Sanita Pukite

It was early 2021 in Dubai. One regular morning, coffee in hand, Sanita Pukite heard an inner voice say: You can do more. There is more to life than what you’ve achieved.

After two decades in global sales and leadership, including senior roles at Johnson & Johnson, she had checked every career box, however something was missing.

That voice took her back to study. She completed an hashtag#INSEAD EMBA to deepen her understanding of leadership and human behavior. (She is currently studying Systems Psychodynamics at Tavistock Institute, UK.)

Guided by the belief that sustainable impact starts with a leader’s internal operating system, early 2025 she launched her consultancy Sanita Pukite Leadership & Organizational Development.

“My mission is to help leaders grow through uncertainty and ambiguity, especially when navigating transitions or their next growth curve,” she says.

Leaving corporate meant confronting exposure and navigating the ‘messy middle’. There was no title or institution to lean on, so she let the quality of her work build credibility.

She says, “The most essential skill to navigate uncertainty is one’s adaptive capacity, i.e. ability to deal with high level of anxiety, stay in the “not knowing” while moving forward and performing.”

The turning point came when leaders began articulating shifts in their behavior and perspective. “That feedback signaled impact,” she says, adding, “Clients began describing the work as deeply transformational.”

Through the process, she learned to trust her own authority. “I had to grow into owning it without role, status, or perfectionism. It’s about self-trust and authentic expression,” she says. “My personal brand has become more authentic, relevant and resonant, less about credentials, more about a point of view, depth of work, and leadership presence.”

Supported by loved ones and mentors, she says, “Nobody does this alone. Loved ones are steady trunks to lean on when the going gets tough, mentors show direction, therapists and coaches invite depth and reflection, and communities help normalize the new normal.”

Born in Latvia and based in Dubai, she defines freedom as alignment: doing work that mirrors her values and creates impact. Her advice to those considering the leap: Build depth in your craft and ensure what you’re building aligns with who you’re becoming, not just what you’re good at.