MEET THE CEO: For the love of family and career

Alisha Moopen, chief executive officer of Aster & Medcare Hospitals & Clinics for the GCC region, during her interaction with journalists at Khaleej Times' office.- Photo by Shihab

Alisha moopen makes no secret of the fact that she greatly admires women who stay at home full time to take care of their families.
"They remind me of my mother, who got married and had her children at a very young age," she says.
"My mother is the kindest soul that I know, and she went to great lengths to take care of every single one of our needs. The strength, support, and comfort that we derive from our mothers is immense, and I think that this goes back to the idea of women bringing life into this world and then nurturing it. I also feel that, almost by default, a woman will bring this same nurturing trait with her to any job that she chooses or is assigned to."
Moopen, who is executive director and CEO of Aster & Medcare Hospitals & Clinics for the GCC region, also says that she has just as much respect for women that strike a balance between going to work and taking care of their family.
Speaking at the 'Meet the CEO' programme at Khaleej Times, Moopen adds that she can't imagine what her life would have been like if her mother wasn't there for her almost all the time, while her father was busy at work.
"We are three girls in the house, and my father says that the reason he is where he is at today, is because of us," she explained.
"The compassion and the emotional intelligence that people talk about is something that is very intrinsic in women. I used to apologise a lot for being a woman, because somewhere I harboured a sort of guilt that my parents wanted a son and were instead blessed with three daughters, but I know now that there are lessons for families in what God has given to them."
Since the dawn of time, she said, women have been responsible for taking care of their families, their communities and building society. When you talk about working women today, it is important to strike a balance between roles that are seen as being more traditional in nature, and roles that promote gender equality in the workforce, she added.
"This is how you can come up to the best possible outcome," she pointed out. "I think the issue arises when it comes to the different styles of how a man and women present themselves; men are much more forward when it comes to asking for things such as promotions, while women are a bit more content to sit back and tell themselves that their good work speaks for itself and that they will be judged and promoted on this merit. This is a dynamic that needs to be talked about more in organisations, and it is this meritocracy that needs to be given a platform and an opportunity."
At the end of the day, organisations have to look into selecting someone that is best suited for a particular role, regardless of gender, she noted. "It is sometimes hard and takes a bit of time for a woman to present herself and be taken seriously; this is a challenge that women still face in the workforce. Over time though, and with the proper dialogue, these perceptions, biases, and stereotypes can be eliminated."
When it comes to the healthcare sector, women have and will continue to play a crucial role, Moopen said.
"From your customer service, to your nurses and to your doctors, there is a huge population of the medical workforce that are women. In addition, most of the healthcare decisions are also being made by women. It is usually a mother that will tell you which doctor to go to; a mother that will usually take the child to a clinic or a hospital; a mother that will go to the pharmacies for the medicine."
However, the women that choose to work in the healthcare sector often have to deal with a lot of challenges; long working hours and a demanding job can take their toll on a person - something that Moopen can personally attest to.
"There are times when you feel the guilt of not being there for your children as much as you would like to," she said. "I also think that there is a way of alleviating that guilt, but that is only through personal dialogue with yourself, because nobody can tell us what is right or wrong in this case; it depends on the circumstances that the woman finds herself in. It is important to go to bed saying that you did the best that you could in the situation that you found yourself in."


Caring for self-care
At the end of the day, women have to decide what works for them and then make it their mission to work towards it using what they have, Moopen stressed. More importantly, she cautions working women not to get swayed by what others around them are doing.
"I also think that as women, we have a tendency to look at other women and see all the wonderful things about them, but when it comes to us, we see nothing but the negatives," she mused.
"It's hard to be able to see all the wonderful things about ourselves that are apparent to others. In a way this helps women because it can be a powerful driver for them to constantly improve themselves in different ways, but at the same time it can lead some women to be overly critical and harsh on themselves."
When it comes to self-care, Moopen advises women to focus on both their physical and mental state. "Today, it is as important to care for your physical health, as it is to care for your mental state of mind," she stressed.
A great way to put a halt to all the negative thoughts bombarding your brain is through meditation and yoga; something that Moopen has started to do with her two children. "This is a great way for me to spend some time with my children, and for them to learn discipline, though the results of that are still up for debate," she said, laughing.
Moopen is not above trying a new approach to things; which is why people might not be surprised to hear that she introduced a 10-minute wake up music and dance session at work for Aster's employees.
"At work, we want things to be fun and exciting. The idea about having a small music and dance session is to make people more comfortable at work. A lot of people spend a lot of time at work, and it is important for them to understand that they can be comfortable at their workplace."
This, she noted, is especially important for millennials who are entering the workforce. "In addition, what we are seeing with millennials is that they want to take on different role and be able to grow at a company. They are also much more focused on the impact that they are making."
Usually, she added, this was something that was seen in much older people in their 50s, but millennials are today much more focused on having a positive impact on society through the work that they are doing.  "I think that this is also a reason why they are attracted to the healthcare sector; because they see an immediate and positive effect of the work that they are doing."
Young women that are entering the workforce also bring with them their own set of needs, and one of the things that they look for is if there are other women working in the organisation.
"Women are more attracted to certain roles and industries if they see that there are other women working there, and that there are a fair number of those women in positions of leadership," Moopen noted.
"This is also why it is so important for women in management positions to act as a mentor to younger women just starting out in the workforce. It is always simpler and easier for a woman to speak to another woman about any challenges that she is facing, because she will be able to better understand and sympathise with her."
- rohma@khaleejtimes.com