Official title:
Angela Bak, Director of Corporate Communications, Publicis Groupe Middle East
Away from the usual, my bio is:
Bios are usually career-driven. But you’re not here for a romantic summary of my LinkedIn profile.
You’re here to get a sense of me. So here we go.
My life is a series of contrasts, a quiet dichotomy I’ve learned to embrace.
I’m drawn to extremes. I’m always seeking out experiences that test my physical and mental limits.
Not for the thrill, but for the clarity they bring.
I live fully, but quietly. I love motion, but also stillness.
I crave structure, calm, and solitude as much as I chase challenge, depth, and discovery.
Adventurer, yet introvert. Explorer, yet homebody. Driven, yet reflective.
That’s what keeps me grounded.
But still always exploring.
If I were to nominate anyone on this list it would be, and why:
We all have someone in our lives we’d probably want to nominate. Someone who’s made an impact, inspired us, or shaped the way we see the world. And while this is a Women to Watch list, I wouldn’t limit it to females, or one person for that matter.
Sometimes, the people who leave the deepest mark aren’t the ones we know well, they’re the ones we encounter momentarily. A random act of generosity. A conversation with a total stranger. A moment of serendipity that made you smile or gave you hope. These are the people that I’d like to nominate. The ones who surprised me, grounded me, or made me feel something real, even if just for that fleeting moment in time.
It could happen in a supermarket, a lift, at work, on a plane or train while travelling. Those small, unexpected moments of connection — that’s what I choose to celebrate. Because sometimes, that one person at that very moment, can change everything.
Some of the reasons I should not be on this list are:
Honestly, it was the first thing I thought when I was nominated. Why me?
I don’t chase the spotlight.
I’m naturally reserved, so networking takes effort, but I think I’ve mastered the art of faking it.
I’m introverted by nature, so I tend to seek out quiet over crowds, which is ironic, considering I work in communications.
I genuinely love what I do, but some days I daydream about leaving corporate life behind.
I constantly feel like I’m not doing enough, though deep down I know that’s me setting an impossibly high bar for myself.
And I don’t always feel like I belong in lists or features like this.
But maybe that’s exactly why I’m here.
Because I’m honest. I’m human. And I show up as I am.
And maybe, that’s enough.
My lowest point of my career was/the highest point of my career was:
Why do we define highs and lows as singular moments in our careers, like these big, dramatic milestones that are supposed to define us?
Truth be told, I have high and low points every day. That’s not failure or success, it’s just the reality of showing up, doing the work, and being human.
Yes, there were times I was in tough environments. But those moments taught me resilience, not defeat.
Yes, there were times I didn’t know where my career was going. But isn’t that normal? Growth isn’t always linear. Sometimes it’s just about staying open to what’s next.
And yes, there are many moments I felt proud and accomplished. But isn’t that also just doing my job, and maybe doing it well?
I don’t see my career (or life, in general) as a straight line of wins and setbacks. It’s more fluid than that. Some days I feel like I’ve found my purpose. Some days I just want a break. And both are real, valid, and part of the same path.
If anything, the most important moments haven’t been the highs or the lows — but the quiet ones in between, where I kept showing up, kept learning, and kept going.
What I learned from either:
That personal growth rarely announces itself. It happens quietly in how you bounce back, how you set boundaries, how you keep showing up. The lessons aren’t always loud. But they’re always there.
If there’s one thing on my bucket list I want to do, it would be:
Mine is a scuba diving bucket list: to have a spiritual, human-to-animal underwater encounter with an orca.
