Chinwe Uzoho is a retail banking, product development, research and innovation expert who helps organisations generate sales leads, conceptualize and implement strategies to penetrate target markets, increase their market share through the development and implementation of new strategies, and achieve revenue and growth objectives. In her 30+ years career, Chinwe has demonstrated strong competencies in sales growth, expansion of leading commercial banks, team management, partnering and alliance building. She has worked for reputable and global organisations in Nigeria such as Afribank, Chartered Bank, Intercontinental Bank and Access Bank. In 2019, Chinwe joined Network International Payment Services as the General Manager, West & Central Africa.
Between 2014 and 2019, before joining Network International Payment Services, Chinwe was the Group Head of Retail Banking at Access Bank where she spearheaded a team of Regional Managers across various branches, managing their performance and providing coaching and mentoring to meet set targets. In 2018, her team at Access Bank was recognized as the Most Profitable Retail Team.
Her earlier career includes roles as Head of Retail Banking, Head of Retail Cluster Products and Group Head of Product Research and Development at Access Bank. She also served as Head of Product Development and Management, Branch Manager Head Office, Head of Investment Management Services (Wealth Management), and as a Relationship Manager at other commercial banks in Nigeria.
Chinwe holds a Post Graduate Diploma with Distinction in Digital Business Management from Emeritus Institute of Management, and an MBA degree with Distinction from Bangor Business School, UK. She secured her MSc degree in Global Consumer Marketing from the University of Liverpool, UK and has a BSc degree in Economics from the University of Uyo, Nigeria. She is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers Scotland (MCIBS) as well as an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers Nigeria (ACIB). In her spare time, she loves to cook and dance as well as mentor young girls that are passionate about technology. Chinwe is a proud mother of five beautiful adult children.
In this woman of the month interview, Chinwe discusses African retail banking and not striving for a perfect work-life balance.
Over the years, you have demonstrated strong competencies in your area of specialization and have worked for reputable and global organisations, what would you attribute to be your driving force and staying power?
Honestly, I can’t attribute this growth to myself. It was by God’s grace and guidance all through my career. One thing that propels me to keep moving forward is that I always ask myself these questions: How can I add value to the system? What positive changes am I bringing on board? Where do I see myself in the organisation? Am I a number or a relevant number? Do I have what it takes to be recognized? What can I improve about myself? I am an advocate of continuous learning and self-improvement so that I am empowered to move to the next level. As much as possible, I try to focus on cultivating my strengths (not my weakness) so that I am able to stay positive, optimistic, and have the ability to regulate my emotions. I see my failures and mistakes are forms of helpful feedback, because I failed does not mean I have to quit! I don’t leave things to chance and luck, I keep the end goal in mind and develop a plan to reach that goal, it fuels my ambition and success. It is also imperative to build a strong network of people who are willing and able to speak up about the right thing to do, the type of network that requires I identify the people who have influence/power, that understand my values and believe in my competence.
What are the factors that influenced your career decisions?
My Dad influenced and inspired me a lot. He always taught us to be upright and never give up. He was an accomplished banker and believed that the best investment you can ever make is to keep improving yourself. One thing that drives me is not to give up easily, and hard work has never killed anybody. I know that I am still a work in progress, so I strive to keep improving myself, learning and thinking of new ways that I can make a positive impact on my professional and personal life.
Given your expertise in retail banking, can you share with us the impact of this sector on the lives of people in Africa?
Well, I will say that I spent the earlier part of my career working in a retail bank, and the most amazing thing is the dynamic nature of customers and their needs. It is exciting to keep innovating so that you can always meet and satisfy the customers’ ever-changing needs. The growth in banking and financial services with the competition from fintechs in the traditional banking space is a great area of interest to me as more customers see the gain and the benefits in the tremendous services offered by fintechs. And looking back, it is amazing how payments have evolved over the years, gradually, using electronic or digital payment tools is now becoming the preferred way to transact globally. The world is fast becoming a global village with respect to the acceptability and digitalization of payment platforms.
There are enormous, untapped retail banking opportunities in the Africa region. The huge, unbanked population provides a massive opportunity, most of the adult population do not use formal or semi-formal financial services in the region due to geographical inaccessibility and poor infrastructure, with many of the unbanked living in remote rural areas.
The changing market dynamics in Africa is also a good opportunity for retail banks to innovate and develop new digital banking products and services, especially for the retail customers and the growing middle class. The increased usage of mobile phones across all segments is a good opportunity for the banks to leverage for seamless customer onboarding and engagement. The unique interconnectivity within the African sub-regions serves as a huge opportunity for the banks to adopt a multi-country strategy, which will enhance trade opportunities and payments within African countries. The SMEs and the MSMEs are a vital sector that can help to boost the profits and balance sheets of African banks as they become more enabled with digital platforms that support growth and empowerment. However, there are still challenges in the banking sector that form a hindrance to the penetration of banks and financial services in Africa.
In your opinion, what do think women should be doing differently to maintain their seat at the table and be at the helm of affairs?
You don’t have to change to fit in! The key thing is to strike a balance between being a woman and belonging to the boys’ club. When you are assertive, competent and know your professional worth, the boys will invite you into their club. It is important to be empathic without the emotional baggage so that you can be focused and challenge the status quo. In addition, having a professional mentor helps a lot, someone who can guide you to build the right network both within and outside your organisation.
In addition, when you make a positive impact in the organisation, then you will gain the respect you deserve. Appreciate yourself as a woman, be intentional, and constantly find ways to keep improving yourself. Remember knowledge is power. You can only be confident to speak up if you are competent and have a positive/right attitude towards yourself and others.
Although certain social and economic situations for women have improved, when it comes to work-life balance a lot of women still face hurdles. Given your experience, how do you think women can overcome this challenge?
First things first, you must understand yourself as a woman, know your peaks and troughs before you think of work-life balance! You must set your personal and professional priorities right from the onset, what are the things that are non-negotiable and the ones that you are ready to compromise. Set some boundaries, be mindful of your relationships, and know-how to invest your time wisely and be more efficient in the execution of both personal and work tasks (strike a balance to successfully juggle your personal and professional life). One of my greatest lessons in life is to say NO to things that don’t align with my priorities and visions.
Don’t try to be a superwoman (it only exists in the movies). You cannot be everything to everybody, do not hesitate to get help from co-workers, spouse, and family members. By doing everything by yourself, you’re not only fatiguing your body but also preparing it for a breakdown in the future. Decide what you must do yourself and what others can take care of. The keyword is to delegate as much as possible.
In this age of social media, there are a lot of distractions and time-wasters online. If you want to be focused and productive, it is important to eliminate distractions and time-wasters and set specific time limits for social media, emails, phones so that you can have enough time to strengthen your bond with your partner and kids. I am a strong believer in creating “me time”, the best reward to oneself is to create time to do things you love. It’s okay to think about yourself, have some leisure time and pamper yourself. Go to a spa, get a massage, watch your favourite TV series, read a book, travel solo, or just do nothing at all. Learn to take care of yourself because only then would you be able to take care of your family and work.
The COVID-19 pandemic has also helped employers to see things differently and recognize that employees can be effective when working from home, some companies have introduced flexible working hours and more online engagements for employees. Women can take advantage of this opportunity and try to create a proper balance while working from home by dedicating space and time for different activities (i.e. workspace and family play space).
Finally, I can say there is no perfect work-life balance. Find a job that you love. If you hate what you do, you aren’t going to be happy, plain and simple. You don’t need to love every aspect of your job, but it needs to be exciting enough that you don’t dread getting out of bed every morning. Remember work-life balance in not an achievement, it is a cycle that involves focusing on yourself and your emotions, setting your priorities right and making the right changes where necessary.
How can corporate organisations, professional bodies and government help improve the balance?
So many organisations are now at the forefront of preaching work-life balance amongst their employees, and there are so many things organisations can do to create the best work-life balance for employees (both men and women, the men need balance as well). There must be some flexibility and freedom to allow employees to gain more control over their schedules, leading to a better balance between their personal and professional lives and greater job satisfaction. Allow for remote work, well COVID-19 disrupted the world and was an excellent experiment in proving remote work can be a huge benefit to employees. Another way is to build a culture that encourages employees to take time off work, go on a vacation and let off the steam and pressure from work. Some organisations are going a step further to have a crèche in their premises, to encourage mothers to bring their young children to work and keep them at the crèche while they work, so it is easy to keep an eye on their children. I think it is very important that organisations involve their staff while trying to create a work-life balance for the employees, this will ensure cooperation, increase transparency, and foster a better working environment.
With your busy schedule and family commitments, how do you find time to relax?
My kitchen is my comfort zone! I love to cook and dance. Playing good music and mixing different spices to churn out good tasty meals just makes me happy. I also take breaks to exercise, spend time with family and friends, build community, and eat well in an effort to have a sustainable healthy lifestyle.
Success is relative, different people have their definitions and standard to measure success. What would you say success means to you?
For me success is never final, it is only the starting point! Success is not by chance, or by taking the easiest way out. Success is not giving up on my dreams and aspirations, it is by going far and beyond my fears and failures.
If you could change something in your industry, what would that be and why?
Change will always happen; nothing is static because the world is evolving, and we keep changing to adapt. I think more women should be exposed to technology early, and there should be a conscious effort to have more women at the C level of every organisation so that it can be a way to have more female leaders that can aspire to the young ones. Have a policy on zero tolerance to discrimination that is clear and transparent to everyone and promotes gender equity in the workplace.
Can you give a word of advice for young women looking up to you as their role model and inspiration to aim high?
Keep believing in who you are. Don’t let the ugliness in others kill your beauty. Just reboot, recharge your batteries and switch on your search engine.