Ashanti Fernando

CHAMPIONING EQUAL ACCESS

Navigating challenges and opportunities of women’s leadership for growth

Key skills women should develop for long-term success in business
A woman who masters resilience, negotiation, financial literacy and the art of reinvention – and can read both a balance sheet and room with equal ease – is truly unstoppable.

How to overcome societal biases when starting a business
By rising above stereotypes, tuning out distractions and staying laser focussed – because results speak louder than bias.

Effective capacity building programmes for women
Those that blend hard skills with mindset shifts including finance, digital skills, personal branding and confidence anchoring mentorship.

Enhancing financial management skills for business growth
Start small, ask a lot of questions, make mistakes, seek financial mentors and treat spreadsheets like sacred texts.

Steps to improve access to funding and investments
Register your business, channel all transactions through a bank, build data driven business cases, network where capital flows and never undervalue your product or yourself.

Building resilience amid gender based challenges in business
Think of failure as feedback, support as strength, and resistance as proof that you are doing something disruptive and worthwhile.

Strategies to transition a business from small to large-scale
Delegate before burnout hits, digitise before demand spikes and always dare to ask: ‘What if we scaled this 10 times?’

Positioning women professionals for leadership roles in male dominated industries
Speak up even when your voice shakes, deliver results like a pro and build your own table if you are not offered a seat at one.

Crucial training or education for women entering entrepreneurship
The kind that balances business planning with self-belief – an MBA is valuable, though I firmly believe in the school of failing fast and learning faster.

Leveraging mentorship to accelerate business or career growth
Ask bold questions, show up prepared and remember that mentorship is a two-way street paved with mutual respect.

Role of peer networking in strengthening women’s business acumen
This is a powerful force – your network is your net worth especially when it includes women who cheer you on and celebrate your wins as their own.

How to ensure legal and financial protection
Know your contracts as well as you know your business and products; and if you don’t, hire trusted advisors and never make a deal without written proof.

Digital skills and technology to empower women entrepreneurs
Tech is a powerful equaliser as it amplifies your voice, extends your reach and boosts revenue; learn it, master it and leverage it to maximise your impact.

How to overcome challenges in accessing credit for business
Tackle cultural and gender biases by focussing on growth and self-belief, explore women specific loan schemes for collateral challenges and build financial credibility by adopting formal banking from day one.

Strategies for women to negotiate higher salaries or better business deals
Research, rehearse and request: negotiating isn’t rude; it’s about respecting your worth.

How to design corporate training programmes that better support women’s career advancement
Include gender intelligent leadership, real world mentorship and safe spaces to grow confidence – not just competence.

How to gain confidence in financial decision-making
Confidence is built through action and not by waiting; start with small bold decisions and gradually make bigger ones with wisdom.

Resource access for women in underserved communities
Start with entrepreneurship trainings often offered by nearby banks or join relevant societies to network, explore opportunities; talent is universal and access should not be a luxury.

How to facilitate women re-entering the workforce following a career break
The best initiatives blend structure with empathy – offering tax incentives for companies hiring women in underrepresented sectors, providing childcare subsidies for businesses with daycare centres and encouraging flexible or remote work policies to support working mothers.

Advice for women professionals to advocate for policies that support gender inclusive workplaces
With the support of a trade chamber or society, through collective voices, data driven arguments and courageously showing up in rooms where decisions are made even when it is uncomfortable.

– Compiled by Indrajit Lankeshwara
Ashanti Fernando is the Senior Relationship Manager of Corporate Banking of Seylan Bank. She is also the Joint Secretary of the Women’s Chamber of Industry and Commerce.