Amne Suedi: Why failure is a necessary part of any journey

As The Citizen’s Rising Woman Initiative continues to recognise women who leave permanent marks in their wake, the realisation that even more of them continue to be silent and unsung heroines in their fields is staggering. Amne Suedi Kagasheki, a lawyer turned entrepreneur is one of them.

After practising corporate and financial law at some of the top institutions in Switzerland, she came to Tanzania and opened her own law firm. This, however, is no longer a law firm but a legal and investment advisory firm that focuses on investments in East Africa.

She got into leadership by virtue of her journey in entrepreneurship. As you grow and have to get people to work with you, you unavoidably become the captain of the ship.

She shares her journey with The Citizen’s Lucy Tomeka and the nuggets prove to be something that any woman and girl ought to take heed to.

Question: Growing up, did you always know who you wanted to be? If yes, how and what were the pivotal markers in your journey, both the good and the bad?

Answer: I did not always know what I wanted to be, but I grew up with African parents in Switzerland so their expectations of me “making something of myself” were always very clear from a young age. The choices were limited to doctor, engineer, architect, and lawyer. My mathematics and physics skills were never great, so law was the best choice I could make at that time. So by Grade 10 in High School (which would be the equivalent of From 4 here) I had decided that I would become a lawyer. So, I started watching movies about lawyers and reading and researching and I grew very passionate about the profession.

What challenges have you faced in your career that made you question your career goals?

For me, career goals do not start when you get that first job, but building your career starts much earlier. I really questioned my career goals at these points in my life: 1. I went to a highly competitive university in Switzerland where we started out as 500 in first year and by the time we graduated we were only 50. After having studied in English all my life, I found myself studying law in French in a very different system from that which I had known. I failed my exams in first year of law school and had to redo the exams. I had never failed anything at that point in time and I was deemed to be a good student in high school so this came as a shock. I really questioned whether law was the career path I wanted to follow, but I realised that I was questioning my path for the wrong reasons. Failure is a necessary part of any journey. 2. I wanted to work in human rights and got the opportunity to work at the UN Human Rights Commission at the time. It was a rude awakening for me as I realised that I needed to readjust my career goals and go for investment and corporate law. This realisation was sparked by the fact that I saw that it took extraordinary effort to make a decimal of change. So I reoriented myself to corporate law because you see the impact immediately and able to actually make a living. 3. When I started my business as a lawyer, some people told me I would not make it because it is very hard for women to make it on her own in the legal field. I was told that I should get a male partner if I wanted a chance at the business. I really had to question myself at that point and really ask myself if I was in the right space. Luckily, I was able to look up to other women who have been doing it on their own for long and during times that were less progressive than our time now and this gave me the courage to go on. 4. Another challenge I faced was when I was sitting as a board member of a company in London investing in Africa and I was the only woman on the board. With time, it became obvious that the other male board members were undermining me. For example they would have meetings by themselves where they would discuss and hash out different subjects and then come to me and say “we have discussed and decided this.” Other examples of being undermined was when I would make inputs and suggestions in a board meeting and then in the write up of the minutes, my ideas were presented as the ideas presented by the chairman of the Board. It was very frustrating and I felt like resigning, however, I realised that resigning as a result of this was exactly why they were adopting such behaviour. I continued despite everything.

What keeps you both motivated and grounded?

The work I do in terms of adding value to investors. When I protect their investments or give them advice that allows them to save money or save their business, it gives me satisfaction. I also am very motivated by my employees. I love teaching them and seeing their skills improve, this motivates me to keep doing what I am doing.

On leadership: What are the main causes for women not rising to top leadership positions?

Institutional and structural systems in place but also the societal view of a woman’s position which is supposed to be in the home and not in the board room. I also think women do not help one another and enough women do not help other women to rise to the occasion and access top leadership positions.

What does it take for a woman to sustainably cultivate and nurture their leadership skills?

It takes an enormous amount of time self-evaluation and looking inwards to see where you can improve and do better. Self-awareness is key to cultivate and nurture one’s leadership skills. Also getting rid of any limiting beliefs and the fear of the imposter syndrome. I know that I meditate every day where I visualise the best version of myself and I take that person with me during the day and as I lead my people.

Being a leader yourself, what are the benefits of having women in leadership positions?

There has been emerging research with findings that companies that have women leading have performed better especially in getting buy-in from other team members of the strategy since more research demonstrates that women have better communication skills than men do.

What should be done in order to address gender inequality in leadership roles in the country?

First of all, reform the education system so that early on kids are learning about gender equality. Secondly, perhaps put in place legislations that force a given quota of women on boards in private companies.

On mentorship: What aspects of womanhood do you think women should tap into as they work their way up the leadership ladder?

Women are naturally more nurturing, caring, empathetic and value their work-life balance a lot more than men and they should tap into these more as they work their way up.

Did you have an opportunity to be mentored and how has that shaped your career? Do you take the opportunity to mentor other young women as well?

I have been mentored and this was key in my career because it is crucial to talk to people who have been there and who have experienced what you are experiencing.

Getting insight is key for growth. I do mentor young women, although I have had to be selective over the years.

What role does self-care play in one’s ability to be an emotionally intelligent leader and how can one balance the two?

You cannot show up and be the best version of yourself, which is what is required in leadership, if you are worn out and beaten. So self-care is crucial and awareness is absolutely key and part of being an emotionally intelligent leader.

Looking back, what advice do you have for your younger self?

I would tell myself that it is OK not to have it all figured out because most people don’t. The second advice is do not take life so seriously. The third: stop being so hard on myself because I am doing really well.