ways to be better and thrive as a society,” added Sen.
TaskUs is the leading outsourcing provider for high-growth organizations. The company has global operations with key delivery centers in India, the Philippines, Taiwan, Greece, Ireland, Mexico, and the United States.
Weekly episodes of TaskUs 121: Women on Spotlight are exclusively featured on TaskUs’s LinkedIn account with fresh episodes airing every Thursday.
Follow TaskUs through their social media accounts:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TaskUsPH/; Instagram: www.instagram.com/taskusph/; LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/TaskUs; Twitter: www.twitter.com/TaskUs