The Head of Legal at Stanbic Bank Ghana, a member of the Standard Bank Group, Doreen Iliasu, has said agility and responsiveness to changes are critical to being an effective leader, especially in the Covid-19 era.

She said this at a virtual summit organised by Touchpoint Magna Carta dubbed ‘TPMC Women in Leadership Summit (WILS) as part of activities to mark this year’s International Women’s Day.

Speaking as part of a five-member panel, Doreen noted that the Covid-19 pandemic has made adaptability to an ever-evolving world vital for people in leadership positions.

She said, “What is critical in times like this is to remain agile and respond to the demands of the changing times.

"Managing and doing what you have to do in a rapidly changing world requires agility, adaptability and some amount of common sense if you have to be effective as a leader”.

The Stanbic Legal head further noted that the instance of the Covid-19 has given cause to a new kind of leadership, which is empathetic leadership.

According to her, “The Covid-19 pandemic requires that as leaders, we lead with empathy. Now it goes beyond just asking about work to asking about the health of staff and their families and how they are coping with the pandemic.

"And this, as women, comes more easily to us, making us effective leaders in very challenging times.”

This year’s TPMC Women in Leadership Summit (WILS) is the maiden edition aimed at sharing the stories of women role models while at the same time inspiring young ones.

Participants at this year’s TPMC WILS included Nana Essilfua Tamakloe, Director of Marketing and Corporate Relations at Absa Bank Ghana, Moliehi Molekoa, CEO of Magna Carta Africa, Adelaide Ahovy Abbiw-Williams, Marketing Manager at SES HD PLUS Ghana Limited and Catherine Kuupol Kuutor, Relieving General Manager at Abosso Goldfields Limited.

International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.

The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Marked annually on March 8, International Women's Day (IWD) is one of the most important days of the year to celebrate women's achievements, raise awareness about women's equality, lobby for accelerated gender parity and raise funds for female-focused charities

This year’s celebrations were held under the theme “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a Covid-19 world.”

While the world is evolving, the challenges women face are also taking on new dimensions.

The theme explored the peculiar challenges women in leadership are experiencing in the face of a global pandemic.