Meet nurse turned top bank CEO

 

National Bank of Commerce (NBC) managing director smiles during a professional talk in this file photo. She narrated her career history to our reporter after they met at the African Women Empowerment Dialogue in Dar es Salaam recently. PHOTO | FILE 

By Saumu Mwalimu, The Citizen

In Summary

• My challenge has been settling into new countries because I have been a person working from one country to another, but you should always take a challenge and make it an opportunity.

Her beginnings were humble. Ms Mizinga Melu, the current CEO of NBC, started as a nurse, but now she leads one of the successful financial institutions in the country.

She narrated to The Citizen’s SAUMU MWALIMU her career history on the sidelines of the African Women Empowerment dialogue in Dar recently.

Excerpts:

QUESTION: How did you rise in your career?

ANSWER: I was a nurse for two years, but my father did not like what I was doing because he wanted me to be a banker, and so, I ended up doing what he wished, and thanks God he saw something big in me, and here I am.

How did you manage to become the first female director in your country and scoop various awards?

I always believe that as you grow in your career, try as much as possible to gain more experience because it will help you in the future.

Try to read a lot of things related to what you dream, or what you want to become. As women, we always get so many challenges, but we have to always rise up to the challenge to prove doubters wrong. I wanted to be a treasurer in 1999, but my boss told me I was not ready, I never gave up. I worked hard and here I am. Never let yourself down.

Now that you are here in Tanzania, what changes would you wish to see happening to women in the country?

I was Head of Treasury Department at Standard Chartered Tanzania ten years ago, but what I would like to see now is more women in top positions, not only in banking or financial sector. It is sad that with 52 banks, we only have two women in the CEO positions. The gap is evidently there, and it is from young people that I would like to see in those positions.

Should we have mentors that we look up to? How important is having a mentor?

I have a number of mentors in my life, there are so many people that I look up to. You need to have mentors that would help you at personal levels, everybody needs mentors

CEO is a very lonely position, because sometimes staff get you down and you can’t talk to anybody, so you need to have a person who you can talk to honestly, someone who will be a sounding board and I would like to say that sounding board to me is my sister because she agrees with me in so many things, she encourages me.

You need to have someone who is going to sit down with you and tell you how things are done. However, you always have to network, have a right mentor because we have plenty of people, but choose the right one and keep your network open.

How do you balance work and family issues?

To be honest, it is always important to do a job that you always enjoy, you feel good when you are at it, because if you do something that you don’t like it will drag you down.

So, I don’t really think I have to balance because I love my job, I love being a CEO. To me, the best job is to be a CEO. I just love being managing director of NBC because there is always something interesting to do.

So, once you enjoy your job, you don’t have to balance... I leave the office by 5pm and arrive at the office early, around 7:15 in the morning, and I leave early so that I escape the traffic jam, and when I arrive home early, I get time to play with the babies, and when they are asleep, I go back to work. So, I work both in the office and at home. There is no point in keeping on working, if I don’t get time with my family.

What investment ideas would you give to Tanzanian women?

I would encourage them to invest in real estate business because when you put it on rent it doesn’t need a lot of your time.

You are working and the business runs itself, but also it is easy to appreciate. I tried boutiques and other businesses.

My advice is that you should always think of your future beyond the office. I think the best leaders are those who have a sense of security whether politically or in the private sector because your decisions will be balanced. If you don’t have security except that job, you will do it even at the time you don’t feel doing it better. You should always enjoy your job, do what works best for you.

You have a lot of loan opportunities, so take loans not to buy clothes or a car, take a loan for mortgage, because it is something that will be there over the years.

What do you consider a challenge as you grow into a career? 

My challenge has been settling into new countries because I have been a person working from one country to another, but you should always take a challenge and make it an opportunity. My big challenge has always been staying away from my extended family because I travel a lot. At work, a challenge is always workable by involving people around you.

How do you handle discouragement?

I have been a CEO for many years, and surrounded by more men than women who we differ in so many things such as interest and so forth.

What you need to do is just be yourself, and you will do well.

It is important though to do your things and have them back and spend a little time with them, but do not lose yourself. Secondly, make an effort to be with them, but that does not mean the other way round... Like when they smoke you too smoke no, just network, and chat with them, exchange contacts, you don’t have to do what they do. Try not to be like men, just be yourself and enjoy it. You should not lose yourself to men, be you.

Would you tell a friend to come and not only work in Tanzania, but invest?

Yes, I have a lot of respect for this country, I come from a country with 13 million people dependent on copper so, when the price is not well this means the business is not good, but Tanzania has a lot to offer and many new discoveries are coming up.

So, when you are in a country with more than 43 million people, it is a place to be. For example, we have eight per cent of banks only which means that we have a lot to do as bankers, you see a lot of opportunities, a lot of work to do even in the banking sector.

Barriers to success

Because I am still new in Tanzania, I wouldn’t have so many things to say, but what I can share is that when I look at Tanzania ten years ago, we had a working culture that is a bit different, now we have a lot of private sector culture which is important.

Tips to career success

Dress for your next job, you should always think that if your boss sees you today, what would he think of you. I believe in the power of networking. Read widely. Believe in God. Don’t put yourself down. Get a loan and get a mortgage. Be clear of what you want to do, have a vision and put a time limit. Be ready to confront the challenge.

If you are an employee, show your boss that you are good enough to be an option, give him a position that when you leave they are in trouble or they are worried.

Have you ever failed? How did you handled it?

The biggest downside is when I did not make it as a treasurer, when I wanted to make it as treasurer. But I thank God I re-examined myself and I now feel maybe it was a question of time, I remained positive. There will always be time when you want to do something and you don’t get it. But whenever you feel yourself down, don’t stay down, look up and you will move fast.

Majority of women do not have bank accounts, why is that?

I think it is a journey, I think as the market opens up we will see more women in banks. There are so many women who are doing business, may be as bank we need to reach more women in our banking halls because they are there, they are doing business.

We need to be more proactive in reaching out to them and avail to them our product and bring them into our banking halls.

Who should do what to bring a woman up?

Number one you can’t abdicate a responsibility that is yours, next should be your partner who should be ready when you travel a lot and then the family.

In my view, Tanzania has the policies that support women to grow, we just have to embrace them.

Let us give women in SMEs financial aid, technical advice, they need support from banks, government and even from the family level.