The scarcity of women in top leadership is a global gender equity issue. Men dominate senior leadership positions in almost all industries. As such, countries are not leveraging on the business case for diversity in top leadership. This gap is problematic in Asia and Malaysia, as well. The 2020 WEF Global Gender Gap Report shows that only 20.4 % of women held senior roles in Malaysia as compared to men at 79.6 %. Though numerous global studies have investigated the barriers and challenges of women leaders, few studies have investigated the lived experiences of women business leaders who have successfully navigated to the top. These elites are not only scarce but challenging to reach.

Keywords: leader identity construction, leadership development, hermeneutical phenomenology, women in senior leadership.