Welcome to Uncommon Stories, a new interview series highlighting the wonderful women that make up the Uncommon community. Join us each month for a candid conversation with a member about work, life and an inside look into the Uncommon experience.

This month, meet Milda Ratkelyte, Director of Enterprise, Brand & Loyalty Marketing APAC at Hilton, an Uncommon member and mom of one.

What's your career story, and how did you end up where you are today?

I'm Lithuanian, and although I have spent most of my life living abroad in the UK, China, and Singapore, Lithuania still holds a special place in my heart. I currently lead Enterprise, Brand and Loyalty Marketing for Asia-Pacific at Hilton. I am also a mother to a baby girl, Ella, who is now one and a half.

Having fallen in love with travel since a young age (my parents took us travelling to Africa when we were kids), I have learnt that taking time away and spending time as a family has made us incredibly close. Because travel played such an important role in my life, I decided to build my career around it. 

I studied Hospitality in the UK and then moved to China to do a graduate trainee program with Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts in Wuhan. I then got an opportunity to come to Singapore, which I took in a heartbeat. For the past decade, I have worked at small and large companies, travel agencies and start-ups, all within travel and hospitality - an industry that I love. 

Why did you join Uncommon? 

I joined Uncommon in May 2022. I had just returned to full-time work from maternity leave and struggled to navigate this transition. I felt like everyone around me "had it all", i.e. being a perfect mom and charging forward with their careers. (I saw) a narrative of "success" that dominates our social feeds, bookshelves and conversations. And then there was me... Feeling like I'm failing at both. I needed some help to navigate through this. Uncommon helped me to regain clarity of what is my own version of success and have the courage and confidence to own it. 

“Uncommon helped me to regain clarity of what is my own version of success and have the courage and confidence to own it.” 

What's your favourite part about being an Uncommon member? 

The diversity of inspiring women in the community; topics that spark curiosity and open deep conversations. The coaches, Uncommon team and fellow women leaders support and continuous encouragement. Carefully curated resources to enable personal and professional development… There are too many to name!

How would you describe your experience as a leader? 

I am always very cautious about choosing a company where women in leadership positions are welcomed, valued, supported and celebrated. This means I can bring my authentic self to work and meaningfully contribute to the company's goals. It’s where I also met some incredible women who are my role models, mentors and advocates and have helped me to grow and shape my career. 

“We need to normalize the everyday realities for many working moms; for example, flexible maternity leaves and return to work options. Everyone's experience is different and should not be defined by a set number of weeks.”

What life experience has been your most prominent teacher?

Becoming a mom has taught me so much. It took me a while, but I've learnt to accept that being a “good enough” parent is okay. I've also learnt that it's totally OK to ask for help and that I don't have to do everything myself. I've learnt to prioritize and set boundaries that I stick to because time is much more precious now. There are a lot of things I am still learning!

What's an Uncommon fact about you that might surprise people? 

While I love to travel and spend so much time on the road, whether for business or pleasure, I am terrified of flying!

In your view, what do working women need more of? 

I'll speak as a working mom. We need to normalize the everyday realities for many working moms. For example, flexible maternity leaves and return to work options: everyone's experience is different and should not be defined by a set number of weeks. I was nowhere near ready to return to work after just 4 months of maternity, as my little one had to undergo major surgery. There was an incredible amount of stress leading up to that moment, and my only option was unpaid leave. Also, policies for handling performance reviews need to be fairer. In many companies, women going on or returning from maternity leave get a default "meets expectations". The same applies to career development and promotions. Many have to start rebuilding their runways to promotions from scratch every time they take maternity leave. 

What’s a career milestone you're excited about or working towards? 

I am very grateful to have the opportunity to co-chair the women's team member resource group at Hilton. It's not a career milestone, but something I am super excited about and proud of. The hospitality industry is still heavily male-dominant. While there has been a significant shift towards the right direction in the past couple of years, there is definitely still a big job ahead. This group creates a collective culture to support the advancement of Women at Hilton through a network of engagement, empowerment and development which ensures every woman can thrive. We want to put more women in leadership positions in Hospitality. I am excited about the opportunity to drive this much-needed change in addressing some of the critical barriers that prevent women from rising to those leadership positions. 

What's a piece of advice you're glad you didn't take? 

Sticking around in a job or company that does not align with your values or where you don't feel like you can meaningfully contribute. It's exhausting and draining. We spend so much time at work or thinking about work that this exhaustion and unhappiness start spilling over into other areas of our life, and it's just not worth it.   

If you could read one book/watch one film for the rest of your life, what would that be?

My brother recently gifted me a book by a Lithuanian author featuring fairy tales for adults. It's honestly the best thing ever. I read them every night and sleep so well! They also bring you back to fundamental life lessons on compassion, empathy, and values. It also features a practical guide on how to write fairy tales for your kids. I've started writing some for my daughter; it is so meditative and creates such a fantastic bonding opportunity. 

Meet a vetted community of women leaders 

Uncommon is a vetted private network for female leaders to connect, grow and thrive. We believe in creating spaces for women and equipping them with the right skills, tools and community to define their goals and realise the best versions of themselves. Apply for our next cohort today.