How willingness to learn helped Fatma rise to the top

 

Interim head of the Heineken business in Tanzania. PHOTO | COURTESY

By 

The Citizen Reporter

Media/news company

Mwananchi Communication Limmited

Summary

·         Since joining Heineken business the company in 2017, her vast industry experience and service-first mentality have been pivotal in spearheading portfolio expansion through the promotion of existing brands and the establishment of new brands.

Dar es Salaam. One thing that sets successful people apart is their ability to admit not knowing everything.

This credence is what made Fatma Mnaro successful and led her to become the first Tanzanian to head the global beverage giant’s regional operations since it was established in the country.

For Fatma, not being afraid to say "I don’t know" aided her in learning more to bring solutions to the communities and places she works.

"Once you’re open to saying you don’t know, then your mind is open to endless possibilities. You can therefore learn, unlearn and relearn. I believe this is important as it helps you evolve as a person and leader (as we all are)

She is currently the interim head of the Heineken business in Tanzania. Since joining the company in 2017, her vast industry experience and service-first mentality have been pivotal in spearheading portfolio expansion through the promotion of existing brands and the establishment of new brands.

Among those brands introduced is Desperados, which has seen annual double-digit growth for the past 4 years while showcasing some of the most innovative strategies of selling within the Tanzanian market, which led her to being appointed a committee member of the Bagamoyo Arts Festival by the immediate former minister for Culture, Arts, and Sports, Hon. Mohammed Mchengerwa, in 2022.One of her notable works being the execution of UEFA Champions league finals at the Tanzanite bridge in 2022.

Fatma’s work has covered operations, sales, marketing, and finance, giving her experience in strategic management, risk management & compliance, financial analysis, commercial planning and execution, and leadership & management. When it comes to her level of education, Fatma holds a Master’s degree in business administration from the Eastern and Southern African Management Institute and is also a certified director by the Institute of Directors in Tanzania and is currently pursuing a certification in Project Management.

The overall experience has shaped her into becoming a holistic leader, which means that she’s capable of connecting different departments and getting the team to work as one.

She says holistic leadership increased her awareness of people and made it possible to work for the multinational and cultural company while bringing people of different backgrounds together.

Growing up she dreamt of being a lawyer as a way of serving her community. Circumstances changed and she had to change her course but her zeal to serve her community remains the same. She believes that her values as a leader emulate from her love for law. She has since grown to love business.

“That’s when I applied for business administration, my business journey started when I had to work for my parents between the ages of 14-20years they introduced me to business as I helped them during school breaks at their shops. I learnt business fundamentals which have been of tremendous help in my career.

Fatma started her journey into leadership when she was selected as finance administrator at Tanzania Breweries Limited. Despite the title of the job, she explains that there were a lot of responsibilities.

"I learnt a lot, a clerk but with extra responsibilities in human resources, procurement, finance, and business in general,so no matter how trivial you think your position is, make the most of it" she says.

Speaking of the opportunities, Fatma narrates that her husband was the one who brought up the idea for her to apply at Heineken after seeing a vacancy online with this she believes that your village will either make you or break you.

"I’m a very big ambassador of ‘you must work hard on your turf and when the opportunity arises, you will be ready to embrace it. There has to be groundwork.

As the only woman at the management level of her company, the situation was not easy, but with the right environment, it was possible for her to excel. The Heineken company has created a working environment whereby talent and capabilities overshadow race, color, gender etc. differences are celebrated and not frowned upon.

"My team has been very supportive as we have had organic growth of 20 percent and 8 percent in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Managing our stakeholders, distributors, and other concerned authorities is of the utmost importance," she clarifies.

Fatma believes that policies must go hand in hand with an enabling environment so as to bring about more changes and create opportunities.

"When it comes to gender, the right policies are important, but if you don’t have the right environment to enable those policies to come to fruition, then policies will be theoretical. Heineken has created an environment where people thrive, and that’s what makes me thrive," explains Fatma.

"When it comes to research, I work in an industry where people evolve and trends emerge every day in the market, so research is very important to understand your customers and consumers but also analyze yourself as a person and leader and the impact I bring to the team.

Speaking on Mental health, it is also crucial to me because it is not something that is really taken seriously while it affects a lot of people, especially here in the corporate field. Recent Research e.g By Mckinsey show an increase in stress and burnouts, adversely affecting the organizations performance. Initiatives such as Meditation, exercises, timely clock outs and above all empathy in leadership are important and can be strategically embedded into the organizations’ culture.

Diversity and inclusion is embracing and celebrating differences, be it a gender, backgrounds, race, nationalities, culture etc, its coming together as people she says.

Speaking about mentors and coaches, Fatma insists women should be ready for mentorship, but before they dedicate themselves, they must make sure they are self-aware.

She advises other women to: Have a strong spiritual sense of being, God comes first in her life. Women should be courageous enough to step out of their comfort zones, accept that challenges are necessary for growth. You will need people to grow, your village is important. Be responsible and accountable for your actions and inactions. Learning is important, it’s not about not making mistakes but making Better mistakes.