I lived in various countries from the age of ten and have travelled extensively. So whilst I am very African in my being, I am very global in my outlook. I lived in Ethiopia between 1984 and 1988 and went to the American International School. Having had classmates from all corners of the world, I have the wherewithal to contextualise my interactions, understand where people are coming from and engage at the appropriate level. I also engage very easily and very happily with folk in rural Zimbabwe. I straddle both worlds very comfortably. What drives you? There is debate right now about whether Africa is really rising. I am driven by the desire to see a better Africa that has unequivocally risen in my lifetime. It can be done! It’s the things that we all do every day that add up. I am conscious of my role and always remind myself of it. I am, in fact, my harshest critic!
lot working with her. She has a “can do” mind-set and is a visionary who pays equal attention to detail which I think is a rare combination.
“There is debate right now about whether Africa is really rising. I am driven by the desire to see a better Africa that has unequivocally risen in my lifetime. It can be done! It’s the things we all do every day that add up...” You have an impressive array of accolades from a number of reputable entities, which one stands out for you and why?
You know, I am driven by the average person – the human stories and faces behind the numbers and the statistics. I find enormous inspiration in people trying to make a living in the most difficult of conditions while maintaining their dignity like the hairdresser braiding hair for eight hours with a baby on her back so as to send money back home to Nigeria or Zimbabwe.
Undoubtedly, the Archbishop Tutu Leadership Programme at Oxford University. It is a PanAfrican and highly competitive programme so being accepted was a major achievement for me. It is unconventional as participants are chosen on the basis that they are already leaders but may not be conscious of it nor aware of the role they could play in the transformation of Africa. It brings out the leader with the question -“Why would anyone want to follow me?” whilst acknowledging that people can lead in whatever capacities they find themselves in - not just as positional leaders but also as followers.
As for someone in the public arena, it has to be Graça Machel – she is formidable and I have learnt a
The introspective and, often, painful experience is akin to an onion being peeled. With each layer gone,
Who inspires you and why?
you are more exposed until you get to your very core and you have to decide how you harness or fix that core. It has had a massive impact on my career giving it a decidedly Africa focus. The class of 2012 was captured in a 4 part Al-Jazeera documentary titled “Tutu’s Children” which your readership can watch on the internet. What is your leadership and management style/philosophy? Feedback from members of teams that I have led would suggest my style is inclusive and empowering. My natural inclination is to ensure that team members are able to give the best of themselves. I want the final outcome to be collectively owned but also lay importance on the quality of the journey. There is an analogy that resonates with me, that I took away from the Tutu Programme – that of an effective leader as being at the centre and facilitating conversations with a circle of stakeholders versus the way we conventionally depict leaders as being at the top of a hierarchy. What country are you most impressed with and what can the rest of the continent learn from there? Kenya impresses me enormously - the maturity and growth in its journey from 2008 to the most recent elections. It is also the technology pacesetter on the continent with mPesa, mKesho, mFarm, iHub, Silicon Savannah etc. But I am fascinated more by the spaces where these ideas are birthed and executed – the source. How can other African countries also create those spaces? Expatriate Mag team
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