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If I had only 3 words to describe Kamales Lardi, they would be: assertive, competent, and sophisticated. When you first meet Kamales, it truly is something special. Even a quick discussion with her will make you understand that in front of you stands a unique woman.

 

I met for the first time Kamales years ago in a PWG event and I tell you, she was impressive. Engaging speaker, great presence, on top of her topic, the audience was captivated, and I was enchanted.

 

Time goes by and we met again on a few other occasions. I invited her to come to one of my events to moderate a panel discussion about “how to be successful online” and she was assertive, competent and sophisticated. Knowing she is a working mom too, and following her recent professional evolution, she was on top of my list for my project “Meet Another Working Mother” since a long moment.

 

Professional

 

Kamales Lardi is the founder of Lardi & Partner Consulting, a consulting firm supporting and developing strategies in digital business transformation for companies.

 

An expert in digital business transformation, new technology trends, and social media, Kamales is very active in the digital world, and also is a key note speaker, book author (Social Media Strategy, Kamales Lardi and Reiner Fuchs, published by Vdf Hochschulverlag) and startup mentor. Recently, she co-founded Women in Blockchain Switzerland .A mother with a multitude of business interest, I find myself asking her what motivated her to do all of this?

 

Kamales: “First of all is passion. I love being part of the corporate world, especially now where traditional businesses are being completely disrupted. Challenging myself is very important too, putting myself out of my comfort zone and seizing new opportunities. I want also to show my child that she can achieve whatever she sets her mind to.”

 

Resilient mother

 

Kamales has a daughter who already shows up her strong character and her willingness to be different.

 

K:“She is already starting to see that she is different. More assertive, she wants to lead, she recognizes she not like the other girls at school. I’m very proud, of course! But I know it is going to be a difficult path for her, and I will be there to help her.”

 

In 2004, when Kamales arrived in Switzerland from Malaysia to be with her Swiss husband, it was a bit of a shock. There she was working for a global consulting company – an independent and empowered woman climbing her way up the corporate ladder. In Switzerland she became “the wife of” – not even allowed to open a bank account without the signature of confirmation from her husband (yes, believe it or not in Switzerland in 2004 she needed his permission!). It has been a tough time but full of learning. I like how she turned her first challenges into strengths, very similar of how I managed to overcome my challenges.

 

K: “We cannot change what people think about us, but we can change our attitude toward their comments and reactions.”

 

She is taking all those crucial lessons into her current business and in her daughter’s education.

 

K: “I teach her to be resilient and to follow her way, even if this means to be different to other girls her age. With my example I would like to show her that she can design her own life as she wants, and  feel constrained by boundaries that other people create for her.”

 

Kamales Lardi Personal Brand

 

Undoubtedly, Kamales is a very elegant and feminine woman. Like many of us, she is a woman who takes care of her personal brand not only with the work she is delivering for her clients but also with the way she presents herself. I’m happy to know that Kamales, like me and many others, believes that being feminine is as important as the expertise she is bringing to the table.

 

K:” I do not compromise on who I am, and the professionalism I bring to work is crucial. I work very hard to make sure we deliver what we have been asked to. I stick to my goals and I strongly believe that the right attitude and mindset will take me where I want to be.”

 

We continue talking about the ways she wants to design her life and her business, her interests, and we exchange some comments about the next events we are going to meet at. Of course we could continue our discussion, but our time is limited. Our busy lives call us back and we have to finish our interview.

 

Meet Kamales Lardi, a working mother leading her way by example, not only in the digital transformation world but most importantly in her daughter’s life.