Norlida Azmi talks about her journey, the importance of inclusive language, and ways of working and building confidence in future female talent.
Chapter: Nurturing and developing female talent
About: Norlida Azmi became the group chief people officer of Axiata on January 1, 2021. Axiata is a Malaysian multinational telecommunications conglomerate with extensive operations in Asia. Norlida is also an adjunct professor in organizational behavior and leadership at UNITAR International University’s graduate school.
Tell us about your journey to senior leadership. What made the most meaningful impact on your growth?
I spent a good number of years in the finance industry. In that industry, there was a lot of male dominance in the top jobs. While the lack of gender diversity was not a key issue for me as I mainly worked in MNCs, there were instances that still surprised me. For example, in the Middle East, sometimes you are only seen and not heard. Subsequently, I moved into a more HR-focused role, where I’ve been involved in driving large-scale transformations and diversity agendas.
“Throughout my career, I’ve always had bosses and sponsors who believed in me—and to me, that has made the most impact on my growth.”
I also made it a point to ensure that I was treated fairly in comparison to my male peers. For instance, in one of my previous roles, I realized that I was being paid 50 percent less than my male colleague. I then spoke to my boss and wanted to know why, given that my coverage was wider than my colleague’s. My boss matched my salary the next day.
What are some of the best ways for an organization to develop female leaders from within?
Previously during my time at HSBC, while mentoring a group of senior bankers, it was interesting to discover that they were also focused on building confidence. Despite this appearing to be a basic thing, capable women still struggled with this. Though it may sound surprising, a key thing that we can do for female talent is to nurture them to build confidence. One initiative we then launched was the HSBC Inspirational League of Ladies. We ran courses and workshops to help women project confidence via EQ coaching, learning how to project themselves professionally, etc.
“I believe that it all starts with helping women build confidence so that they can go on to achieve greater things professionally.”
What is your take on the importance of mentorship in helping women advance through an organization?
Personally, I truly believe in the importance of sponsors, having always had a sponsor to advocate for me as I progressed to the next level in my career. This includes both internal and external sponsors. We live in a world of connectivity today, and via the Women in Leadership program, we can pair off aspiring female leaders with senior leaders externally.
“Having an external network can be very valuable: women can see other dimensions outside of their own organizations. This is key to giving them visibility and confidence and can also increase their loyalty to their current organization.”
What are some ways that an organization can make its work culture more inclusive and reflective of its gender diversity goals?
First, we make sure that we do not alienate the men, who are also key to ensuring we have gender diversity. Therefore, we launched Women of Axiata and Male Allies as we wanted to ensure we had a male partnership.
Beyond that, I think it’s about influencing the small but pervasive things, such as language.
“Inclusive language is crucial. Language matters, and we need to make sure that we have an inclusive culture that emanates through the words and phrases we use. It’s the little things—for instance, not saying ‘Hi, guys’ or using terms like fraternity.”
What factors can ensure the long-term success of female talent?
Two key things come to mind: first would be equity of access to opportunities and, second, the presence of female talent at the board level.
We do recognize that in different countries, women face different challenges, particularly those where there are societal pressures for women to take on certain more traditional roles.
“We believe in the equity of access to opportunities, so we focus on developing women so that they have access to opportunities. Together with the presence of top-down support, we can get a little bit closer to achieving gender diversity.”
Awareness of the importance of female talent at the board level is also key. Our goal is to increase the number of women in leadership roles and on the boards in Axiata and Axiata’s group of companies in a sustainable way, starting from the young talent all the way to the board and leadership roles.
“Personally, I do also try to ensure that gender diversity is always a clear topic of discussion for all the boards that I sit on.”
If you could give women one piece of advice for making the most of their mentor–mentee relationships, what would it be?
Individuals, not just women, need to know what they want in their careers, and organizations need to give women safe spaces to be candid about their struggles. Beyond that, women need to have the courage to have those difficult conversations. What could help in developing mentor–mentee relationships would be to ensure that there is a certain level of chemistry between both parties.
Request a free copy of the Empowering Women: A Collection of Thoughts from Women Leaders to Advance the Workplace.
Comments