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For those who do not know you, tell us about yourself and your career background. How do you describe yourself?
I consider myself a Global East African⏤ born in Uganda, raised in Tanzania and Kenya; lived and worked in Canada, South Africa and now Rwanda. I have spent more than 15 years in the Financial sector in Rwanda, NCBA Bank being my fourth bank, but the first as a CEO. I co-founded Women in Finance Rwanda, which we launched in 2023. As an honourable compliment to my journey, I was recently appointed the 2nd Vice Chair of the Rwanda Bankers Association.
I am a proud mother of a recent graduate -Iliiza and an athlete, university-going son – Kwame.
What attracted you to banking?
Banking is the one place that offers opportunities to build our economy, one SME unit from scratch at a time. It is very gratifying to see businesses and individuals building their assets and succeeding with our support.
What would you say are your key career highlights and what would you say are the lessons therein for especially upcoming leaders?
There are quite many but the ones that stand out for me are:
- Breaking even within 36 months at NCBA Rwanda, and sustaining double-digit percentage growth annually.
- Building a successful SME Business brand at Fina Bank (now GT Bank), as well as grooming future leaders in the financial sector.
- Launching Women in Finance Rwanda, with tremendous support from the sector, government agencies and international partners within the first year.
Some of the key lessons I draw therefrom are:
- Celebrate small wins to keep the momentum.
- Take genuine care of your team, and they will put that little extra to push your dream.
- As the leader of your business, remember to invest in your well-being.
We understand you are the first Rwandan Woman appointed to build a regional business from a loss (-USD4m) in 2018 to a profit of USD9m in 2023 and building from a balance sheet of USD30m to USD200m within 5 years. How did you pull this off?
Yes, Scaling is no easy feat. I made sure we hired the needed talent, put a strong top team in place, and worked to create a collaborative culture. I also simplified our strategy and communicated it to all stakeholders in as many forums as possible. Furthermore, to make sure that everything tied well together – I also held listening tours every quarter to check in with staff and customers. This allowed us, to remain focused and hold each other accountable.
We also understand that you are one of the key brands behind the founding of Women in Finance Rwanda. Tell us more about the organisation, its purpose and key milestones to date. What inspired you to start it and where do you see it in 5 or 10 years from today?
As women in the sector, we lacked a platform to connect and engage policymakers to deepen the capacity and participation of women in the sector, thus the foundation.
Within the first 12 months, the foundation boasts 12 institutional members including Bank of Kigali (BK), BPR Bank Rwanda PLC, I&M Bank Rwanda, NCBA, Agaciro Fund, Development Bank of Rwanda (BRD), Zep-Reinsurer, Sanlam, Kigali International Financial Centre (KIFC), Coopedu MFI and EcoBank.
We have also had significant partnerships with Access to Finance Rwanda for research; and the Chartered Institute of Securities of Investment through whom we have extended over 30 scholarships to our members, including highly discounted certifications for all staff of member institutions.
Within 5-10 years, the foundation would have established itself as the leading data, mentorship, recruitment, capacity building, and referral hub for women in the sector in Rwanda.
As a leader- what would you say is your leadership style? What’s your personal mantra?
My style is mostly entrepreneurial and collaborative.
I am a possibilist, believing there is always a way, up, around, over or under for nearly every problem, and when things get tough “Just keep moving”.
It is said that it gets lonelier at the top and busier. What is your survival toolkit?
I have a group of professional friends. I call them my Cabinet. They guide, encourage and connect me. I also do 9-second meditations when the pressure is high. I then have my “Adventurer friends” – women with whom I laugh, adventure and dine with. Then of course there is my family who give me fantastic home support.
How do you stay sane in the fast lane?
Daily reading of the Stoics. The Pomodoro Technique – to keep me focused, working out three times a week, and staying connected through learning lunches with at least 2 new people a month.
What would you say is the greatest advice you have ever received?
This would be advice I received recently from Mr. John Gachora, the Group GMD NCBA Bank when I was handling a very difficult situation. He told me: “Learn to Smell the Wind”.
It was exceptionally helpful, because like animals in the wild, those that survive have their nostrils in the air and smell the forest fire before the rest.
Who would you say are some of the leaders that inspire you and why?
As mentioned, I enjoy sports documentaries which my Son introduced me to. I enjoy them because they show life in all its colours – leading, losing, teamwork, family and business.
Globally Emma Hayes the former coach of the Chelsea Women’s team inspires me – she won 6 Super League titles against all odds, with little children, shifting training methods to fit women’s needs and succeeding.
Her famous quote⏤ “There is no cash machine in heaven, Money is not my motivator”⏤ keeps me grounded.