What does it take to become a successful business leader? Courage, passion, determination, and optimism - the list goes on. Pause and think if gender crossed your mind while listing the leadership traits. The chances are zero because gender doesn’t matter. Many Indian and Asian women have proven this, and Amita Menon is one of them. She has risen to the top spanning two careers one in banking and the other in education.

Amita began her career in banking with Standard Chartered Bank as a management trainee. Her banking career spanned almost 16 years across various disciplines, ranging from operations, retail, and corporate banking. She held various senior roles during this time in India, Singapore, and Japan, including the Country Head of Transaction Bank for Japan and the Global Head of Sales performance of the Transaction Bank. The turning point for Amita was the birth of her second child. With her 6-year-old firstborn being in school and her second child having just been born, she became much more aware of children’s education.

Despite being offered various roles, Amita decided to pivot and embark on her second career. Driven largely by her passion for education and a desire to create an environment that would shape and transform the educational experiences of not only her daughters but also numerous other children, she made the leap.

Women Entrepreneur magazine explores her journey in more detail.

What motivated you to venture into the education industry?
'Education has the power to change society.' This is my mantra. I strongly believe that education shapes peoples’ thoughts and behavior, which in turn affects relationships and the wider society. Our focus is to teach children how to think, not just memorize, and encourage them to use their creativity when applying concepts learned, rather than relying solely on past papers and mindless calculations.

"Our Focus Is Not Solely On Teaching Subjects Like Math Or Science, But Rather On Empowering Every Child To Reach Their Full Potential, Both In & Out Of The Classroom"

Why did I choose to focus on Math? Well, Math has always been my forte, and I wanted to share this passion with children. The objective was to help children 'love' Math by showing them that it's not an intimidating challenge, but an exciting opportunity to learn. Initially, I launched a program with a franchise model that aligned with my ethos and teaching strategies. A few years later, I started my own brand, where we applied the same ethos and methodology across other subjects and disciplines, such as the Sciences, Economics, Computer Science, and languages like English and, more recently, Spanish.

All of this is based on my values of a hands-on, consultative approach, with personalized learning and mentorship. We take a holistic approach to education, focusing not only on academic subjects but also on emotional intelligence as well as the well-being of our student community. Being a mentor, rather than a tutor, teaching children to be independent, instead of relying on tutoring or parents/teachers as a crutch, and ensuring that they're eating well, studying well, and feeling good are all part of building emotional intelligence. Unfortunately, this is an area that is often neglected or overlooked.

We've raised awareness through parent workshops and provide workshops and individual coaching sessions on stress management, study skills, time management, and health. Our goal is to create an ecosystem that provides quality education to everyone, regardless of their circumstances. We want to reduce the barriers to entry and raise the access to education, moving toward democratizing it.

How do we plan to democratize education and make it accessible for all?
While we've been doing hybrid learning for some time, we now want to expand our online presence by collaborating with tutors, content providers, and coaches, and using technology and AI to achieve our long term goals. While we know that education can be a powerful tool for social change, the key to its success is to engage and excite both students and parents and demonstrate how it can change their futures. We're taking a step-by-step approach to building our ecosystem and are very excited about the future.

What are the biggest challenges you face as a leader in the education industry?
When we launched HIGHQ, education in Singapore and many other countries relied heavily on the traditional model, which focused on theory, formulas, and rote learning. These systems were highly structured, leaving little room for innovation. We were pioneers in adopting a new approach to teaching and learning.

Our biggest challenge was changing people's mindsets, including parents and teachers. But as we continued on our journey, the education sector began undergoing significant changes that supported our approach. Our role was to expedite this change so that current learners could benefit. Molding and influencing parents and teachers has been a significant challenge. We had to convince parents that their children could succeed while enjoying the learning journey and unconventional methods. We also had to retrain teachers, encouraging them to mentor students using positive reinforcement.

Another key challenge is building a team of like minded, committed individuals, which is vital for any successful business. We must have the right people in the right roles and motivate them to remain committed over the long term. Many of our educators have been with us for a considerable time, a testament to our dedication to them.

As we expand, our next challenge is to focus on two areas: Firstly, building a robust governance structure with clearly defined roles and responsibilities while remaining agile. Secondly, using technologies like AI to achieve our vision.

What milestones have you achieved in your journey?
Over the past few years, we have more than doubled our student base without sacrificing our high-touch approach. Unlike other programs that may run like 'factories', we provide a holistic program that includes mentoring and a personalized learning journey for each student. We take great pride in our commitment to providing a one-of-a-kind experience, which sets us apart from the competition. Our approach has resulted in continued growth through word-of-mouth referrals and a strong reputation.

Amita Menon, Founder, HIGHQ
With a strong passion for education and a desire to help children succeed, Amita founded HIGHQ in 2007 – offering a unique and holistic approach to education that has helped countless children achieve success and reach their full potential.