So LinkedIn asked: Who is a woman who has made an impact on your career? #IWD26
On International Women’s Day 2026, under the theme “Rights. Justice. Action. For All Women and Girls,” I want to acknowledge someone who shaped an important chapter of my professional journey, Ms. Shazia Sikander, former Director News, Pakistan Television.
When I joined Pakistan Television (PTV) in 2013, I already had over a decade of experience in private media sector. Still, the four years I worked under her leadership felt like starting again, in the best possible way.
She had a way of making you rethink journalism from the ground up: responsibility to the audience, integrity in storytelling, and respect for the profession itself.
Ms. Sikander’s career is full of “firsts.” She was Pakistan’s first female parliamentary reporter, later becoming the first female News Director at the state broadcaster in its 50-year history. She interviewed world leaders, including U.S. and Pakistani presidents, yet she was equally fearless in the field as a crime reporter, something almost unheard of for women in Pakistan during the late 1980s and 1990s.
What impressed me most was her focus on work. Titles didn’t matter much to her; building a committed newsroom did. She believed in forming teams that shared one simple goal: do the job well and make the organization better, even within the realities of a government institution.
She also quietly opened doors for many young female journalists, not just supporting them but giving them real opportunities to grow in their careers.
In 2016, I had the privilege of producing a documentary on her 40-year journey in journalism as part of a regional exchange by Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) and the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU). The film was later broadcast in 12 countries and documented the challenges women journalists face in the field and inside newsrooms, challenges that, sadly, still exist today.
Her career stands as a reminder that real leadership in journalism is not about visibility; it’s about standards, courage, and lifting others along the way.
I’m also delighted to see her recently recognized with the Leadership Excellence Award from the Government of Sri Lanka and a Civil Award from the Government of Pakistan in 2025, well-deserved honors for decades of service to public broadcasting.
Sharing the documentary, I produced on her lucrative career.
Link: https://youtu.be/c3MBEzpF3q0?si=DQ36e7Gkce-bPxKF
#InternationalWomensDay#WomenInMedia#Journalism#Broadcasting#MediaLeadership#PublicServiceMedia
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