A natural-born leader with a career that spans over 15 years, Anuja Shah has a passion for driving digital transformation. From leading hackathons and championing innovative strategies to curating intrapreneurship and mentoring start-ups, Shah leads by example. Not only does she devote her time to causes close to her heart such as breast cancer awareness, but she also seeks to identify opportunities for revenue streams for social initiatives. 

As head of strategy and information technology at Zurich International Life Limited, Middle East, Shah is also part of the executive committee and works on drafting strategy, identifying growth opportunities, and exploring new lines of business across the region. “My role empowers me to create a compelling vision and metrics that all of us across the organization work towards, which gives all our initiatives a sense of purpose and alignment,” she says. Being a leader comes naturally to Shah, and she’s demonstrated this during various roles in her career of over fifteen years. “I believe leadership cuts across hierarchies, designations, and geographies. You don’t need to have the loudest voice to have the strongest argument,” she says.

Shah recently held a social hackathon leveraging business acumen and technology to support the rehabilitation and welfare of autistic students and young adults in the UAE. “Making organizations self-sufficient so that they can be of greater service to the community for a longer time without benefactors is at the heart of the work I do with Trustees and Board Members,” she adds.

Shah envisions her professional goals to reap benefits for the organization and the people impacted by the business, not just its employees. She aims to achieve this through the strategies and initiatives she’s working on including higher life insurance penetration rates, lower savings gaps, and a stronger end-of-service benefits system.