Ilham Kadri is a powerful woman in Dow Chemical Company.
Not only is she the general manager of the Dow Advanced Materials Division for the Middle East and Africa, she also acts as the Europe, Middle East and Africa commercial director for Dow Water and Process Solutions.
The Morocco-born scientist, who was recently featured in a book about 60 successful women worldwide called The Power of Women, attributes her success to key drivers. Here, she talks what those are.
Passion
I love what I do and I am inspired by other leaders who allow me to use my expertise, my intuition as well, to make sound business decisions. I define myself as an agent of change. I always found that if my passion was not there my path would undeniably change.
Curiosity
This is probably the engine in my mind. I had an illiterate grandmother who educated me and taught me to love books and respect knowledge, admire people who express their ideas in print. Some of these people became my role models. And I love working in the technology space in general. I'm very passionate about innovation and innovative thinking and bringing solutions to market.
Humility
Being both Arab and African I learned to listen to the wisdom of others and to know and understand my history or history of the business I am taking care of before making a decision that shapes either my future or the future of the business. It is very important and I think humility is the thing that makes a big difference between good leaders and great leaders.
Mentoring
I was lucky in my life to meet outstanding mentors, which was probably one of my secrets. They have helped me run the extra mile. These people were mostly men who believed in me. From my professor in Strasbourg University … to, recently, my chief executive of Dow Advanced Materials, who appointed me as the first female and Arab leader based in the UAE managing the Middle East and Africa region and truly responsible for the region.
Determination
I think without that attribute I would have changed my path several times but at the expense of my dreams. I remember many times as a little girl being asked to choose another curriculum. I have been a challenge always for my teachers by choosing always male fields. I built a plant for oil hydrogenation … I worked in automotives in plastics but also in the car-body paint shop, so pretty unusual for a female to be there.
Sense of purpose
When I mentor young ladies I always invite them to think about the sense of purpose and taking ownership of the role. At home I am a wife. I am a proud mother of a six-year-old boy. At work I am a colleague, a leader. At the end of the day this is what it is all about.
* Gillian Duncan
