A Quiet Strength

In lieu of parading her power, Nadiah Wan proves that subtlety is the name of the game, opines Samantha Lim.

- Samantha Lim

The tables are turned in the boardroom. Though usually the interviewer on her turf, Wan Nadiah Wan Mohd Abdullah Yaakob is at the receiving end of an interrogation during our vis-à-vis.

“Would you rather be liked or respected?” I pitch, making a mental guess at the latter.

“Respected,” confirms the group chief corporate officer of TMC Life Sciences Bhd and CEO of Thomson Hospital as well as Generation T-lister. “People may or may not like you for any reason. Most of the time it’s personal rather than logical.” Her expression is insouciant. “Especially with a very strong character, many just won’t jive with you. But respect implies having something decent inside of you, something that others hold in esteem.” Naming Ruth Bader Ginsburg, an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, as her biggest inspiration, Nadiah describes the 84-year-old as “a successful woman who just puts her head down and gets the job done with style, strategy and minimum fuss.” “I’m not going to beat you over the head, but like the Notorious RBG, I will always let you know what I stand for,” she underscores.