Leaders

Each stage of her career has added a different dimension to her leadership. Xerox taught her process discipline and compliance at the transaction level, while Axis Bank sharpened her understanding of risk as an everyday judgement. Nearly eight years at Rajagiri Business School developed her capabilities in stakeholder management, industry-academia partnerships and talent development. Today, these experiences converge in her strategic role at ESMAR, where people, capability, compliance and business priorities are closely intertwined.

As ESMAR operates across marine safety, offshore services and oil & gas, how do you ensure that growth is supported by the right capabilities, standards and customer focus?

As Director – Strategy, I balance talent management, business development, revenue priorities and HR while keeping long-term capability at the centre. ESMAR’s presence in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Fujairah is deliberate, with each location serving a distinct demand profile. Abu Dhabi anchors our offshore and oil & gas operations, Dubai connects us with commercial shipping and ship management, while Fujairah supports the fast-paced bunkering and anchorage environment.

My approach is simple: capability must arrive before the customer does. We do not expand until trained manpower, approvals, facilities and spares are genuinely in place. Growth that outpaces competence is not growth.

How do you bring HR, GRC, DE&I and CSR together to build a workplace where people are accountable, capable and confident to speak up?

I have never viewed HR, DE&I, CSR and philanthropy as isolated functions. For me, they collectively determine whether people feel capable, accountable and safe enough to speak up. In a safety-critical business, culture itself becomes a control. If a technician cannot confidently question a decision, no governance framework can fully protect the organisation.

ESMAR’s multinational workforce makes inclusion particularly important, and we focus on practical measures such as effective safety briefings, accessible grievance channels and transparent promotion criteria. I also believe CSR must translate into action, from giving back to society to responsible waste and e-waste management and environmental responsibility.

What leadership challenge has most influenced the way you make strategic and people-related decisions in a safety-critical environment?

People management has been both one of my greatest challenges and my strongest learning opportunity. I have learned that strategy is only as effective as the people responsible for executing it. A well-designed plan can fail if nobody asks whether it is actually workable at the ground level. I now test significant decisions against that question before moving ahead. I have also learned that credibility takes time to build but can disappear very quickly, particularly in safety-critical operations. Finally, I believe clarity beats cleverness. A strategy that people understand and can execute consistently is far more valuable than one that only leadership understands.

What has your own journey taught you about building credibility as a woman leader and creating pathways for more women in technical industries?

Women’s leadership matters to me personally, particularly in sectors where the pipeline has historically been narrow. I believe the focus should be not only on promotion but also on creating genuine technical, operational and commercial entry pathways. Women should not consider a lack of domain knowledge a disqualification. Curiosity, rigour and willingness to learn can take you much further.

When I entered marine safety, I had to learn from the ground up by visiting vessels, observing technicians and understanding operational processes. I believe we have to be willing to break our own glass ceilings. For me, leadership is ultimately about impact, succession and building something that continues to work.

Beyond formal awards, which professional recognitions and international opportunities have contributed meaningfully to your development?

I would not describe my career as one defined by awards, but I have received meaningful professional recognition and opportunities. At a previous organisation, I was given the opportunity to present a paper as part of the International Association of Educational Institutions at a university in Belgium.

I was also selected for a one-week teaching assistant programme and later received a three-week international assignment to visit collaborating universities across Europe. These experiences exposed me to different academic and professional environments and broadened my perspective. More importantly, they reinforced my belief in continuous learning and gave me experiences that continue to influence how I approach leadership today.

Sarita Menon, Director – Strategy, Elite Safety & Marine Supplies

Sarita Menon is Director – Strategy at Elite Safety & Marine Supplies, bringing over 22 years of experience across banking, business process outsourcing, academia, transformation and marine safety. She holds postgraduate qualifications in Banking & Finance and Project Management, an MPhil in Commerce, and is pursuing doctoral research in AI and leadership.