Dare to be different

Today, the woman who sits on several boards, and is identified as the top 10 women to watch in banking and finance in East Africa, says her full-time role is that of a mother, wife, sister and friend to many.

“People always introduce themselves and say, this is what I do, but then I think the bigger piece is what they don't tell you.

“This is how I’m able to show up in the world,” the 52-year-old mother of two, responsible for commercial and SME banking, trade and cash management, Islamic banking, vehicle and asset finance and Agribusiness at Absa, says.

Elizabeth’s portfolio is so impressive, that she doesn’t have to put in her CV to be considered for a job. She has been headhunted several times.

From her easy smile, soothing voice, and simple cornrows, she exudes a demeanour of a woman who is humble but sure of the space she occupies.

It helps that her career parents (father who's a doctor and her mother a teacher), emphasised education, structure and discipline in their four children. Elizabeth is the firstborn.

“I see a lot of parents today saying, ‘…oh, I'm amassing this wealth because I want to divide it for my children.’ For my parents it was about getting your education, making sure you can stand on your own feet and taking off,” says Elizabeth who grew up in Mombasa and later went to Kenya High School, Nairobi.

In her ‘journey of life’, what bothers Elizabeth most is seeing unfair situations. Unfairness propelled her into the women's finance space, despite not being her full-time job.

She is spearheading women in business proposition with partnerships including ITC (International Trade Centre) under SHE Trades/ InpireMe, Kenya National Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KNCCI), Kenya Private Sector Alliance (Kepsa), and Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM).

“I'm a strong believer that if we had more women leaders in the world, we wouldn't have the wars we have today because women don't see things in the same aggressive manner,” the Bachelor of Science in International Business Administration and a Master's in business administration holder, both from USIU, says.

Elizabeth believes that to get ahead women should lean on their soft power.

“You don't have to be a man to do stuff,” she advises.

She started preparing for the end of her banking career years ago, by expanding her networks, getting into conversations in areas she is passionate about, and enriching her skills is mentorship and coaching. “You have to remember that one time your phone will stop ringing. Don’t be caught flatfooted,” she cautions.

Who is Elizabeth in three words?

Self-aware, courageous and focused.

When you started your career, you were an intern. Now you sit at the helm. What have been your biggest lessons?

The first is resilience. You can't be hit by the first thing and fall apart. Figure out how to reinvent yourself.

How do you give yourself the strength? How do you make sure you're the best to deal with the environment? There have been many disruptions in careers because of technology, and one has to have a positive mindset to change.

Second is confidence. If you're not confident in managing who you are, then you are open to the vagaries of the weather. Confidence is something we are all born with, but along the way, we get beaten and lose it.

Remember there is also bias in how confidence is viewed in men and women. Women may be viewed as aggressive while men as assertive. Women should use their soft power.

One thing that has defined me is emotional intelligence—just being self-aware. Most people fear this journey.

It's a fear of meeting who you really are. They wonder; if I meet that person, then what do I do with them?

I've taken a couple of profile tests, and some have revealed things that I didn't know existed. Why do I say this? If you don't know that you show up aggressively, and think you're strong, you won’t know how people respond to you, and you'll never manage a team effectively.

Once you embrace and address your strengths and weaknesses, you don't come out fighting like a cat every time someone provokes you.

Feedback is another. It has helped in form who I am today.

Lastly is communication. Speaking English or whatever language doesn’t make you a good communicator. You have to understand the power of the words, how to use them, and the time to use them.

What does soft power look like, and should women draw out more from this energy?

Absolutely. Feminine power is not about being fuzzy. It’s not about wearing pink or having a soft voice. It means women have different skills and the way we show up is very different to men.

I've been in boardrooms where there's a lot of testosterone. Everybody's gearing to go. ‘How do we attack this? We need to deal with this. We need to do da-da-da...’ But women bring a different vibe into the room because we look at the issue and say, ‘So this is what you want to attack? Whose child are they? How can we change that narrative? What are the things that we can infuse into that conversation?’

We shouldn’t rid ourselves of the nurturing strength.

How should women show up in boardrooms? Is it about wearing dark colours?

No. If I feel like wearing pink, I'll still show up in a pink suit. But don’t be fuzzy— being unsure, and unprepared. This is what breaks a lot of women. A former governor told me something very interesting.

He said, “Women need to be given an opportunity. But when given that opportunity, think about what you want to say. When you're invited into that room and you're told to sit at that table, think about the content.

“What is your contribution to that table? Because you will only have one chance to create the first impression. Also, how does your voice show up?”

Women often struggle because they think their role is to sit, look pretty, take notes, and walk out. And another thing, women also struggle to take feedback. Feedback is a gift.

Don’t personalise it and think that somebody is attacking you. If somebody's telling you they don't like the way you've spoken today, ask 'why? What would I have done differently?' It's also a point that you can learn from. Soft power has a place in the room. We just have to create more room for it.

How can women create influence even when it’s said decisions are often made in informal setups?

They should form their own clubs. You don't necessarily have to go to the golf club to be an influencer. Eve had her way of influencing Adam, and I don't think he was on a golf course. But he still ate the apple, did he not?

You can do it your own way and still be impactful.

High-achieving women are often accused of sleeping their way to the top. How can one navigate the issue of being branded thus?

You know, anybody can choose to brand you the way they want, but the truth is your full story comes out because of the way you show up.

The question is, how do you deal with it? You can cry for a minute, but you have to stay true to yourself and profile yourself accordingly. You should say, ‘No, I'm not fearful to say this is what I have done to get to where I'm at.’

Women fear profiling themselves. Because in our culture, we’ve been brought up not to blow our own horn. Personally, I was pushed a lot to do this interview. But I thought to myself, the reason why I do this is not because I enjoy talking about myself. I'm here because I'm competent. ‘I've done Abcd….’

Do you think women are fearful of their achievements then?

We have been taught to downplay our achievements. A case in point. In a job interview, a woman who has achieved eight out of 10 things will focus on the two she hasn’t attained yet, while a man who only has achieved two out of the 10 will blow everyone’s mind on his achievement of the two. You have to position yourself.

How do we impart this knowledge on especially young girls?

Women should share more. We're not big on sharing the challenges that we've gone through. I do a lot of mentoring and coaching, and young girls ask crazy questions.

I share from where I've been, the mistakes, the successes. We often don’t share honestly as women. So, you always feel like you're the only one going through what you're going through.

You'll make mistakes, probably more than you'll have successes, but guess what? You have an opportunity to move forward. That will give you the confidence to say that, I've been there, done that, I've learned, and I know I have the support. I can also see others who are making it.

What mistakes have you made?

Earlier in my career, I had the opportunity to leave and do other things in banking. But I thought;‘what are other people still doing? Who's ahead of me? I need to let others go ahead.’ Yet, I knew that I had what it takes.

Sometimes you work with people who hold you back. And because you're respectful, you let it pass. Today, I'd communicate much differently to ensure that that doesn't happen.

Money breaks relationships. How do deal with money in your marriage?

It’s about communication and honesty. I hold a joint account with my husband. Is that the only account I have? No, but it helps us plan. We've been able to do a lot more together than I probably would have done alone.

So, the question is, how honest do you want to be? If you're not honest, then it's not going to work. I know a lot of women will shoot me for saying this, but honesty and communication are critical.

What is next for you?

What I want to do with my day after the bank. A lot of people retire, and then they say, 'I'll think about it after.'

I was sitting down with a good friend, also a married woman who just left Equity the other day. She was like… ‘you have to think about these things years before you start them. Because if you get there, and you fall, then what?’

Remember, the phones are going to stop ringing. But then what are you going to do the following day? I'd rather be called someone who's able to mentor, coach, support, enable, and influence. A change agent

Was it deliberate for you to work with women in MSME’s and SME’s?

It was inevitable, there was a gap. As a bank, we would gather SMEs into the room, and businesswomen would come and sit at the back and not interact much.

Yet they had fantastic ideas and were running sound businesses. We had to do something. Luckily, all the decision makers were women. We asked ourselves, ‘what can we do differently?’ We had an opportunity to make a difference. We did.

As a woman, it is normal to embrace the conversation and speak about it from an authentic perspective. I have experienced biases too---security, doubts on capabilities consistency and accessibility.

I am glad that we have shown with the right support, women thrive. For example, women pay their loans on time.

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