'I can feel how lucky I am'

Growing up, my parents were my biggest inspiration. My father was a teacher and my mom worked in retail. I will always, always appreciate the fact that they did the most for me and my sister with what they had. When I got a bursary for school, I was so happy. I felt like I was lightening the load to make it easier for them.

In high school, a teacher told me I should become an accountant. What can I say? I was good at accounting! I completed my degree, worked as an accountant briefly, and decided it wasn’t for me. I then joined Sage in the support team, and have, over the last eleven years, worked my way up to where I am now.

I’m now the head of a team of 221 people. I recently started a new role at work as the Director of Customer Services for Africa and the Middle East. It’s been an incredible journey! 

I see leadership as inspiring people, so that’s what I try to do: help people be even better, get them to stages where they can be leaders, too. That’s what my managers and mentors have done for me. It was Sage that got me to study further and enhance my management skills at Henley, where I signed up for the Postgraduate Diploma in Management Practice (PGDip) as a precursor to the MBA. 

I don’t think it would be remiss of me to say the PGDip is as hard – if not harder – than the MBA. It’s so condensed. With the MBA, you have more time. You’ve got to take your work further, sure – but there is time. You’ve got to find time to do the things you enjoy and to switch off, otherwise you’ll burn out. It’s a matter of finding balanced ways to squeeze it all in – while still producing the best work.

I won’t lie: it can often feel like a lot. But here’s another hard truth: when it feels like too much, in most cases, that’ll be your own fault. If you can live with that, work through it, learn from it, then you’re really going to be just fine. If you can just get through that first stage, the shock of the work, the sacrifice, then the momentum from that point will carry you through to the end.

And if you’re really struggling, Henley will support you. If I ever struggle to meet a deadline, the staff always understand. The flexibility of the degree is real, and it is seriously accommodating.

These people, their supportiveness, and these relationships are why I consider Henley a family. You don’t just come to campus, learn, and leave. You come to campus and become a part of something – it’s hard to explain. But without hesitation, I can say the best thing about this – this programme, this institution – is the people. 

I can feel how lucky I am. I made friends for life during my PGDip programme. I’ve made friends for life during my MBA. Everyone is there for each other. We have people at different stages of the programme talking to one another constantly, you know – we get advice from graduates, we talk to first years, too. We try to support and guide each other across the various programmes.

Now, my biggest inspiration is my daughter. Being a young dad, you realise you have a lot of responsibility – it kicks you into gear. She – along with my mentors, managers, classmates, and staff at Henley – inspires me to be my best every single day. I hope that I can do the same for her, and for others.