My mother was born in India, my father in Kenya, and I was born in London. We travelled a lot, especially during my childhood. I lived in many different places, including the Netherlands, France and Scotland, only returning to London in my early 20’s.

The feeling of always being on the move and travelling from a young age is perhaps the reason I gravitated towards the travel industry, and am now a senior leader in aviation. I don’t feel like I’m from one specific place – home is the place I am at right now. The diversity of the countries I grew up in and travelled to primed me to think differently as I observed and assimilated into different cultures and communities. While constantly moving was difficult for me at the time growing up, it ultimately became a powerful advantage.

I started university in Scotland when I was young – just 16 years old – following which I joined Ernst & Young Edinburgh and qualified as a Chartered Accountant. I then moved to London to grow my professional development with the firm and became their youngest audit manager. When I look back now, I realise I achieved a lot at a young age – my parents instilled in me limitless ambition in my professional career.

After EY, I joined Virgin Atlantic, where I worked for 16 years across the airline in many functions and roles. As well as leading commercial for the Virgin Holidays unit, I also designed and implemented the $13bn expanded Joint Venture between Virgin Atlantic, Delta and Air France-KLM. It was during my time at Virgin Atlantic that I realised hard work would only get me so far. I could see that confidence, a strong external network and senior sponsorship would get me to the next level.

That’s why I applied for the Senior Executive Programme (SEP) scholarship at London Business School (LBS), which I was awarded in early 2020 – on the cusp of the Covid pandemic. At the same time, my son was applying for entrance to high school and sitting his 11+ exams. That year became the turning point of my career in many ways, steering Virgin Atlantic by leading the organisational changes required to get through one of the most difficult periods for the airline in its history – and our industry.

Of all the schools I looked at, LBS has one of the most international profiles so it was the obvious choice for me. LBS felt like a fantastic opportunity to step away from business and gain new insights and knowledge from world-class faculty and thought leaders, and connect with senior leaders from many industries, from across the world, with different perspectives. 

One of the most valuable things I learned on SEP is how to lead and influence people from different cultures and backgrounds. I had the most interesting and dynamic conversations with my cohort about the ways in which culture and environment shapes the methods you use to motivate, lead and influence those in your team, organisation and wider stakeholders. I believe that deeply understanding and drawing on the differences within a team can be very powerful – I see difference as a superpower. Whether it’s visible or invisible, we all have difference. As a leader, ensuring people feel like they belong regardless of their background really matters. We all remember a time when we felt like we belonged, where we could perform at our best, and achieve great things as part of a team. 

At LBS, I learnt to hone my leadership style – infusing more balance and gratitude. To influence and help others I needed to step back and to let go more than before. Understanding the power of retaining my strategic, results oriented and collaborative style, and at the same time, balance it with calmness, listening and observing more than ever. 

Since 2021, I have been an Aviation Partner at Oliver Wyman, a global leader in management consulting, with my clients spanning Europe, North America and Australasia. I'm currently advising on a large-scale transformation at a major European aviation client. I am proud of the diversity of our joint team. It’s probably one of the best teams I've ever been a part of – people show up as their full selves, proud of their differences, and support and challenge each other to drive breakthrough impact.

I’m grateful for winning the 30% Club scholarship for the Senior Executive Programme and helping make business more inclusive. I think we still have a long way to go in terms of representation of senior women in business. I am passionate about the advancement of women in the aviation industry. In 2018, I founded the “Women in Aviation and Aerospace Charter” with 40 founding signatories, supported by the UK Government. Only 5% of pilots, 5% of airline CEOs and 10% of engineers working in aviation are female. I’m on a mission with our Charter Board and signatories to change that - with the talent pipeline in travel needing to be as diverse as the people who travel, across all functions, levels and geographies. In our sixth year now, we are at over 250 signatories.

I am proud that our Charter has made gender diversity a more accepted conversation than it was 10 years ago. Nevertheless, the UK gender pay gap in aviation, being 52% gender pay gap across top UK airlines last year compared to 14% across all organisations, tells us we have a long way to go still. I am in it for the long haul. 

From my time at LBS, what has stayed with me the most is that you can become comfortable with uncomfortable situations and cherishing your external network matters - and aim to make it truly global. It’s also so important to find the right space. You need to have the self-awareness to know that if you’ve tried everything and still don’t feel like you belong, it’s okay to leave. You can find somewhere else to thrive. LBS has helped me develop those skills and now I can foster an inclusive environment, and help others grow. Paying it forward now is my greatest reward.