#BITBPodcast

Описание: In this episode of Bravery in the Boardroom, we are joined by Raja Javaid, the Chief Information and Transformation Officer at the University of Warwick. Raja shares a fascinating 30-year career journey that spans retail, manufacturing at Rolls-Royce, aviation and now Higher Education

Raja opens up about his upbringing in a single-parent household and how the resilience and values of his mother shaped his "work hard" ethic. He provides a masterclass on how to navigate the professional world as an underrepresented leader, specifically addressing the challenges of entering the boardroom without a university degree and overcoming systemic prejudice. This conversation is a deep dive into why leadership is about responsibility rather than titles, and how to maintain a "Win and Learn" mindset through every career plot twist.


Timestamps

• 01:14 – Introduction: Meet Raja Javaid, Chief Information and Transformation Officer at the University of Warwick.
• 02:26 – Leadership Style: Why Raja prioritises Empathy, Decisiveness and Transformation.
• 03:35 – Roots of Resilience: Lessons learned from his mother and growing up in a financially difficult environment.
• 06:13 – The NLP Philosophy: "If one person can do it, anybody can" - Practicing belief and focus.
• 07:56 – The Degree Myth: Overcoming snap judgments about academic background to reach the executive level.
• 11:26 – Responsibility vs. Title: Why the most senior roles are about the duty you hold, not the name on the door.
• 13:51 – Sector Hopping: How Raja translated his skills from retail and Rolls-Royce into Higher Education.
• 16:10 – Facing the Elephant in the Room: A candid discussion on prejudice, unconscious bias and the "demon" of having to work twice as hard.
• 23:51 – Transforming Higher Ed: Moving from "diversity metrics" to purposeful interventions and "growing our own" talent.
• 30:38 – The "Win and Learn" Mindset: Essential advice for aspiring leaders on humility and curiosity.
• 33:48 – Anchoring to Reality: Practical mindfulness for busy executives to prevent burnout.

The Real Questions Behind the Leadership Journey
• How to succeed in high-level roles if you don't have a traditional academic background . (09:50)
• How organisations can improve diversity at the senior level (24:44)
• The best way to handle career setbacks or failures . (30:38)
• Managing the loneliness and stress of a senior leadership role.. (33:38)

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Connect with Raja Javaid: You can find Raja on LinkedIn where he is an "open book," dedicated to giving back and mentoring the next generation of leaders.   / rajasaleem  

Did Raja’s journey resonate with you? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

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Raja Javiad - Episode 26

About Bravery in the Boardroom
At Bravery in the Boardroom, we believe that inclusive leadership requires bravery. We’re building the Bravery in the Boardroom movement to increase diversity in senior leadership, so that boardrooms are more representative of the communities and staff they serve.

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