Boss up like you mean it!
Saima Nghihalwa, the chief risk and compliance officer for Alexander Forbes Holdings Namibia, gives us a sneak peek into her life.
ELIZABETH JOSEPH
Saima Nghihalwa, who holds B Juris, LLB and LLM degrees, believes that without passion we would all just be slaves to the corporate world.
“We spend most of our active hours in a day at work; therefore passion is really important in any line of work,” she says.
“Passion is a state of mind. When people are passionate about what they do, not only do they fall in love with what they do, they are also fulfilled by what they do,” she says.
In an interview with Careers, she had the following to say:
Women have been stepping out of conventional ‘female’ careers and more into male-dominated careers. What role do you want to play in this?
I firmly believe that anyone can excel in anything they put their minds on, whether male or female. And slowly but surely we are breaking the barrier of the ‘male careers’. If one looks at the senior teams within Alexander Forbes they would notice that most of these positions are filled by women.
My message to the girl child, young lady or aspiring executive: It can be done. Although you will have to work twice as hard as your male counterparts, remember that it can be done.
What has been your most valuable life lesson?
Looking back I would say that the most valuable lesson I have learned is that life is what it is. We may have a version of what life ought to be, but it is what it is. My mother would always tell me, Nowele, how you handle the WHAT IS is very important. Be careful of how you handle what you find yourself in. Do the best you can and the rest will follow.
What are your objectives for the next few years?
Working towards being the best version of myself and accomplishing the targets I have set for myself.
If you could give young people one piece of advice, what would it be?
Find a mentor.
10 fun facts about Saima
· I Google everything, and I mean anything.
· I have been boxing for fitness for almost two years now.
· The colour black dominates my closet.
· My grandmother named me Ndapewaoshali.
· I used to pass most of my spare time reading up on astrology and numerology. I wonder what happened to all my books.
· The biggest fear I had to overcome was public speaking – Thank you Erica Gatawa.
· I was a mentee in the Katuka Mentorship programme in 2018.
· I have replaced Coca-Cola (one of my previous bad habits) with sparkling water.
· I’m a great believer in affirmations.
· When I was in grade 11 I came up with a career timeline for myself.
Saima Nghihalwa, who holds B Juris, LLB and LLM degrees, believes that without passion we would all just be slaves to the corporate world.
“We spend most of our active hours in a day at work; therefore passion is really important in any line of work,” she says.
“Passion is a state of mind. When people are passionate about what they do, not only do they fall in love with what they do, they are also fulfilled by what they do,” she says.
In an interview with Careers, she had the following to say:
Women have been stepping out of conventional ‘female’ careers and more into male-dominated careers. What role do you want to play in this?
I firmly believe that anyone can excel in anything they put their minds on, whether male or female. And slowly but surely we are breaking the barrier of the ‘male careers’. If one looks at the senior teams within Alexander Forbes they would notice that most of these positions are filled by women.
My message to the girl child, young lady or aspiring executive: It can be done. Although you will have to work twice as hard as your male counterparts, remember that it can be done.
What has been your most valuable life lesson?
Looking back I would say that the most valuable lesson I have learned is that life is what it is. We may have a version of what life ought to be, but it is what it is. My mother would always tell me, Nowele, how you handle the WHAT IS is very important. Be careful of how you handle what you find yourself in. Do the best you can and the rest will follow.
What are your objectives for the next few years?
Working towards being the best version of myself and accomplishing the targets I have set for myself.
If you could give young people one piece of advice, what would it be?
Find a mentor.
10 fun facts about Saima
· I Google everything, and I mean anything.
· I have been boxing for fitness for almost two years now.
· The colour black dominates my closet.
· My grandmother named me Ndapewaoshali.
· I used to pass most of my spare time reading up on astrology and numerology. I wonder what happened to all my books.
· The biggest fear I had to overcome was public speaking – Thank you Erica Gatawa.
· I was a mentee in the Katuka Mentorship programme in 2018.
· I have replaced Coca-Cola (one of my previous bad habits) with sparkling water.
· I’m a great believer in affirmations.
· When I was in grade 11 I came up with a career timeline for myself.
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