Women in Corporate: The Unwritten Rules

What holds women back (and what doesn’t)

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.

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.

🏆Top 100 Woman in Tech 🏆Women of the Future finalist

The four beliefs to break

For every 100 men promoted to management, only 72 women are — and the sharpest drop-off isn’t the glass ceiling at the top, it’s getting to manager in the first place. Some of that is the system, and that takes a long time to shift. These four are the bits within your control.

Belief 01

Claim your achievements

They won't. People don't know what you're doing unless you tell them, and you end up in the neutral bucket. Speaking about your contribution doesn't make you self-centred — only the delivery can. And if you can't do it for yourself yet, get someone else to do it for you. That's allowed.

Belief 02

Build alliances

Expertise is the entry fee, not the promotion. We keep our heads down until we've mastered every detail, while the people who connect early get further. Strong allies become friends; the looser ones are the people who actually reward your work.

Belief 03

Say no

Saying yes to everything stretches you to breaking point and your work suffers. Be choosy: does this move me toward my goals, and is it a priority against everything else on my plate? If not, say no. People respect you more for it.

Belief 04

Delegate

Perfectionism dressed up as efficiency. You trust your own standard and not other people's, so you hold on to everything — and quietly cap your own ceiling. Developing people and leading teams is exactly what the next level is judged on.

Where to start

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.

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Questions people ask me

Who is Kajol Phadnis and why listen to her on women in corporate?

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 →

How can women get promoted faster in corporate and consulting?

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.

Does Kajol Phadnis coach women in corporate in London and Dubai?

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.

The unwritten rules of corporate — for women who mean to rise