Leaders

How Emma Fulu Let Go Of Superwoman And Found Herself

How resigning from her international dream job led Dr. Emma Fulu to her biggest and bravest career move yet.

By Angela Ledgerwood

Leaders

How resigning from her international dream job led Dr. Emma Fulu to her biggest and bravest career move yet.

By Angela Ledgerwood

Emma Fulu’s friends have always had a nickname for her: Superwoman. At 35 years old, she was living up to every ounce of it, with her PhD in Gender Studies, a published book, and a decade of experience implementing programs for the prevention of violence against women and girls at institutions like the United Nations. (You may have heard of it.) In 2014, she was living in South Africa where she’d moved to lead one of the largest global programs to prevent violence against women and girls in low- and middle-income countries. In tow, she had her four-month-old twins, who she was still breastfeeding, her two-and-a-half-year-old toddler and her husband who, at this time, had taken on the role of primary carer.

She had the career. She had the family. All in a swift 3.5 decades. She seemingly had it all.

Positions Of Power is a series highlighting the women leading companies and initiatives shaping our world. This series covers how she got there, why she does it, and what she’s learned along the way.