Women in Leadership Spotlight: Angela Anukam

Angela Anukam, MBA '27, plays an active leadership role in the HEC Paris community as President of the Africa Club and a board member of both the Women in Leadership Club (VP of Internal Events & Coordination) and the Arts, Media & Entertainment Club ( VP of Content Management). 

In this Women in Leadership Spotlight, she shares how resilience, mentorship, and community have shaped her leadership journey.

What moment in your career - or during your MBA at HEC Paris - has most shaped the leader you are today?
The moment that most shaped me in my career was when I faced a series of competitive rejections that challenged my confidence and direction. Instead of letting those setbacks define me, I chose to reframe them as opportunities for growth. That shift taught me resilience, self-awareness, and the importance of community. Since then, I’ve led with greater empathy and intentionality, focusing on creating inclusive spaces where others feel supported and empowered to thrive.

How has your time at HEC Paris influenced or reshaped what leadership means to you? 
My time at HEC Paris has reshaped my understanding of leadership from being achievement-driven to being impact-driven. In such a diverse, high-performing environment, I realize that leadership is less about having the strongest voice in the room and more about creating space for others to contribute meaningfully.

Navigating a multicultural cohort, academic intensity, and competitive recruiting challenged me to lead with resilience, empathy, and authenticity. I have learned that true leadership is the ability to build trust, foster collaboration, and stay grounded in purpose, especially in moments of uncertainty.

Who is a woman who has inspired you during your career or MBA experience, and why? 
A woman who has inspired me profoundly during my career is Mrs. Uwa Ohiku, a distinguished leader in law and business in Nigeria who has also been a personal mentor. Mrs. Ohiku’s career has shown me what leadership grounded in integrity, resilience, and service truly looks like.

What I admire most is how she balances excellence with empathy: she pursues high standards while investing deeply in the development of others, including me. Her mentorship has encouraged me to lead not only with confidence but with generosity, purpose, and a commitment to lifting others as I grow.

What do you wish more people understood about women’s experiences in business school today? 
I wish more people understood that women’s experiences in business school are often shaped by invisible layers of pressure, to perform, to represent, and to prove. Beyond academic rigor and recruiting intensity, there is often the added weight of navigating spaces where leadership norms were not historically designed with women in mind.

Many women are not just managing coursework and career transitions; they are also negotiating expectations around confidence, likability, ambition, and belonging. The balance can be subtle but constant.

At the same time, women in business school are building powerful networks of support, redefining leadership in more inclusive ways, and creating communities that challenge outdated norms. What I wish more people saw is both the resilience required and the collective strength that emerges from it.

If you were mentoring the next cohort of women arriving at HEC, what’s the one thing you’d want them to know? 
If I were mentoring the next cohort of women arriving at HEC, I would want them to know that they already belong in every room they walk into. The environment can be intense and competitive, but your perspective, your background, and your voice are assets, not things to minimize or adjust to fit in.

I would encourage them to define success on their own terms, be authentic, build intentional community early, and not let moments of doubt outweigh the reasons they were admitted in the first place. Confidence isn’t the absence of uncertainty, it’s the decision to move forward anyway.

What hobby, passion, or personal interest has helped keep you grounded during your MBA at HEC, and why is it important to you?
During my MBA at HEC, faith and music have been my anchors. In a fast-paced and often high-pressure environment, my faith has provided perspective, reminding me that my worth is not defined by grades, interviews, or outcomes, but by a deeper sense of purpose. It has grounded me in moments of uncertainty and helped me approach challenges with resilience and gratitude.

Music has been both release and renewal. Whether listening, singing, or simply taking time to disconnect through sound, it creates space for joy and reflection. Together, faith and music have helped me stay centered, balanced, and intentional about who I am becoming beyond the MBA experience.