True leadership isn’t just about algorithms or analytics. It’s about people. It’s about change. And sometimes, it’s about being bold enough to do things differently even when everything around you suggests otherwise. Michelle Ratnasothy, Senior Business Director at Worldpanel, is not your typical corporate leader. With a career that spans multiple industries, from FMCG to SaaS, and a reputation for driving transformation where legacy thinking dominates, she brings a distinct blend of emotional intelligence, strategic vision, and operational depth. But ask her what’s been most defining in her journey, and the answer is clear: exposure over tenure.
“True growth, deep, meaningful growth comes from exposure, not tenure,” she says. “The ability to step into varied contexts, industries, and situations and draw insights from each shapes you faster than following a linear career path ever could.” This belief has propelled Michelle into roles that demanded more than just execution; they demanded reinvention. And in doing so, she’s learned that the hardest part of leading isn’t just about deliverables or revenue. It’s about navigating scepticism, confronting power dynamics, overcoming prejudice, and standing firm when your ideas and your very presence challenge long-held assumptions.
Some of Michelle’s boldest leadership decisions were met not with applause, but with resistance. In organizations steeped in “the way it’s always been done,” her cross-industry ideas and innovative mindset were often seen as disruptive. “People are naturally wary of what they don’t understand. When you’re seen as an outsider, whether due to age, gender, background, or just because your ideas don’t fit the norm, you’re often challenged, not on merit, but on perception.”
It’s a reality many leaders shy away from discussing openly, but Michelle confronts it head-on. She’s had to prove herself not just as a strategist or business driver, but as a credible voice in rooms where she didn’t fit the expected mold. Her decisions were sometimes second-guessed, not because they lacked logic, but because she didn’t look or lead like others thought she should. “I’ve been told I’m too young to lead. Too calm to command authority. Too much of a woman to lead the way I do.” Yet, through that resistance, Michelle forged something powerful: a deep, unshakeable sense of purpose. She stopped seeking validation and started leaning fully into what she knew to be right.
“I don’t believe that the greater the risk, the greater the reward. I believe in purposeful risk, where decisions are taken with clarity, strategy, and intention. Whether the outcome succeeds or fails, there’s always value in a decision made with conviction.”
For Michelle, leadership is not just about strategy; it’s about shaping environments where people thrive. And that starts with culture, not the kind found in mission statements, but the kind that is lived, modelled, and reinforced by leaders every day. “Organizational culture isn’t something HR dictates. It’s deeply personal. It’s shaped by how leaders choose to communicate, operate, and show up.”
In leading high-performing, cross-functional teams across geographies, Michelle doesn’t enforce one-size-fits-all cultural mandates. Instead, she champions alignment over uniformity, focusing on building teams that complement one another’s strengths and differences.
“I hold myself accountable for creating workspaces that feel aligned, safe, open, and empowering. People are different, and culture should reflect that. My job is to get people to work together in ways that feel human, not robotic.”
During times of uncertainty or change, Michelle returns to a simple but potent mindset: there is always a solution. It’s not about toxic positivity or denying difficulty but about facing problems with structure, logic, and calm. “When we strip panic and emotion, even just briefly and break things down, we realize most challenges are solvable. Even our emotions have logic. Understanding that has helped me lead with both empathy and structure.”
One of the most misunderstood parts of Michelle’s leadership style is her calm demeanour. In high-stakes environments, where louder often equals stronger, Michelle leads with a quiet confidence that unsettles some and inspires many. “Calm doesn’t mean passive. It takes tremendous control to remain composed under pressure. When you’re not emotionally hijacked, you don’t need aggression to get your point across. You lead with clarity, not chaos.” This has become her superpower in boardrooms and strategic sessions alike. Whether managing crisis, navigating change, or unifying teams across continents, Michelle brings a steady hand, one rooted in logic, humility, and thoughtful decision-making.
But staying calm hasn’t shielded her from bias. Her gender and age have often been cited, sometimes subtly, sometimes overtly, as reasons to question her authority. And she’s experienced both sides of complex leadership dynamics: leading those older and more experienced than her, and reporting to younger leaders while managing her own expertise and ego. “Age and experience aren’t the true differentiators. Professional maturity is. And we don’t talk about that enough.”
To Michelle, professional maturity is about how you handle feedback. How you manage egos, your own and others’. How you read a room. When to speak, when to pause, and when to let things play out. These qualities, she believes, are what define impactful leadership in modern business.
Michelle doesn’t pretend leadership is easy. In fact, she’s candid about the moments when she wanted to walk away, when the resistance felt overwhelming and the pressure unrelenting. “There will be moments where you think, ‘this is it, I’m done.’ I’ve had those moments. But I’ve also stayed long enough to see the shift. The breakthrough often comes just after the breakdown. You just have to see it through.”
Her advice to those forging their careers? Don’t let others define your path. Don’t believe the narrative that “this is how it must be done.” Because for Michelle, none of it was done the conventional way. “I value agility over rigidity. Assertiveness over aggression. And I will always advocate for women to believe they can have it all. I strive to be proof of that every day.”
In the end, Michelle’s story isn’t just about career success. It’s about courageously building a leadership identity that doesn’t conform to outdated expectations and watching that identity become a standard others begin to admire and follow.
“Leadership isn’t about being the loudest in the room. It’s about being the most thoughtful. It’s about knowing when to leap, not waiting for your turn. Growth doesn’t follow a script, and neither does leadership.”
Michelle’s path may not have been traditional, but it is transformational. And in staying true to her values, in leading with clarity, in believing deeply in potential, she’s not just reshaping the mold. She’s setting the new benchmark.