Debra Ojany Mallowah is incapable of not laughing. The Head of Crop Science, Africa, at Bayer, takes everything with spurring warmth and conviviality, a charisma merchant. But you don’t get to the top by showing teeth, rather by gritting them, like a five-star general driving the enemy into the sea. Debra lives up to the reputation.
She is a warrior who has tasted the fire of grit on her tongue, and, if you come close enough, she touches you with that fire, shaking your faith and replacing it with some of hers.
She just doesn’t say things differently; she says different things; quotables that wouldn’t be out of touch with daily affirmations:
“Leadership is not a club, it’s a contribution.” “Success is what you achieve. But significance is what endures.” Vignettes of inspiration, word becoming flesh.
“What matters in life,” she says, “are three things. Laughter, laughter, laughter.” And then she cracks, a chuckle like a sneeze, and then a gargle, and her laugh rings the bell of her throat and fills the room, because that’s the way Debra is.
What's it like to be you?
That's a great question. It's about why am I here and what is the impact? What's my role in this world? Are people better because I was in their corner? Whether it's my children, my family, my colleagues, my community… have I helped them see further, think bigger, or even act with more courage, then I would have felt I have lived well. That is my purpose. Are people better because I was in their corner?
Who was there for you when no one else was there?
First, my parents, who are now both deceased. I lost my mum last year, and my dad a decade back. I pray I honoured the foundation they gave me because I learned from them about discipline, responsibility, and belief in excellence that matters.
I also hope that they would say I softened my edges when it was needed to balance strength with empathy. And I took the opportunity when it came with courage. And that they are truly proud.
And then there is my family, my husband, and my children. They held me as they were my mirror. And they measured me by presence and character and reminded me that who you are at home matters more than who you are in the boardroom.
And I think my children particularly keep me honest. They don't care about performance but authenticity and grounding. I am lucky to have friends too. I have been privileged to work in organisations where I've had amazing teams who have allowed me to stretch myself, and give them space to grow.
What is one abiding lesson you've learned from your parents that you hope to pass on to your children?
My father was an accomplished professor, and my mother led public institutions; both of them normalised achievement, high preface was a baseline. That gave me discipline and a bias for action.
There was this unspoken just-do-it mindset as a family, and that was instilled by them. But it was not about waiting for perfect conditions.
Be prepared for it, plan, and then deliver against it. Carry yourself with responsibility and take great pride in achievement. And achievement is not always about being successful. It's allowing yourself to also fail, but to learn from it.
As a high achiever, how important was it to find, assumptions permitting, a supportive spouse who is not, also assumptions permitting, threatened by your achievement and or success?
It goes back to who is in your corner and how important it is to have somebody in your corner. And your spouse is somebody who forms a significant part of your life.
And when they're in your corner, you truly can shine. And that becomes really integral. I love the framing that you initially put, that it could be a gender thing as a woman, because society can create pressure and have wrong expectations of women.
I was blessed to have a spouse who enabled me to grow and shape my ambition and convert it into impact and make a difference. It enables you to be more to yourself, more to your family and more to others.
What kind of dream does one have to dream to get to where you are?
Haha! I would say the kind of dreams that scare you a little and stretch you constantly. You know, the kind of dreams about growth.
Stepping into the room before you feel you are ready. Because the journey is less about certainty and more about courage, resilience, learning, and moving forward. Reach for the stars but keep your feet on the ground.
It is easy to dream, but one has to wake up to achieve those dreams. How do you push through?
It's about managing high expectations, both external and self-imposed. Teams look to you for clarity. Boards look to you for assurance. Markets demand results.
And often, you hold yourself to a standard even higher than anyone else. Resilience isn't about never feeling the weight, it's about staying anchored while carrying the weight. Success and ambition do not have to become anxiety, and responsibility does not have to erode who you are.
At the risk of gendering this, it is often said that in corporate, women have to work twice as hard to get half as much. Has this been true in your case?
I think what that does is put control back to you and not the expectation of others. The most important thing is to move forward.
How did motherhood change how you approached your career?
Haha! Motherhood is one of those strange things that you do for love. I once rearranged my entire work schedule, including moving critical meetings just to make a school performance which lasted exactly 10 minutes. I remember it to date. Those 10 minutes mattered more than any meeting.
Today, I remember the play and how excited my daughter was to see me, but I cannot remember the meeting. That is motherhood.
Your parents were overachievers, just like you. Does that put a salient pressure on your children to level up, for lack of a better word?
I give my children the space to determine how and where they want to play. But I impart any lessons I picked from my parents. The biggest lesson I share with my children is that growth comes from stepping into rooms before you feel ready. You belong in the room. Do not make yourself invisible. Your presence matters.
What do you hope they remember about you when they are your age?
That I loved hard, dreamed big, and dared to grow. I want them to know that I pursued dreams that scared me a little and stretched me constantly.
What have your children reminded you about life?
No one can make you feel small without your consent. I learned that confidence is something you build early.
Feeling small is less about the other person but more about the space that you were growing into. Children grow into their space without thinking about the burdens of this world.
What wouldn't I believe about you?
I'm a really great jet-skier [chuckles] I love to jet-ski. I love the speed and energy that comes with it. You wouldn't have believed that, would you?
Not in this universe. How did you get into jet skiing?
I love the water slapping against me. I love falling into seas or watching someone fall into the sea, and the laughter that would come with it. I love the sense of freedom in the big sea out there.
How are you remaining childlike in your life?
Laughter, laughter, laughter. The one gift we all have is the gift of laughter. And it's a gift that makes you feel good, and you can pass it on. Being the person in the room that others can count on to bring some laughter and lightness in a space? That's the child in me.
What's the hardest part about being you?
I hold myself to a standard probably even higher than anyone else. Wanting to get it right for those who trust you can feel heavy, but I have learned resilience is not about feeding that weight but staying anchored while carrying that weight.
How long now?
Gee, I've been jet-skiing for a long time. I really enjoy it.
Any life lessons you've learned from jet-skiing that you can pass to us mere mortals? Haha! Safety matters.
Now you're just sounding like a mum.
Haha! No. Okay. In today’s high-pressure world, people look for steadiness. Steadiness offers safety.
If I were to read only one chapter of your life, what would you recommend? On this journey, I stopped thinking about who is up there, and I started thinking about what value am I adding.
Leadership is not a club; it's a contribution. Am I making institutions stronger? Am I opening doors for others that truly matter and making them see further, think bigger, and act with more courage? If the answer to that is yes, that is how to live well.
Where are you in your life?
It’s not about destination, it’s about impact where I am.
If success is a moving object, how do you know when you've hit the target? Agriculture has taught me the difference between success and significance. Success is what you achieve. Significance is what endures.
Agriculture forces you to think in seasons, not in weeks. Many markets have only four seasons. Those are four opportunities in agriculture to get it right. Four opportunities for farmers to win in their field.
That changes how you view success. It's not about hitting a number. It's about making a decision that sets up the next season really well, because when you miss a season, you don’t get it back. Success is what you achieve. But significance is what endures even after you are gone.
What's your superpower?
Steady under pressure. Life, motherhood, and leadership are not about absorbing panic. It's about absorbing pressure. And I think that's what I do well.
You mentioned stability and steadiness quite a bit. If those are things that really matter to you, which part of your life don't you currently have a handle on? The minute you understand that it is never about perfection, but about progress, you’ll change how you approach challenges. Life is not about smoothening the road but moving forward irrespective of the bumps.
What tips do you have for surviving adulthood?
Haha! One, try and get there [chuckles]. Through health and well-being. Two, don't let the pressure get to you. Build resilience, and don't take yourself too seriously. Laugh like a child.
What are you proud of that you never get to brag about?
The people that I've met on my journey. Whether it's family, or colleagues. That I helped them see further, think bigger, and with more courage. I'm also proud of the credibility I’ve built over time.
What song would you like to be played at your funeral?
[chuckles] I did it my way by [Frank] Sinatra.
What are you looking forward to doing most this weekend? The week moves so fast that when I get to Saturday morning, it's about recovery. That quiet coffee and thinking time. That's what I look forward to.
