Anu D'souza : Driving Growth By Enhancing Leadership Effectiveness
Anu D'souza
CEO & Managing Director
Operating across 15 APAC markets, Bricoleur Consulting has built a reputation for placing digitally fluent, culturally aligned, and transformational leaders, achieving a retention rate of more than 90 percent The firm has earned recognition at the Asia Recruitment Awards and as a TOP500 SME in Singapore. To mark its India launch, Bricoleur Consulting is offering complimentary Growth Visioning Workshops, which are strategic sessions to uncover untapped opportunities in an AI-driven world. These workshops help organizations address gaps through project teams, strategic hires, or emerging technologies like custom AI agents.
Anu’s expertise in marketing and HR has shaped Bricoleur Consulting's core services, namely executive search for high-impact, transformational talent, leadership coaching to enhance team effectiveness, and insight services using qualitative research to strengthen company culture.
With leadership roles at Hindustan Unilever, Ogilvy, BBDO, and Beiersdorf, Anu is a seasoned industry expert. An alumna of Victoria University of Wellington, she has authored Aligned and Leader’s Digest: Start With ‘I’ and has been widely published. She also serves as Marketing Advisor to the Board of women offatorda.in, an e-Commerce initiative supporting village women in Goa, and has contributed to numerous non-profit Boards throughout her career. We have Anu with us for an exclusive conversation.
Leadership consulting is often viewed as a male-dominated space. What were the challenges you faced to
become a successful woman leader in the industry?
To be honest, I have never really viewed my career as a male or female dominated field. I have simply focused on doing what needs to be done. I have been fortunate to train with top companies and work alongside exceptional people across various geographies. I have served on several boards in New Zealand and continue to sit on the board of an e-Commerce company in India. My experience as an entrepreneur spans both non-profits and consumer goods, giving me a comprehensive, 360-degree understanding of running businesses, leading teams, and driving growth. That perspective has given me confidence, and I have never let gender considerations hold me back.
Having said that, we have already entered an AI-augmented world, and developments are happening at an incredible pace. Every day brings new advancements, whether in generative AI, AI agents, or other tools that can significantly boost productivity. At this point, it is no longer a question of if technology will enhance how we work, it already does. Embracing it is simply part of the job now. What truly matters is having the right mindset, by being open to continuous learning, ready to unlearn outdated approaches, and agile enough to adapt. As the landscape evolves, staying up to date is not optional, it is essential.
Tell us about the USP of Bricoleur Consulting that makes it different from others?
The key is to remember that we see ourselves as growth partners for CEOs and business leaders. Our team is made up of professionals who have been line managers, and many of us continue to be practicing professionals. That gives us a unique perspective when it comes to recruitment, as we often have firsthand experience with the roles we’re hiring for. We offer three core services, namely recruitment, coaching, and insight.
This means that leaders we place can also be supported through personalized coaching and cultural insights, helping them understand team dynamics and improve effectiveness. At the heart of what we do is a focus on building effective leadership. In a
To be honest, I have never really viewed my career as a male or female dominated field. I have simply focused on doing what needs to be done. I have been fortunate to train with top companies and work alongside exceptional people across various geographies. I have served on several boards in New Zealand and continue to sit on the board of an e-Commerce company in India. My experience as an entrepreneur spans both non-profits and consumer goods, giving me a comprehensive, 360-degree understanding of running businesses, leading teams, and driving growth. That perspective has given me confidence, and I have never let gender considerations hold me back.
In a world where change is constant and uncertainty is high, the most critical priority for any leader is to keep evolving personally and to guide their leadership teams toward meaningful, sustainable growth
Having said that, we have already entered an AI-augmented world, and developments are happening at an incredible pace. Every day brings new advancements, whether in generative AI, AI agents, or other tools that can significantly boost productivity. At this point, it is no longer a question of if technology will enhance how we work, it already does. Embracing it is simply part of the job now. What truly matters is having the right mindset, by being open to continuous learning, ready to unlearn outdated approaches, and agile enough to adapt. As the landscape evolves, staying up to date is not optional, it is essential.
Tell us about the USP of Bricoleur Consulting that makes it different from others?
The key is to remember that we see ourselves as growth partners for CEOs and business leaders. Our team is made up of professionals who have been line managers, and many of us continue to be practicing professionals. That gives us a unique perspective when it comes to recruitment, as we often have firsthand experience with the roles we’re hiring for. We offer three core services, namely recruitment, coaching, and insight.
This means that leaders we place can also be supported through personalized coaching and cultural insights, helping them understand team dynamics and improve effectiveness. At the heart of what we do is a focus on building effective leadership. In a
world where change is constant and uncertainty is high, the most critical priority for any leader is to keep evolving personally and to guide their leadership teams toward meaningful, sustainable growth.
Tell us about your leadership approach and your views on Gen Z in the workforce.
One of the most important lessons I have learned from working across diverse environments is the value of encouraging personal initiative. As a leader, I see my primary responsibility as creating a space where each team member feels engaged, is continuously learning, and believes their contribution matters. Achieving this requires more than just good intentions, it needs structured support through clear processes, regular check-ins, strong review systems, and fair compensation. These elements build a culture of account ability and ownership.
I have also noticed a growing generational gap in how work is perceived, particularly among younger team members. Many struggle to connect their day-today tasks with the broader organizational goals. This isn’t due to laziness or a lack of ambition, but rather a cultural shift shaped heavily by social media narratives that can trivialize work. Concepts like “girl math” or memes portraying jobs as unimportant can blur their sense of purpose. That’s why I place great emphasis on open, ongoing dialogue, because taking the time to help them understand how their work fits into the larger picture. It is not about power or control, it is about guiding them to see meaning in their contributions, which in turn strengthens their engagement and sense of direction.
What is your advice to the budding leaders in this leadership consulting domain?
I think the most important bit is always to look at the information that is available, and today the data can be very diverse from big data sources to social media to open data sets, and of course, the qualitative research. But I think the most important thing that a lot of consulting people forget is that it is important not just to connect the dots, but to also listen to your gut. Ultimately, it's a combination of rational and creative recommendations.
Anu D'Souza, CEO & Managing Director, Bricoleur Consulting Singapore
Anu D’Souza runs Bricoleur Consulting, an insightled leadership coaching and recruitment company focused on digital and tech fluent senior talent.
Tell us about your leadership approach and your views on Gen Z in the workforce.
One of the most important lessons I have learned from working across diverse environments is the value of encouraging personal initiative. As a leader, I see my primary responsibility as creating a space where each team member feels engaged, is continuously learning, and believes their contribution matters. Achieving this requires more than just good intentions, it needs structured support through clear processes, regular check-ins, strong review systems, and fair compensation. These elements build a culture of account ability and ownership.
I have also noticed a growing generational gap in how work is perceived, particularly among younger team members. Many struggle to connect their day-today tasks with the broader organizational goals. This isn’t due to laziness or a lack of ambition, but rather a cultural shift shaped heavily by social media narratives that can trivialize work. Concepts like “girl math” or memes portraying jobs as unimportant can blur their sense of purpose. That’s why I place great emphasis on open, ongoing dialogue, because taking the time to help them understand how their work fits into the larger picture. It is not about power or control, it is about guiding them to see meaning in their contributions, which in turn strengthens their engagement and sense of direction.
What is your advice to the budding leaders in this leadership consulting domain?
I think the most important bit is always to look at the information that is available, and today the data can be very diverse from big data sources to social media to open data sets, and of course, the qualitative research. But I think the most important thing that a lot of consulting people forget is that it is important not just to connect the dots, but to also listen to your gut. Ultimately, it's a combination of rational and creative recommendations.
Anu D'Souza, CEO & Managing Director, Bricoleur Consulting Singapore
Anu D’Souza runs Bricoleur Consulting, an insightled leadership coaching and recruitment company focused on digital and tech fluent senior talent.