Confident, articulate and exceptionally quick-witted, the pioneering Vice President and Head of Legal Affairs, Ummay Habiba Sharmin, has been overseeing all legal issues of Lanka Bangla since 2009. With a knack for law and business, one might be a bit more than just surprised to find out that Habiba had her heart set on studying literature. However, since there is very little practical implication of the subject in Bangladesh’s context, she chose to study law instead and immediately joined a corporate chamber after graduating. She explained why she chose corporate law over other practices.
“In other disciplines, most of the time, people only come to lawyers when there has been a violation of law. But for corporate lawyers, it’s different,” she said further elaborating, “People come to corporate lawyers for structuring and starting new businesses within a legal framework. Additionally, they come to us to mitigate any risk that might be involved. It is much more constructive, which makes my job more interesting. This was the deciding factor for me to choose my career path. You help people to set up their business and play an active role in the whole process, which is much more rewarding.”
With business and fiscal laws constantly changing and the courts being overburdened with cases, challenges are aplenty in the realms of corporate law. Much like any other sector, it comes with the territory but Habiba takes it like a duck in water. This can be attributed to her extensive knowledge about business and law, a positive mind set and strong inner beliefs. She stated, “Challenges exist in every discipline. It is vital to get rid of any inhibition which might hold you back. If you believe in yourself and work hard enough, you will always find a way to accomplish your goals. All you’ll need is to stay motivated. Your optimism will inspire others around you to be positive and will also help fulfil the objective of the company faster.” And it is this determination and strong will that has allowed Ummay Habiba to become a prominent personality in a field which has long been dominated by men.
Habiba states, “Our society suffers from the notion that women and business don’t go hand-in-hand so it doesn’t surprise me that corporate law is male-dominated. But things are changing. There have been dialogues and initiatives that led to women empowerment over the last decade and encouraged an influx in the number of women in upper mid-tier positions. Women entrepreneurs are breaking barriers and excelling in every sector. This coupled with gender-sensitive work environment, changing mentality of the society and developing organisation support such as maternity leave and flexible work hours mean that in a couple of years’ time, we will see more women in leading positions.”
Ummay believes that with ample support from family members, proper mentorship and a challenge-oriented mind set, women will continue to break barriers and reach newer grounds. “I believe that there are more than enough eligible women out there to take on leading roles. Perhaps they have a lot of expectations in their personal lives but training themselves to have good time-management and planning skills can help them balance both worlds,” she said with confidence. In her concluding note, she urged women regardless of their career path, to always be bold and not let anyone hold them back. Putting in one’s best efforts will always take them a long way!
Photo by: Tutul Nesar