Taking up space: Leadership lessons from ISRO’s first woman project director

In this episode of the ManageEngine Insights podcast, host Sneha Banerjee speaks with Anuradha TK—ISRO’s first female Project Director and a leader who spent nearly four decades shaping India’s space journey.

Anuradha’s story begins with curiosity. Growing up in a home that encouraged questions—about nature, stories, and even social norms—she learned early that learning isn’t limited to a syllabus. That mindset carried into her career at ISRO, where she describes the organization as a “walking university”: a place where asking questions was encouraged, mentorship was accessible, and learning never stopped.

During the conversation, Anuradha reflects on what it takes to lead in environments where failure isn’t reversible. From building systems from scratch without easy access to components to managing high-stakes anomalies in orbit, she explains how space programs are designed around pragmatism: assume things can go wrong, stress-test what you build, and plan extensively for recovery.

Anuradha also offers grounded advice for women in STEM and young professionals. If you want to learn more about Anuradha TK, and her experience at ISRO, you will enjoy this conversation. Dive in now.

Agenda:

• Curiosity, childhood, and learning beyond the syllabus

• Why asking questions becomes a career advantage

• Early days at ISRO

• What it was like to be one of the few women in the room

• Becoming Project Director: pressure, visibility, and firsts

• How to claim credit without “bragging”

• Handling misattribution at work: what to say, what to do

• Leadership lessons from ISRO: communication, empathy, resilience

• Space-mission mindset: planning for failure and building redundancies

• When things go wrong in orbit: responding, learning, and moving forward

• Legacy: the impressions we leave through work, joy, and empathy