Mweembe Eugenia Sikaulu is a communications and brand specialist with over a decade of experience in the industry and whose expertise has seen her work in media, banking and aviation. She has a background in television production, customer service, brand management, corporate affairs and radio.
Her current role as the Communications and Brand Manager at Zambia Airports Corporation Limited has seen her raise the profile of the organisation both locally and abroad. She has spearheaded an array of initiatives which resulted in many firsts for the corporation, not only enhancing its brand recognition but also greatly improving service quality through various communication bridges. Diligent, hard-working and optimistic, Mweembe demonstrates strong personal attributes and is a team player with solid relationship building, presentation and time management skills.
Mweembe has received several awards, among which are Marketing Personality of the Year at the Annual Zambia Institute of Marketing Conference and Awards Gala, as well as the Corporate Social Responsibility Award for Community Impact.
A Zambian citizen, Mweembe has had the privilege of an international upbringing and education in various regions of the world such as North America, Europe and Australia. She holds a master’s degree in global marketing from the University of Liverpool (UK), as well as a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from Edith Cowen University (Australia). She applies this international outlook to her work as well as in her everyday life.
In this Woman of the Month interview she speaks on Africa-wide collaboration, as well as the aviation and communications industries.
What motivates you – in life and in your career?
There’s something innate within us that pushes us to dream, set goals and achieve. How it’s born may vary from person to person, however I believe mine was through the expectations that my parents had for my siblings and I. Both my parents set high standards and both demonstrated what it means to work hard. They pushed us to be better, to do better, to reach higher and to push harder. They showed us what was possible and dared us to attain it for ourselves.
Being a child of Africa also motivates me. Our continent and her people have so much to offer and I hope that I am doing my part of showing those I can another side and not the narrative that the world has been taught for so long.
At Zambia Airports Corporation Limited, what have been the major challenges, and wins, in raising the company’s profile?
The experience I’ve had is one I would not trade for the world. Coming into this role, there was a lot that needed to be done however I was excited about the opportunity that was presented before me. Externally there were several misconceptions about the organisation alongside a lack of knowledge and understanding of our role and services; internally we had to deal with the status quo among other hurdles.
My team and I faced quite a few setbacks in trying to implement certain initiatives that we knew would benefit the organisation, however that also forced us to become more creative in how we approached many of our issues. It forced us to summon skills we didn’t know we had and while this was daunting, it was also quite liberating and exciting as we were discovering unknown parts of ourselves while having a front row seat in the school of corporate politics.
We aimed to renew and enhance our brand and I’m glad that we were able to raise the organisation’s profile through our awareness campaign among other initiatives, with certain key messages targeted at the domestic market and other key messages targeted at the international market. The utilisation of our social media platforms was crucial as was developing and maintaining relationships with local and international media houses. We also provided more access and held more engagements with our various stakeholders.
What opportunities do you see for Africa-wide collaboration in the airline industry?
There is so much potential for African aviation however implementation is key. It’s great to see so many African countries upgrading airport infrastructure as well as launching or relaunching national airlines however we need a more pan-African approach in order to grow the industry on the continent. The Single African Air Transport Market initiative by the African Union is commendable as it will allow greater intra-African connectivity. As Africans, we need to travel more within the continent and not just regionally but throughout the whole continent. In order for this to happen, we need to market to each other as well as ease or desist any barriers to travel such as cost. We need synergies between our various industries and countries.
What advice would you give a young person interested in pursuing a career in communications and branding? And for those set on this path, how do they make the most out of the careers?
Anyone wishing to pursue a career in communications and branding or in any field should have a genuine interest and passion. For most people, knowing what to study in hopes of forging a career in a particular field is hard, which is why I always encourage internships. Internships allow one to have a feel of a certain industry which may help them determine whether or not they want to move forward. Partaking in an internship also allows one to gain experience which not only looks good on one’s resume but helps attract potential employers. In some cases, they can also lead to landing a job at the company one is interning at.
Compared to other regions of the world, the African communications sector as well as the brand sector can be considered to still be in its infancy. While companies are starting to see the value that communications and branding bring, the industries still have a long way to go. Instead of viewing that as a negative, as a communications and brand professional I instead look to rise to the challenge in not only doing what I can to grow the industry but in also helping it garner the respect and recognition it deserves.
From your experience, is it much harder for women in the communications sector? And if so, what do you think should be done for women to have successful careers?
From my experience I do not believe that it is harder or easier for women in the communications sector. I believe the challenges women face in general cut across all sectors. As unfair as it may seem, women must sometimes work harder as every now and then we have more to overcome, not just from men but from fellow women too. I feel it is important for one to not only make every effort in their work but to also keep their integrity as well as focus on their vision. I personally love to see women do well; I get proud and excited to see someone work hard to accomplish their goals.
How do you ensure a healthy work-life balance?
Honestly, I’m not sure that I do ensure a healthy work-life balance, at least not in the way that I imagine it should be, however that is something I am conscious of and have started taking steps to rectify.
I believe one’s mental health is of the utmost importance and so of late I have tried to focus more on my personal mental health, becoming more aware of areas in my life that I need to pay more attention to and other areas that I could do without. My current focus is on my physical, emotional, social, spiritual and intellectual health and I’m looking forward to the journey.