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Interview

Shilpi Singh
Shilpi Singh
Executive Director, Della Leaders Club Innovations Ltd, DIFC | Group Director

Shilpi Singh is a visionary business leader and Executive Director at Della Leaders Club Innovations Limited, playing a key role in building one of the fastest-growing global entrepreneurial communities. Mentored by Jimmy Mistry, she has expanded high-impact DLC chapters across cities including New York, London, Dubai, and India. Recognized for her leadership, she received the Entrepreneurial Excellence Award in Dubai and was honored by Womenpreneur as “Woman Leading the Future.” Named among the Top 100 HR Leaders by The Economic Times, Shilpi drives global collaboration, strategic talent development, and business growth across the Della Group ecosystem.

Q:Q1. What does 'Reclaiming Space' mean beyond confidence and visibility?
A:Reclaiming space is one woman straightening another woman's crown. It means when a woman hesitates to speak in the boardroom, another amplifies her: 'That's brilliant—let me build on what she said.' It's bringing her into decision-making, ensuring her voice shapes outcomes, not just responds. The difference between being invited to the room and being part of where decisions are made. When women lift each other into real influence—as architects, not observers—space is truly reclaimed.
Q:Q2. Why does transformation deepen when women evolve collectively?
A:Your challenge is another woman's strength. When women gather in community, they share lived wisdom—not just inspiration. The one who navigated male-dominated boards teaches the newcomer. The one who rebuilt after a break shows the one who fears she's fallen behind. Transformation without community is fragile; it fades when you return to an unchanged environment. But when women evolve together in trust, transformation lasts. It dismantles scarcity. When women rise together, they rewrite the story.
Q:Q3. What is the most persistent myth about women's leadership?
A:The myth: women with families are less available, less committed. This assumption shapes who gets stretch assignments, who's invited to leadership offsites. Yet Indra Nooyi grew PepsiCo from $2.7B to $6.5B as a mother. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw built Biocon from Rs 10,000. Roshni Nadar Malhotra chairs an IT company. Falguni Nayar launched Nykaa at 50. Thirty women lead nations in 2024—yet parity takes 130 years. A woman managing household, children, and team shows extraordinary leadership: prioritization, emotional intelligence, resilience. These are strengths.
Q:Q4. If you could redesign a leadership system, what would be the first shift?
A:Give young leaders genuine responsibility and trust. Gen Z is 30% of the population, 27% of workforce by 2026. Yet 58% search for first roles; entry-level posts fell 16% in 2024-25. This generation is remarkable: 98% own smartphones, 49% use AI tools, 65% eager to learn. They're digital natives who challenge outdated systems. 70% expect promotion in 18 months—call it ambition, not entitlement. Build formal pathways for young leaders to lead real projects alongside mentors. Organizations that activate youngest talent earliest lead the future.
Q:Q5. How do you support women during non-linear reinvention?
A:Reinvention is disorienting—you've released who you were; who you're becoming hasn't arrived. Two anchors ground me: spiritual practice and unshakeable self-belief. By spiritual practice, I mean yoga, meditation, journaling—tangible rituals creating stillness so the mind hears itself. Built as discipline, not luxury, they become your foundation when everything shifts. Belief in yourself—not performative confidence, but knowing you've faced hard things and found your way through.
Q:Q6. What might a leadership system centered on collective progress look like?
A:Moving from success to significance. Success is personal; significance is what you leave behind—the leaders you grew, knowledge you shared freely. This drives Della Leaders Club. Through DLC Leadership Foundation, we bring executive courses from Oxford, Cornell, Carnegie Mellon directly to Della townships. Ivy League advisors design and deliver programs to grassroots leaders, democratizing elite education. A collective system measures what you enable in others—shared decision-making, rotating leadership, structured access to power. The future isn't a lone star; it's a constellation—and leaders make the whole sky brighter.