More and more Filipinas have been proving themselves worthy of going head to head with their male counterparts as they shatter stereotypes and take leadership positions across the UAE and the world. For someone who has worked in radio all her life, 2018 TFT Media Personality of the Year Anna Louise Da Costa used to be the only Filipina working for the Arabian Radio Network (ARN) before Tag 91.1 was launched.
Back in the Philippines, Da Costa immediately jumped in the opportunity to work for the radio airwaves, but only on English language stations. Her consistency in honing her craft landed her the opportunity to do the same work in the UAE, until her mother network, ARN, opened up the chance for her to be one of the pioneer presenters for the UAE’s first Filipino radio station.
“The biggest step in this road to progress was when I decided to switch from being on English radio stations for my career to a Filipino language one. It was a big risk but definitely worth it. Embracing my roots and focusing on the Filipino community is the reason I am where I am today,” shares Da Costa.
Fast forward to a decade later, she is now the Programming Director for the radio station dedicated to serving Filipinos in the UAE.
Da Costa acknowledges that through radio – she has a platform that brings the Filipino talent to the forefront. This is why she led several initiatives to make sure that she manages to get into the heart of what Filipinos are really interested in listening to. “When I used to handle the breakfast show, we would regularly assist people with our Express Katanungan segment, answering all the important queries that Filipino expats have. I’ve personally done ‘Ask Louie’ segments with the help of LBC. I have also made it a point to try to promote the local music scene, to give a push to our local artists,” adds Da Costa.
Da Costa fuses parenting into her leadership style as she nurtures the next batch of individuals to take the lead in the radio industry. “Being a mom for over 1/3 of my life has greatly affected my leadership style. I see my team and the station as I would my kids and my family… you need to nurture the growth of each as individuals as you nurture the relationships in order to help the team/family grow as one unit. And just as with my kids, I use my past failures and achievements as a guidebook. I’d like to think this works because since I have taken on the role of content director, I have seen the team flourish in both camaraderie and creativity,” said Da Costa.
She has since won several accolades for her service in the UAE’s radio industry and is now an ambassador for a number of trusted brands in the country.
