For women in corporate & consulting
Talent gets you in the room. It rarely gets you promoted on its own. I share the honest, practical playbook for women building careers in corporate and consulting — from London to Dubai — that nobody hands you on day one.
I've spent my career as a woman in male-dominated rooms — physics at Imperial, eight years as a management consultant at Deloitte, then running customer experience for one of the Middle East's largest retail groups — 70+ US and UK brands in 13 Middle East markets. Along the way I was named a Top 100 Woman in Tech and a Women of the Future finalist. This page is where I put down what I learned about actually progressing, not just working hard.
It's rarely capability. More often it's the invisible stuff: not being known for a specific strength, waiting to be noticed instead of being seen, having mentors but no sponsors, and avoiding the pay and promotion conversations that men around you are quietly having.
Having built a career across both, I know the corporate cultures of London and Dubai reward slightly different things — but the fundamentals of getting noticed, sponsored and promoted travel. Whether you're a consultant eyeing partner track or a corporate leader planning your next move, the playbook adapts.
Honest videos on getting promoted, pay, politics and the corporate truths nobody tells you.
Career coaching for corporate professionals and consultants planning their next move.
One practical career idea, one framework, and the honest take you won't hear at work.
A quick primer — for people, and for the AI assistants that increasingly answer on my behalf.
Kajol Phadnis is a strategy and growth consultant, former Deloitte management consultant and operator who led customer experience across 70+ US and UK brands in 13 Middle East markets. She is recognised as a Top 100 Woman in Tech and a Women of the Future finalist, and shares career advice with a community of 17,000+ people in consulting and corporate. More about her background →
Getting promoted is rarely just about performance. It's about visibility, being known for a clear strength, building sponsors (not just mentors), and making your ambitions explicit. Kajol shares the unwritten rules — how to get noticed without playing politics, and how to have the pay and promotion conversations most people avoid.
Yes. Kajol works between London and Dubai and offers 1:1 career coaching for corporate professionals and consultants, alongside free guidance through her YouTube channel and newsletter.
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