Sheela Parakkal: Wife, mother and mentor all rolled into one. She may have grown up feeling like an outsider, but today she’s a woman with the world at her fingertips. Beginning her career as an auditor, she’s since forged a meaningful career as Chief Human Resource Officer today.

Growing up

As a Malaysian student studying in Singapore, her childhood was spent as a ‘causeway kid’, crossing the border daily to attend school here.

A particular memory from when she was young stands out in her mind as having played a large role in shaping the person she is today. She had overheard a friend of her father casually remark, “Oh, you have three daughters — it must be very difficult!”

“That conversation actually had a huge impact on me, to the extent that I made a promise that day that I would never be deemed difficult by my loved ones — I would always be the best in everything I do.” Sheela continues, “I also formed the view that day that as a woman I would be as good as, if not better than, a man!”

Seeing herself — “as a minority and as a woman”, she viewed herself as being different but vowed that she would not let her views stand in her way of achieving success.

The big jump

This desire to always do her best and be at her best has led her to where she stands today. Sheela might be the Chief Human Resource Officer at Prudential now, but she started her career in a very different field — as an auditor in a Big 4.

Just two years away from being considered for partnership, she felt like she was not maximising her potential at everything she was doing. Around that time, an opening for an HR position arose within the organisation and she jumped at the chance to move into a vocation where she soon realised was her calling.

“The fact that I could continue to work with people — but in a business context — and support people in their development, was the deciding factor for me to switch my career. To be able to live out my life’s purpose to help people become better versions of themselves was in my view, a once in a lifetime opportunity which I embraced with gusto.”

She credits her background in Finance as being extremely beneficial to her current role. “I believe the training I had allows me to bring a very business-centric approach to people conversations, and each of these conversations can be used to demonstrate the value people bring to the business.”

“ROI is my frequently used word! Anything that you do from a people-centric perspective, there has to be a return for the business and for the individual.” The same goes for mentorship: she always asks herself what perspectives she can bring that the person might not have considered before.

Illuminating ‘blindspots’

Over the years, those who stand out the most to her are the people with ‘blindspots’.

“We all have blindspots but getting people to recognise, on their own, their value and not telling them they are valued - is priceless. It’s a journey they walk themselves, and helping them unfold these blindspots is indeed a privilege for me..”

As far as blindspots go, Sheela admits that her biggest barrier had always been herself. “I wish I had the appetite to ask for help much earlier in my career. And I don’t mean help me with my task, but in terms of providing me with perspectives.”

This is where self-reflection comes into play. For Sheela, that has always been a starting point for personal growth: the humility to accept and acknowledge mistakes. Besides needing to learn how to take responsibility for the outcome, and acknowledging what went right, it is also important to work out the reasons why it didn’t work out the way she had intended.

Her role as a mentor

For one of her mentees, Todo Tanoto, Head of Pricing, a big lesson he has learnt from her is to be very clear about what he wants rather than following whatever is expected of him. Todo adds, “I think she forces you to dig a bit deeper. She’s always asking question after question, which is helpful because it makes you very clear about why you want to pursue certain things.”

For Erwin Peter, Head of Customer Service & Interaction Support, another mentee of hers, caring for people is a trait of Sheela’s that really stands out to him. “When I talk about people, it's not only staff, but also family, or customers. People in general. So any conversation we share, she would have the ‘people-perspective’ in there.”

Sheela with her mentees, Todo (left) and Erwin (right)

Sheela sees her mentorship role as a privilege, and as a learning experience for herself too. She feels that good mentors are also open to getting feedback from their mentees as they can provide different perspectives.

As for Sheela herself — does she have her own mentors or role models she looks up to? “Gandhi, who has always inspired me, is without a doubt my number one role mode!.” Sheela chuckles and continues, “He visualised and articulated things that people never thought possible, like an independent India.”

But Sheela also insists that she looks up to many other people for different aspects, like her ex-bosses and her mother. Here’s a fun fact: “Parakkal” is actually her mother’s family name. Sheela continues, “I refuse to give up my name. It’s my way to honour this amazing person whom I am privileged to call Amma — my mother.”

The road less travelled

After years of hard work and determination, Sheela has managed to forge her own journey to where she currently stands.

Regarding any words of wisdom she might have for other women who are walking in the same path as her, she only has one important thing to say: pay it forward.

“And so I say the same for everyone: to be a mentor, you don't need alphabets behind your name, you don't need certificates. All you need is intent to add value into another’s life.”