Denise Rwakayija is a mother, a career woman and a go getter. She has worked with MTN for the last 15 years, starting off as a receptionist and growing through the ranks to become a manager. She talked to Donah Mbabazi about her journey and why she cannot let anything get in the way of her dreams.

Who is Denise?

I am a daughter, a mother to two beautiful boys and a dedicated employee. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in business administration from the former School of Finance and Banking.

Your story is an interesting one. How did you end up where you are today?

It’s actually funny. When I was in S.4, I went to the city center to run some errands. There was commotion everywhere. Everywhere I turned, there was yellow. I later found out that MTN was launching its services. The whole scenario was very captivating.

I saw how vibrant the brand was and something clicked. I said to myself that upon finishing my studies, I would be part of this company. So in my S.6 vacation, I approached them. That was 15 years ago. My boldness captivated them and I was hired.

The rest as they say is history. I started off as a receptionist, and three years later, I was moved to the finance department, then the marketing department where I have worked the longest. I am currently the Manager of the training and customer experience section. My entire career has basically been with MTN.

How do you balance your career and motherhood? 

Well, I guess every one of us at some point deals with challenges and I have my fair share. Generally, there is the perception that women don’t take life seriously, that they are not go getters but I can say that the spirit to be ambitious and be a go-getter is something that I adopted from my mother. She has always been a very hardworking woman; she raised the four of us single-handedly after my dad passed away.

I think that push element helped me to be where I am. It can be tough being a successful career woman and doing what is right for your family. You have to make sure you are passing on the right values to your children, the right outlook about life since you know it starts at a very young age.

Education is not only about academics, it’s about that personal touch. It’s really not easy but I make sure that I balance both, so that in the end, no one feels cheated.

15 years later, what are you most proud of? 

I started off as a receptionist and I am now a manager, for me, that’s an achievement. I have worked in seven different positions and every three years, I get a promotion.

On a personal note, I have been able to reach some targets that I have set for myself. I had always wanted to get my mother a home and I did. I am also happy about being able to provide for my children.

What do you see in your future? 

Currently, I am enjoying working here but life is about embracing opportunities. One thing I hope to do is enrich people’s lives in different ways either through guidance and advice. I also plan to pursue my master’s degree and hopefully then venture into different things as well.

What unique traits don’t people know about you? 

I speak six languages. 

Also, I enjoy adding value to other people’s lives when I have a chance. I think in another life when I am not in this career sphere, may be I will be a mentor. I want to be a motivational speaker and writing is my passion. I hope that one day I will put my thoughts and experiences to paper and probably some people will be inspired by my experience and hopefully it will change their lives. Being brought up by a single mother made me learn the importance of being responsible at a very young age.

What inspires you?

Young people. Coaching and mentoring them and seeing them grow into people who are actually making a difference in their lives really inspires me. I have had opportunities where most of them come back to tell me how their encounter with me actually helped them grow and for me that is inspiring.

And the philosophy you live by?

Where there is a will, there is a way and I think also God has a way of always working in your favour. My story is very different because I was always determined to achieve what I want. This was what got me a job in the first place. I had no CV, no experience but that didn’t stop me from trying my luck. Look at me now.

Do you think that the ground has been cleared to make way for women? 

Well, Rwanda, not only in Africa but in the whole world, is the country where a woman’s voice is vividly heard. We have good representation in the government, there a lot of initiatives and programmes that are focused on women development. If we embrace these very well, we are on the right track to actually even go beyond where we are today.

As a career woman, it inspires me to see that women today are in important decision making positions. A good example is our foreign affairs minister. I find her inspiring. She is a phenomenal woman.

Some people argue that the breakdown of today’s marriages is largely due to the emancipation of a woman, do you agree? 

Well, I don’t think there is a strong correlation, because for me, helping a woman to develop is helping a community to develop because it’s never about her alone. Well, we could have isolated cases of women who change after achieving a certain level of success but you cannot generalize it to the level of it being the major problem.

I don’t think that in reality, there could be other problems which I don’t think are related to women emancipation.

Do you have some advice for other women? 

I am speaking mostly to young women. You must have a goal from the beginning and you must commit to doing all it takes to achieve that goal. One can get married, have kids and still have a successful career. I think most women have a self-esteem problem, they believe that because I am a woman I can’t do this or that but it’s only a mindset. We have to look beyond and believe that we can do anything.

There is nothing that a man can do that a woman cannot, but you have to have the confidence and determination and stop having that mentality that a woman’s position is always number two.