She says her career journey has been shaped by a combination of intentional choices, resilience and people who believed in her before she fully believed in herself
Dar es Salaam. Her curiosity about how organisations work through people early in her career made her realise that sustainable business success is deeply rooted in culture, leadership and trust. This is how she has grown in her career by saying yes to learning opportunities, even when they felt uncomfortable.
In an interview with The Citizen, the People and Culture Business Partner at Tanzania Cigarette Public Limited Company, Sherry Marwerwe, reveals that her career journey has been shaped by a combination of intentional choices, resilience and people who believed in her before she fully believed in herself.
Through her roles, she partners with marketing, sales and operations leaders to strengthen leadership capability, improve employee engagement and build resilient frontline teams.
Her position at TCC Plc reflects her philosophy that women empowerment is not about special treatment, but about ensuring women have equal access to opportunity, visibility and decision-making—and the confidence to step into those spaces fully.
“It begins with creating systems and cultures where women are seen, heard and fairly represented. In my role, I focus on embedding equity into talent processes—from recruitment and succession planning to leadership development and performance management,” she says.
Beyond professional development initiatives, TCC Plc has also invested in extended maternity leave, ensuring women have the time and support they need to transition back to work feeling comfortable, confident and ready to continue focusing on their career growth.
“At TCC Plc, our commitment to supporting women includes robust mentorship and coaching programmes that empower them to build capability, confidence and long-term career success,” she adds.
Sherry has supported end-to-end workforce and talent initiatives. These experiences shaped her leadership journey through working across recruitment delivery, early career pipelines and engagement initiatives. She says these roles taught her that leadership is less about authority and more about consistency, follow-through and trust. Seeing strategies translate into real employee experiences has been incredibly grounding.
“These experiences shaped my leadership style to be people-centric and impact-driven. I’ve learned to listen deeply, make data-informed decisions and remain present even when outcomes take time. If there is a legacy I hope to leave behind, it is this: systems that work beyond individuals, leaders who lead with empathy and teams who feel valued, engaged and empowered to give their human best,” says Sherry.
Commenting on moments in her line of work that made her shed tears or leave the office early and how she resolved them, she says people and culture work carries emotional weight because it deals with real lives, real struggles and real consequences.
There have been moments involving difficult employee relations cases, personal employee hardships, the death of employees, or decisions that deeply impacted livelihoods. In those moments, the emotional toll can be heavy, she says.
“I have learned that strength does not mean emotional detachment. It means acknowledging emotions, stepping away when necessary and returning with clarity and professionalism. I resolve such moments through reflection and reminding myself of the purpose behind my role—to act fairly, humanely and responsibly. Those moments, though painful, have strengthened my emotional intelligence and resilience,” she says.
In recognition of its investment in people, TCC Plc was recently recognised as a Top Employer for the sixth time at global, Africa and local levels. Such recognitions affirm TCC’s commitment to fostering a positive, inclusive and high-performance workplace.
She says for Tanzania, these awards signal that local organisations can compete with global standards in people practices, employee well-being and leadership development. For the TCC community, they validate the everyday efforts of employees and leaders who live the company’s values, support one another and continuously strive to improve. Most importantly, they reinforce the responsibility to sustain and build on this culture for future generations of talent.
With an MBA from Mzumbe University, a Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Management and a certified senior professional in Human Resources International (SPHRi), Sherry combines sound judgement with a hands-on approach, supporting leaders to embed practical routines that strengthen performance and culture.
With over 15 years of work experience, she has supported end-to-end workforce and talent initiatives, including recruitment delivery, early career pipeline programmes and engagement improvement through structured action planning and continuous follow-through.
“I am grounded in fairness, clarity and care. I support leaders on employee relations and performance practices and help embed fair, consistent people practices that build trust and accountability across teams. I am passionate about inclusive leadership and developing future talent,” she says.
Over the years, Sherry has learned that growth is rarely linear. Some of the most defining moments in her career came from challenges that forced her to pause, reflect and rebuild with greater clarity and confidence. Each experience whether a success or a setback has contributed to the professional and leader she is today.
