The first Miss Universe from India engages with women executives in a TaskUs web series raising awareness on gender equality and uplifting fellow women
Sushmita Sen has been a cultural icon and a paragon for women across the globe since winning the Miss Universe crown in 1994. Today, she remains firm in her advocacy as she joins global business leaders in speaking about their experiences as women in leadership roles in a web series entitled TaskUs 121: Women on Spotlight.
Through the years, the Indian actress, poet, and philanthropist 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?” is thrilled 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.
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.
TaskUs is the leading outsourcing provider for high-growth organizations. The company has massive global operations with key delivery centers in India, the Philippines, Taiwan, Greece, Ireland, Mexico, and the United States.
The term “121” is a play on words referring to TaskUs’s one-on-one coaching sessions between leaders and their reports.
“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% 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% 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.
Similar to how TaskUs sees its women talent as key to its success, Sushmita 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.
Weekly episodes of TaskUs 121: Women on Spotlight are exclusively featured on TaskUs’s LinkedIn account with fresh episodes airing every Thursday.