After what has been an illustrious career spanning 25 years, Harriet Nabakooza Musoke is retiring from a 08am-05pm routine, to spend more time with her family but also to see how else she can deploy her treasure trove of knowledge.
“Now most of you may be asking what next? I am looking forward to a much-needed vacation time with family and friends. I need to settle in my daughter at the pre-college/university level.
I plan to sleep, travel, pray, exercise, keep healthy, engage more in my Rotary opportunities and be the best companion/wife I can be to my husband,” Harriet told this website in a tell-it-all interview.
“I will also continue my role as a mother to my adult children, counselor mentor & coach,” she adds.
Much of Nabakooza’s career has been in banking and she retires after serving as Head Human Capital at dfcu Bank for the past seven years since 2015.
She is also a Board member of Kakira Sugar Limited and a Board member of Sanlam General Insurance in Uganda.
Looking back on her journey, Harriet reminisces: “What a journey! 25 years ago, today in Dec 1996 I packed my bags from the USA and followed the love of life. In Dec 1997 we got married and I joined Nile Bank as a marketing manager (bank that has since been taken over by ABSA). It was right after my MBA at Bentley College in the USA. I came back from USA ready to marry my best friend aka “Monami”, Mr Paul K Musoke.
We have since been blessed with 3 children- Jonathan Musoke (21), Calvin Musoke (20) and our daughter Stacey Musoke (17),” she recalls.
“In December 1998, I moved to Standard Chartered Bank, I will always be grateful to Richard Byarugaba who took me on, given my skillset and personality. I was blessed to work with the most amazing people (some still friends to date) at SCB with a brand that has stood the test of time. My failures and mistakes became my stepping stones to the next level,” Harriet reminisces.
In December 2014, and after 17 years of working at SCB in various capacities, left the bank to joing dfcu Bank as the Head of the HR Department.
“I left Standard Chartered Bank with an engaged staff workforce and we were in the top 3 category of the most profitable financial companies in Uganda. I also set up the first corporate affairs department in SCB,” she proudly says.
“I was approached by the dfcu Bank MD at that time, Juma Kisaame, who asked me to professionalize the human capital department which I did and we embarked on a cultural transformation journey in 2016. We introduced New Bank Values- Professionalism, Integrity, Customer Focus, Courage and Teamwork (PICCT)and 3 different culture styles. A culture of Care, a culture of Results and a culture of Learning which to date we use when we are preparing our Board Pack,” she recalls with pride.
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Everything You Need to Know About Diageo’s Sale of its 65% Stake in EABL to Japan’s Asahi GroupIn her view, resilience, perseverance and humility are some of the greatest lessons she picked from Juma.
“These 3 words became part and parcel of my journey. I was honored to be part of the Crane Bank Limited acquisition (biggest financial transaction in the history of Uganda). Overnight, we came from a workforce of 800 staff to 1,600 staff,” she says.
Biggest take away
“My biggest take away from the 25 years in the banking industry is always do the “right thing” regardless of whether it is popular or not. I know I made some unpopular decisions, though ethical, that made some people uncomfortable. However, looking back, I am so proud, because honesty and integrity will always be my key principles, even when it comes at a cost,” Nabakooza says.
She pays tribute to the Human Resource team at dfcu Bank, “that has walked the journey with me through prayer, laughter, stress, pressure and tears, a few people who have held my hand in this career journey I will forever remain indebted to them.
Finally, I would like to pay tribute to my most recent line manager- Veronica Sentongo, Chief Change & Innovation Officer. I hope in my other life I can come back and hold the helm of your garment and show you how good you were to me,” she says, adding: “We rise by lifting others up.”
Final thoughts
In parting shots, Nabakooza urges leaders and people in positions of responsibility on the importance of resilience and staying the course.
“You may be going through a challenge right now, it may be difficult, it may appear to be insurmountable but remember this every season has a purpose. So be strong because things will get better, it can’t rain forever,” she counsels.
Harriet also says she will forever be indebted to the teams and management at Standard Chartered Bank and dfcu Bank who made her 25 years, worth every bit of it.
