“The quickness in apprehending needs and the call for emotional support is something we as women are built with and are built to lead with. Aside from being glad to be a part of that, I feel honestly blessed because empathy is at the core of being a human.With this thoughtful outlook, expecting to make an impactful difference in the world, Manjari Kumarage, the Head of Human Resources and Facilities Management at FairFirst Insurance, has created an atmosphere of consideration producing effective outcomes around her. As she looks back at her career journey, she establishes her strength as a woman in corporate, holding the tender quality of empathy that supported her to uplift her career as she uniquely works towards establishing herself as a monumental figure in the industry of insurance. 

Manjari salutes the natural instinct she possesses as a woman, which she effectively uses to profit the company and become a leader with a vision; as she claims.Situations in the corporate world are very unpredictable due to surprise forces, and you need to be hands-on not just with the internal environment but also with the external environment. The pandemic was one such unpredictable force, and still is to a certain extent. These are moments where, as a woman, your natural instincts just automatically switch on and you know what to do when and where”.While using this intuition to carve a path to success, Manjari looks into feeding that instinct with professionalism and valuable knowledge as she climbs the corporate ladder. As she carries her instinctive nature up to new heights of professionalism, Manjari thankfully appreciates the many roles she plays as a woman; a loving daughter, a caring sibling, a devoted wife, a loyal friend, and a near and dear colleague in the Fairfirst family.  Her love for animals is another source that brings absolute inner peace for her. In a world where cruelty resides among us, she is one of a kind that adores voicing herself for those without one. “My source of having peace of mind, being happy, being myself is also owed to my love for animals. I believe that animals bring out a deep emotional connection, and when the connection is strong it is essential to the health and well-being of both.”

Within the accumulated impact she makes playing all these roles with true devotion, she holds an utmost appreciation for her role as the Head of Human Resources and Facilities Management in her corporate family, as she always looks to contribute her best to uplift the name of Fairfirst. Carving her uniqueness to cater to the betterment of society, Manjari has created an individuality that she claims is what truly makes the change we hope to make as a society. 

“Everyone is born with a unique set of characteristics, or they develop those qualities through experience. As a female leader, especially heading HR, I am blessed to know that my traits have brought out the best in me. The traits I feel blessed to have naturally come to me are hearing the deeper meaning of conversations, my will to keep trying, being always motivated, thinking big and out of the box, and being optimistic about how a situation can be approached in a sensible manner.”

With her golden characteristics based on the solid morals of contributing her best, Manjari has been able to harness the mentioned qualities to uniquely fit into her role as a leading figure. The alchemy of true good qualities blended with persistent hard work has made Manjari one of the most important professionals in the company and in the field as she continues to serve her true purpose.

As Manjari considers her future plans, she hopes that many women in corporate will continue with the same dedication and care she has witnessed with many women throughout her career. Manjari sees the enormous potential for new talent as society evolves into a more progressive outlook and fair system. Fairfirst alone has many females in senior leadership and management levels, and it is Manjari’s vision to keep it moving forward while progressively adding to the number of women in corporate. Taking immense pride in working for a company that sees the importance of equality she claims that active contribution truly does not stop, and one should always look into how one could make things progressively better than it is or it was.

“My advice is to keep believing in yourself. We have a natural gift for balancing, come what may. It’s this inner belief that is our core strength to thrive. If you know what you want, truly believe in it, as you will see for yourself that the more you believe in it the more possible it becomes—this is the true essence of my optimism.” 

Any dream is a possible reality if approached with an acute mindset, willingness and true dedication to achieving it. Manjari highly believes in this as she aspires to become a better individual every day while she stands proud as a woman in the corporate jungle. Juggling the many hardships and challenges she faces; she guarantees to always move forward as she passionately envisions catering to the best needs of her customers and leading her Fairfirst team to new heights of elite success.