MANSA MUSA–THE RICHEST MAN THAT EVER LIVED AND THE STOP MARKET (yes you read right, not ‘stock market’).

An artist’s impression of Mansa Musa with his hordes of soldiers. HISTORYNMOOR/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/CC BY-SA 4.0

In the fourteenth century Mansa Mūsā, emperor of the medieval Mali Empire of Africa, made a trip whose ripples were felt decades later. For the uninitiated, Ghana, Mali and Songhai were three of the greatest empires of the western part of Africa, south of the Sahara. Mūsā’s Mali empire spread 2,000 miles (3,219 kilometers) from the Atlantic Ocean to modern-day Niger. Some reports indicated it would take a year, at the time and with their means of transportation, to travel that breadth. The 14th-century traveller Ibn Battūtah noted that it took about four months to travel from the northern borders of the Mali empire to Niani, the Malian capital in the south. Mali formed a rich 24-city network of cities  

Mūsā the Man

Mansa, which means ‘sultan’ or ‘emperor’ in the Mandinka language of West Africa, was immensely wealthy, prodigiously generous and profoundly pious. The empire’s source of riches was the natural resources of two highly productive gold fields renowned for some of the purest and most prized gold in the world. Nations scrambled for pure gold, especially for the minting of national coins in which they took much pride.

Mansa Mūsā took a legendary trip to Mecca, in Saudi Arabia, to perform the annual Islamic Hajj pilgrimage with an entourage of 60,000 people, including a personal retinue of 12,000 slaves, all clad in brocade and Persian silk. On this trip were countless court officials, soldiers, griots (singing poets) and 500 slaves ahead of him each carrying a gold-adorned staff as he himself rode on horseback. Included in this Malian caravan were 80 baggage camels, each carrying 300 pounds of gold.

Either the grandson or the grandnephew of Sundiata, the founder of his dynasty, Mansa Mūsā came to the throne in 1307 (some reports record 1312) and took the said Mecca trip in the 17th year of his reign.  His route from his kingdom’s capital of Niani (northeastern Guinea today) on the upper Niger River would take him first to Walata (Oualâta, Mauritania) and on to Tuat (now in Algeria) before making his way to Cairo.

Typically the journey to Mecca and back took a full year with long layovers in the Egyptian capital, Cairo. So en route, emperor Mansa Mūsā made a stop in Cairo to visit the Sultan. That stop… Well, the historian al-‘Umarī, who visited Cairo twelve years after the emperor’s visit, found the inhabitants of this Egyptian city, with a population estimated at one million, still singing the praises of Mansa Mūsā. 

The Stop Market

To quote al-‘Umari, “The man flooded Cairo with his benefactions. He left no court emir… no holder of a royal office without the gift of a load of gold. The Cairenes made incalculable profits out of him and his suite in buying and selling and giving and taking. They exchanged gold until they depressed its value in Egypt and caused its price to fall.” That stop, stopped the market.

Apparently, so lavish was the emperor in his spending (one writer put it as “handing out gold like it was candy”) that he flooded the Cairo market with gold, thereby causing such a decline in its value that a dozen years later the market had still not fully recovered. It is believed that this visit caused many Muslim kingdoms in North Africa and others of European countries to desire to come to Africa. The rest, as they say, is history.

An African Leadership

The year of this much-talked-about trip was 1324. What does your history tell you was happening in the region of the world you hail from at the time? Since many Africans have been compelled to learn European history for obvious (colonial) reasons, we know that the 1300s were pretty dark days in Europe, fuelled by religious craziness, unfettered superstition and taken to the nadir by the arrival of the bubonic plague. Also known as Black Death, this pandemic killed an estimated 50 million people in Europe alone. Meanwhile the Black sultan Mūsā and his sub-Saharan African peoples were flourishing in ‘unimaginable wealth.’

This detail is from Sheet 6 of the Catalan Atlas showing Mansa Musa crowned in gold. BIBLIOTHÈQUE NATIONALE DE FRANCE/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

An elaborate 14th-century map called the Catalan Atlas features a prominent illustration of Mansa Musa seated on a plush throne, crowned in gold, holding a sceptre in one hand and a large golden orb in the other (see photo above). So says the map’s description:  “This Moorish ruler is named Musse Melly [Mansa Musa], lord of the negroes of Guinea. This king is the richest and most distinguished ruler of this whole region on account of the great quantity of gold that is found in his lands.”

A Gold Bar for your Thoughts

This is no tall tale. Even today, evidence of Mansa Musa’s resplendent reign still stand, like the Djinguereber Mosque, in Timbuktu, Mali, which he commissioned to be built en route back from Mecca in 1327, paying the Granada (Spanish) architect Abū Ishā al-Sāhilī who had travelled back with him from Arabia 440 pounds (200 kilograms) of gold. 

Mansa Mūsā’s army general had captured Timbuktu as a side show during the long Mecca pilgrimage. Emperor Mūsā would choose to spend significant time there on his way back to his own capital, eventually growing Timbuktu into “a very important commercial city having caravan connections with Egypt and with all other important trade centres in North Africa. Side by side with the encouragement of trade and commerce, learning and the arts received royal patronage” (Encyclopaedia Britannica). Eventually, three madrassas, including the still-standing Djinguereber, composed the University of Timbuktu, inscribed on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1988. The famed Malian city of Timbuktu was home to one of the largest libraries in the medieval world.

According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Under Mansa Mūsā (1307–32?), Mali rose to the apogee of its power.” From the look of things, Mansa Mūsā the Black emperor may have been the richest man to ever live. Sorry, Solomon. In fact, Celebrity Net Worth puts his net worth at $400 billion in today’s dollars, making Emperor Mūsā  nearly twice as rich as Jeff Bezos. Amazing.

When it comes to Mansa Mūsā the Malian Maestro, however, too many get stuck on the money, but de Graft-Johnson concurs there’s more to legacy than gold: “The organization and smooth administration of a purely African empire, the founding of the University of Sankore, the expansion of trade in Timbuktu, the architectural innovations in Gao, Timbuktu, and Niani and, indeed, throughout the whole of Mali and in the subsequent Songhai empire are all testimony to Mansa Mūsā’s superior administrative gifts. In addition, the moral and religious principles he had taught his subjects endured after his death.”

Wait a minute. Stop. Where is all of Africa’s gold today; and where are her leaders of the Mansa Mūsā stock—immensely wealthy, prodigiously generous, profoundly pious, grand legacy-leaving?

 

References

De Graft-Johnson, John Coleman. ‘Mūsā I of Mali.’ https://www.britannica.com/biography/Musa-I-of-Mali 

Galadima, Bulus and Sam George. 2024. Africans in Diaspora, Diasporas in Africa. Langham Global Library: Cambria, UK.

Roos, Dave. 2024. ‘African King Mansa Musa Was Even Richer Than Jeff Bezos, Some Say.’ https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/mansa-musa.htm

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf | A Beacon of Resilience, Determination and Leadership: Africa’s Premier Democratically Elected Female President

“If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough. The size of your dreams must always exceed your current capacity to achieve them.”— Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

INTRODUCTION

At a gender equality conference organised by the Kwara State Government in Nigeria, Mrs. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf shared a poignant moment, stating, “I was jailed twice and sent on exile from my own country because I chose to be a resounding voice for the people.” ^[1]  Johnson Sirleaf, a Liberian politician and economist, holds a remarkable place in history as the first woman elected president of an African country, a feat the United States of America is still struggling to equal. Her leadership and resilience make her a fitting inclusion on Perbi Executive Leadership Education’s (PELÉ’s) list of 50 inspiring leaders, as her tenure redefined the role of women in African governance and global leadership. This essay delves into the extraordinary life of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, focusing on her personal growth, remarkable achievements, unwavering resilience, and lasting impact. The following paragraphs will explore how she rose to prominence, her significant contributions to leadership and gender equality, and the challenges she overcame in her journey to become Africa’s first elected female president.

 

GROWTH

Early Years

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was born on October 29, 1938, in Monrovia (Liberia) to Jahmale Carney Johnson and Martha Cecelia Johnson (née Krueger).[^[2] Ellen enjoyed a peaceful childhood marked by a strong sense of community, where the extended family system meant that everyone looked out for one another.^[3] In an interview with the Academy of Achievement, she reflected: “During my childhood and up until the time when I was moving up professionally, the country was a great place to be. Everybody knew everybody. It’s a small country, small population. So it was easy to move around, easy to pursue what one wanted.” ^[4] This statement underscores the close-knit nature of Liberian society at the time, highlighting the social and political environment that shaped her formative years.

Ellen’s experiences during her childhood laid the foundation for her future leadership, illustrating how a supportive community can foster resilience and ambition. 

At age 17, Ellen married James Sirleaf, a young agronomist who had a degree from the University of Wisconsin.^[5] After having four sons in quick succession, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf embraced the role of homemaker while many of her peers pursued professional paths. ^[6] Her husband, James Sirleaf, worked for Liberia’s Department of Agriculture and to help support the family, Ellen took a job as a bookkeeper at an auto repair shop.^[7]  When James received the chance to study in the United States, the couple left their children with grandparents and travelled to America together.^[8] While James worked toward a graduate degree at the University of Wisconsin’s School of Agriculture, Ellen enrolled in accounting courses at Madison College of Business^[9]. Upon their return to Liberia in 1965, James resumed his position in the Agriculture Department and Ellen began working in the Treasury Department, which would later become the Ministry of Finance.

 

Education

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf received her early education at the College of West Africa in Monrovia, Liberia. Her academic journey continued in the United States, where she studied economics at the University of Colorado Boulder. ^[10] She furthered her education with a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government in 1971.^[11] This strong educational foundation played a crucial role in shaping her future as a leader and economist.

 

Public Service

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s journey as a prominent political voice in Liberia began with her impactful speech at her high school alma mater in 1971, where she boldly criticised the government.^[12] This marked the start of her advocacy for accountability and reform in her country. Prior to this, in 1965, she served in the Treasury Department, and by 1979, she had been appointed Minister of Finance. In this role, she implemented measures aimed at addressing the mismanagement of government finances, demonstrating her commitment to improving Liberia’s economic governance. [13]

Her personal financial integrity made her popular but not without clashes with the two heads of state of Liberia she served under during their respective tenures. [14] She served in various governmental roles and implemented fiscal reforms aimed at stabilising Liberia’s economy. Her tenure in these positions earned her both admiration and criticism, but her dedication to improving her country’s welfare never faltered. According to Archives of Women’s Political Communication of Iowa State University, Sirleaf became the president of the Liberian Bank for Development and Investment (LBDI) in 1980 but had to flee that same year to Kenya as a result of an increasingly suppressive military government.[15] 

In Kenya, she served as the vice president of Citicorp’s Africa Regional Office in Nairobi but later moved to Washington, D.C. where she became the senior loan officer at the World Bank and the vice president for Equator Bank.[16] 

From 1992 to 1997, Sirleaf was the director of the Regional Bureau for Africa of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). During these years, Liberia was plunged into civil war and Ellen ran for president in the 1997 election of Liberia but came second place.  “I felt I’d earned the stripes and I could compete as effectively as anybody else. I’d gone through all the trials and tribulations of political life and also had enough, I believe, international exposure, professionalism. And also, I didn’t think there was anybody who could be as competitive, given my experience, background in some things. I thought I was a formidable candidate, and I proved to be right.” Ellen gave this explanation when she was interviewed by the American Academy of Achievement.[17] 

 

SUCCESS

Presidency

Sirleaf’s path to the presidency was not easy. Liberia, a country marred by civil wars and economic instability, needed a leader who could steer it towards peace and prosperity. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf won the 2005 presidential election and took office on 16 January 2006.[18] She was elected the 24th president of Liberia and the first elected female head of state in Africa. Gloriously, Ellen won re-election in November 2011. According to the Global Leadership Foundation (n.d.), Johnson Sirleaf (during her two terms as president) focused on rebuilding the country, attracting over $16 billion in foreign direct investment.[19]  She also attracted more than $5 million in private resources to rebuild schools, clinics and markets, and fund scholarships for capacity building. She successfully negotiated $4.6 billion in external debt forgiveness and the lifting of UN trade sanctions, which have allowed Liberia to once again access international markets.[20]  She increased the national budget from $80 million in 2006 to over $672 million in 2012, with an annual GDP growth rate of more than 7%. Her remarkable leadership and economic foresight not only revitalised the nation’s economy but also positioned Liberia as one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies during her tenure.[21]

 

Africa’s Iron Lady

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has been a steadfast advocate for peace, justice, and democratic governance—values that carried profound significance in a nation plagued by dictatorship and civil war. Despite the inherent dangers of opposing undemocratic regimes, often backed by warlords or led by them directly, Ellen courageously criticised leaders whose actions she believed were harming Liberia.

Initially, she supported Charles Taylor’s efforts against the oppressive regime of Samuel Doe. However, as it became evident that Taylor’s motives were self-serving and centred on consolidating power and personal enrichment, Ellen distanced herself from him. Reflecting on this during an interview with the Academy of Achievement, she remarked: “His motives were selfish, and he was there to take power and to enrich himself… That’s when we started to distance ourselves from him.”[22]

No woman had become president in any African country at the time Ellen contested for the seat of the president in Liberia. Although she came second in her first attempt and was charged with treason by the Charles Taylor government,[23] propelling her to go into exile, Sirleaf returned to Liberia in 2003 to chair the Commission on Good Governance, which oversaw preparations for democratic elections after civil war had resumed in Liberia by 1999. While in exile (in Ivory Coast), she established a venture capital vehicle for African entrepreneurs and founded Measuagoon, a Liberian community development NGO.[24] 

 

In 2005, Ellen ran for president in Liberia where she came second in the first round of voting (after George Weah) and on November 8, 2005 she won the runoff election and was sworn in on January 16, 2006 as the 24th President of the Republic of Liberia, two years after the nation’s bloody civil war ended. 

 

Given this context, it is not surprising that Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is known in international circles as ‘Africa’s Iron Lady’.[25]  Reflecting her bold and ambitious outlook, she famously wrote in her memoir, This Child Will Be Great: Memoir of a Remarkable Life by Africa’s First Woman President, “If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough. The size of your dreams must always exceed your current capacity to achieve them.”.[26] 

 

This statement encapsulates her philosophy on ambition, courage and pursuing goals that push boundaries and inspire growth.

 

SIGNIFICANCE

Sirleaf’s election as President of Liberia was a beacon of hope for Liberia, signalling a new era of stability and progress. During her presidency, Sirleaf focused on rebuilding Liberia’s infrastructure, revitalising the economy, and promoting reconciliation among its people. She implemented policies aimed at improving education, healthcare, and women’s rights. Under her leadership, Liberia made significant strides in recovering from the devastation of years of conflict, although challenges remained.

 

As president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf served as the chairperson of the Mano River Union, where she spearheaded initiatives aimed at fostering political stability and economic cooperation among Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, and Côte d’Ivoire.[27] She was also a founding member of the International Institute for Women in Political Leadership.[28] In 1999, the Organization of African Unity (OAU) appointed her to a committee investigating the Rwandan genocide, showcasing her commitment to human rights and justice. Additionally, she chaired the commission for the Inter-Congolese Dialogue and was selected by UNIFEM as one of two individuals tasked with investigating the impact of conflict on women and their roles in peacebuilding efforts.[29]

In 2011, Sirleaf was re-elected for a second term in a run-off vote, achieving an overwhelming majority.[30] Her leadership and advocacy for women’s rights and regional cooperation have left a significant mark on both Liberia and the broader West African region.

Throughout her career, Sirleaf’s commitment to her country, Liberia, remained unwavering despite facing personal and political challenges. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, stands as a towering figure in African politics and global leadership. Her journey from an economist to becoming Africa’s first elected female head of state is not only a testament to her perseverance but also a symbol of hope and progress for gender equality and democracy worldwide.

Post-Political Life

In March 2018, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf launched the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development which has been specifically designed with dedication to promoting women’s aspirations for development in Africa.[31] 

In May 2019, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) appointed Ellen as Goodwill Ambassador for the health workforce. The WHO explained Ellen’s appointment in the press release stating that, “following the Ebola epidemic in Liberia in 2015, she oversaw the expansion of Primary Health Care and the creation of more than 4,000 new health worker jobs as part of the post-Ebola response.”[32] 

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Ellen stepped down from her role as Goodwill Ambassador for the WHO’s health workforce to serve as co-chair of the WHO’s Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response (IPPR), alongside Helen Clark (former Prime Minister of New Zealand).[33] 

In 2020, she was also appointed to the Development Advisory Council of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) which counsels the DFC on approaches to enhancing development impact.[34] Ellen as well became a member of the High-Level Group of Personalities on Africa-Europe Relations from 2020 till date. 

She currently serves as a Member of the  Advisory Board of Brenthurst Foundation[35], and member of the Board of Directors of the Mastercard Foundation.[36]

 

Awards and Honours

In 2011, President Sirleaf was jointly awarded the prestigious Nobel Prize for Peace. This  generated a pre-election controversy wherein other Liberian presidential candidates complained that the Nobel Committee was interfering with Liberian politics by awarding the prize so close to the election. Ellen is also the recipient of The Presidential Medal of Freedom—the United States’ highest civilian award—for her personal courage, and unwavering commitment to expanding freedom and improving the lives of Africans.[37] 

Her many honours also include the Grand Croix of the Légion d’Honneur, France’s highest public distinction, and being named one of Forbes’ “100 Most Powerful Women in the World.” She was one of six “Women of the Year” (Glamour, 2010), among the 10 best leaders in the world (Newsweek, 2010) and top 10 female leaders (TIME, 2010). In 2010, The Economist called her “the best President the country has ever had.”[38]

Sirleaf Johnson has been awarded honorary doctorates by more than 15 institutions, including: Tilburg University (Netherlands), the Nigerian Defence Academy, the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Harvard University, Rutgers University, Yale University, Georgetown University, the University of Abeokuta (Nigeria), the University of Minnesota, Furman University of South Carolina, Brown University, Indiana University, Dartmouth College, Concordia University, Langston University, Spelman College and Marquette University.[39]

CONCLUSION

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s influence extends far beyond her presidency; she remains actively engaged in global initiatives that advocate for peace, development, and women’s empowerment. Her legacy as a trailblazer in African politics is profound, inspiring future generations of leaders, particularly women, around the world.

Sirleaf’s life and career are testaments to resilience, determination, and exceptional leadership. From her beginnings as an economist to becoming Liberia’s first female president and a Nobel laureate, her journey exemplifies the transformative power of dedicated public service. The impact she has made on Liberia and beyond highlights the crucial role of strong leadership in nurturing democracy, peace, and sustainable development.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is not merely a historical figure; she is a beacon of hope and inspiration for people everywhere, embodying the potential for positive change through unwavering commitment and vision.

 

References

1. Premium Times. (n.d.) “I was jailed, exiled for defending Liberians – Former President Johnson Sirleaf.” Available: ttps://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/418003-i-was-     jailed-exiled-for-defending-liberians-former-president-johnson-sirleaf.html?tztc=1.     Retrieved July 2, 2024.
2. My Heritage. (n.d.) Ellen Sirleaf (born Johnson) born 1983. Available: https://www.myheritage.com/names/ellen_sirleaf. Retrieved July 2 2024. 
3. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf—All Achievers. (2008) .Available: https://achievement.org/achiever/ellen-  johnson-  sirleaf/#interview. Retrieved July 2 2024.
4. Ibid. 
5. Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. (2024) “Ellen Johnson Sirleaf”. Encyclopedia         Britannica:https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ellen-Johnson-Sirleaf. Retrieved July 2 2024. 
6. Bourlin, O. (2013). Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (1938-). BlackPast.org. https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/johnson-sirleaf-ellen-1938/. Retrieved July 2 2024. 
7. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf—All Achievers. (2008). Available: https://achievement.org/achiever/ellen-       johnson-        sirleaf/#interview. Retrieved July 2 2024.
8. Metzlar, M. (2021). Ellen Johnson Sirleaf: Exile, Election, Exile, Election – a long way of becoming president. Available: https://raffia-magazine.com/2021/01/25/ellen-johnson-sirleaf-exile-election-exile-election-a-long-way-of-becoming-president/
9. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf—All Achievers. (2008). Available: https://achievement.org/achiever/ellen-       johnson-        sirleaf/#interview Retrieved July 2 2024.
10. Amana A. (n.d.) Ellen Sirleaf: An Amazon’s Journey in Active Politics and Leadership. Available: https://www.amazonswatchmagazine.com/governance-in-heels/ellen-sirleaf-an-amazons-journey-in-active-politics-and-leadership/. Retrieved July 2 2024.
11. Archives of Women’s Political Communication. (n.d.) Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.         https://awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu/directory/ellen-johnson-sirleaf/. Retrieved July 2 2024. 
12. Ibid. 
13. Ibid. 
14. Britannica; The Editors of Encyclopaedia. (2024) “Ellen Johnson Sirleaf”. Encyclopedia         Britannica:https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ellen-Johnson-Sirleaf. Retrieved July 2 2024. 
15. Ibid.
16. Gilpin, R., & Hsu, E. (2008). Is Liberia’s Governance and Economic Management Assistance Program a” necessary Intrusion?”. United States Institute of Peace.  Available: https://www.usip.org/sites/default/files/PB-May2008-Is-Liberias-Governance.PDF. Retrieved July 2 2024.
17. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf—All Achievers. (2008). Available: https://achievement.org/achiever/ellen-       johnson-        sirleaf/#interview Retrieved July 2 2024.
18. Ibid
19. 19. Global Leadership Foundation.(n.d.) “Ellen Johnson Sirleaf” President, Liberia 2006-2018:           https://www.g-l-f.org/who-we-are/members/ellen-johnson-sirleaf/ Retrieved July 2 2024.
20. 20. Ibid
21. United Nations (n.d.). First Female President of Liberia & Nobel Peace Laureate. Available: https://www.un.org/en/conf/migration/assets/pdf/Ellen-Sirleaf-Bio.pdf. Retrieved July 2 2024.
22. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf—All Achievers. (2008) . Available: https://achievement.org/achiever/ellen-       johnson-        sirleaf/#interview Retrieved July 2 2024.
23. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2024). “Ellen Johnson Sirleaf”. Encyclopedia         Britannica:https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ellen-Johnson-Sirleaf. Retrieved July 2 2024. 
24. Ibid.
25. United Nations (n.d.). First Female President of Liberia & Nobel Peace Laureate. Available: https://www.un.org/en/conf/migration/assets/pdf/Ellen-Sirleaf-Bio.pdf. Retrieved July 2 2024.
26. Johnson, E. S. (2009). This Child Will Be Great: Memoir of a Remarkable Life by Africa’s First Woman President.
27. Columbia World Leader Forum. (2012). Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Available: https://worldleaders.columbia.edu/directory/ellen-johnson-sirleaf. Retrieved July 2 2024.
28. Mastercard Foundation. (n.d.) President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf:   https://mastercardfdn.org/people/ellen-johnson-sirleaf/. Retrieved July 2 2024.
29. Ibid
30. Metzlar, M. (2021). Ellen Johnson Sirleaf: Exile, Election, Exile, Election – a long way of becoming president. Available: https://raffia-magazine.com/2021/01/25/ellen-johnson-sirleaf-exile-election-exile-election-a-long-way-of-becoming-president/
31. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development (2024). Building a Legacy of Leadership and Knowledge in a Center of Excellence. Available: https://ejscenter.org/. Retrieved November  29 2024.
32. World Health Organization (2019). Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf appointed as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Health Workforce.  Available: https://web.archive.org/web/20200715054041/https://www.who.int/hrh/news/2019/EJS_good-will-ambassador-hwf/en/. Retrieved November  29 2024.
33. Miller J. (2020). Veteran female leaders to head WHO COVID-19 review amid anti-globalism barbs. Available: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-who-panel/veteran-female-leaders-to-head-who-covid-19-review-amid-anti-globalism-barbs-idUSKBN24A2U3/. Retrieved November  29 2024.
34. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development (2024). Ellen Johnson Sirleaf joins the Development Advisory Council of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation. Available: https://ejscenter.org/. Retrieved November  29 2024.
35. The Brenthurst Foundation (2024) Leaders Invested in the Economic Development of Africa. Available: https://www.thebrenthurstfoundation.org/people/. Retrieved November  29 2024.
36. The Mastercard Foundation (n.d.) Available: https://mastercardfdn.org/board-of-directors/. Retrieved November  29 2024.
37. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf—All Achievers. (2008) . Available: https://achievement.org/achiever/ellen-       johnson-        sirleaf/#interview Retrieved July 2 2024.
38. United Nations (n.d.). First Female President of Liberia & Nobel Peace Laureate. Available: https://www.un.org/en/conf/migration/assets/pdf/Ellen-Sirleaf-Bio.pdf. Retrieved July 2 2024.
39. Ibid

 

SATYA NADELLA – The transformational leader driving the resurgence of Microsoft

“The most important attribute that any leader needs to have—and it is often underestimated—is the need to create clarity when none exists.”— Satya Nadella

 

INTRODUCTION

Satya Nadella is an Indian-American transformational business leader currently serving as the Executive Chairman and CEO of Microsoft Corporation. He is credited with Microsoft’s resurgence, positioning it as a leader in cloud computing and Artificial Intelligence.^[1] Under his leadership, there has been a cultural transformation at Microsoft and the value of the company has grown tenfold to over $3 billion.^[2] Nadella’s remarkable rise to the top of one of the world’s influential technology giants and his achievements at the top is a story that is worth telling. 

 

GROWTH

From Hyderabad to Redmond

Satya Nadella was born on 19th August, 1967 in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad. His mother, Prabhavati, taught ancient language, literature and philosophy of India at the college level.^[3] He describes himself as ‘my mother’s son’ as she was a constant steadying force in his life growing up. His father Bukkapuram Nadella Yugandhar worked with the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) administering many districts at different times in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. This meant Satya moved places often and lived in “old colonial buildings in the middle of nowhere with lots of time and space”^[4]. When Satya was six, the family lost his five-month-old sister and this had a devastating impact on the family, ultimately leading to his mother giving up her job.    

As a result of his father moving around a lot, Satya moved schools a lot until age fifteen, when the moving around stopped for him to enter Hyderabad Public School. His childhood dream was to play cricket for Hyderabad and work for a bank. This was fine with his mother but his dad pushed him to get out of Hyderabad for greener pastures. His father gave up the chance to pursue a PhD in Economics on a Fulbright fellowship in the early 1960s to join the IAS.4

When Satya was fifteen his father bought him a Sinclair ZX Spectrum computer kit and this spurred his interest in software, personal computing and engineering. In pursuit of this interest, he wrote the entrance exam to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) but unfortunately failed the exam, much to the disappointment of his father. Fortunately, he got admitted to Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT) to study Electrical Engineering. He hoped that studying electrical engineering would get him closer to computers and software. He completed his studies at MIT in 1988 graduating with a Bachelor’s degree^[5]. He migrated to the United States on his twenty-first birthday in 1988 to pursue a Master’s degree in Computer Science at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. At the University of Wisconsin, he developed an interest in the theoretical aspect of computer science focusing on the computer science puzzle known as graph coloring.  Nadella completed his Master’s degree in 1990. He also has a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Chicago^[6].

After graduation, Nadella landed his first job in Silicon Valley with the now defunct Sun Microsystems where he worked on workstations, which was his focus at that time. He worked on Sun’s desktop software and he spent two years with Sun witnessing a transition in the computer business as both Sun Microsystems and Microsoft were undergoing transitions. In 1992, Nadella left Sun Microsystems for Microsoft, a journey from Hyderabad in India to Redmond, Washington State, USA (location of Microsoft’s headquarters). 

 

SUCCESS

Influence of Family Life

Satya Nadella is married to Anupama, his childhood sweetheart. Anupama’s father and Satya’s father joined the IAS together and were friends. Satya and ‘Anu’ got married in December 1992 in India. By 1994 Anu had completed her degree in Architecture at Manipal Institute of Technology but was facing difficulties obtaining a visa to join Satya in the United States because of Satya’s permanent resident status there. Satya was told it would take five or more years to get a visa for Anu because of the existing rules regarding his permanent resident status. He was advised by a lawyer at Microsoft that reverting to an H-1B status would allow Anu to obtain a visa much earlier. He therefore decided to give up his green card to go back to an H-1B status, a temporary resident status. His priority was the love of his life. The decision worked and Anu eventually joined him in the US. Satya subsequently gained notoriety as the guy who gave up his green card. Satya and his family live in Bellevue, Washington.^[7]

The couple have two daughters. They lost a son, Zain, at the age of 26 in 2022; Zain was born with cerebral palsy.^[8] Just as the loss of his five-month-old sister had affected and shaped his family in the 1970s, the birth of Zain in August 1996 with cerebral palsy and his subsequent death in February 2022, shaped Satya and Anu’s understanding of life. They learned that the problems of life cannot always be solved in the manner one wants and that one must learn to cope. During one of his numerous visits to the ICU unit to visit Zain, Satya noticed how many of the devices were running on Windows and were increasingly connected to cloud storage. This drove home the importance of the work he was doing at Microsoft and reminded him of the importance of his decisions as the CEO of Microsoft. 

 

Leading and succeeding at Microsoft

Satya Nadella is praised for steering Microsoft away from a failing mobile strategy and refocusing the tech giant on cloud computing and augmented reality.^[9] He first joined Microsoft in 1992 working on its operating software, Windows NT. He steadily rose through the ranks at Microsoft, picking up valuable leadership lessons along the way from people like Doug Burghum, Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer.

In 1999, Satya was appointed vice president of small businesses and in 2001, he was named corporate vice president of Microsoft Business Solutions. He was promoted to the role of senior vice president of Research and Development for Microsoft’s online services division in 2007. From 2011 to 2013 he served as president of Microsoft’s server and tools business. He subsequently served as a vice president of the tech giant’s cloud computing platform leading the transformation of the firm’s business and technology culture from client services to cloud infrastructure and services.^[10] 

In February 2014, Satya was introduced as the CEO of Microsoft taking over from Steve Ballmer, who had succeeded Bill Gates in 2000.^[11] Nadella’s first decade at the helm of Microsoft has been defined by cloud computing.  He has been championing cloud computing and positioning Microsoft to be a leader in the field. Cloud computing is transforming businesses around the world. Schools, farms and hospitals all over the globe depend on cloud computing. Under Nadella’s leadership, Microsoft is investing billions in OpenAI and is committed to building its public cloud computing platform, Azure, into a supercomputer for the world.^[12] Microsoft is on course to own its own $20 billion cloud business. On April 30, 2024, Nadella announced that Microsoft would invest $1.7 billion over the next four years in new cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure in Indonesia as it seeks to expand its presence in Southeast Asia.^[13] 

Nadella has overseen some of the major acquisitions by Microsoft: the $69 billion acquisition of Activision in 2022, the $20 billion acquisition of Nuance Communications in 2021 and $26 billion deal for LinkedIn in 2016.^[14] 

When he took over in 2014, Microsoft’s market capitalisation was just over $300 billion. After a decade of him being at the helm, the company’s market capitalization has grown tenfold to $3.06 trillion and Microsoft is a leader in cloud and artificial intelligence.^[15] Over the past ten years, Microsoft has created $2.8 trillion in shareholder wealth.^[16]

Nadella’s tenure as CEO is not without controversy though. In October 2014, during a Women in Computing programme held in Phoenix, USA, he stated that women should put their faith in the system and not ask for a raise and that the system will actually give them the raise as they go along.^[17] He was severely criticised and he apologised for his statement in memos to staff at Microsoft. He affirmed his support for equal pay for men and women for equal work and the need for women to ask for pay raises.^[18]

 

SIGNIFICANCE

Leadership Principles and Impact

Satya Nadella states in his autobiography, “Hit Refresh,” that he “was influenced by his father’s enthusiasm for intellectual engagement and his mother’s dream of a balanced life.”⁴ His leadership style has been shaped by certain principles he learned from playing cricket. The first principle is to compete vigorously and with passion in the face of uncertainty and intimidation. The second principle focuses on the importance of a leader putting the team first, ahead of the leader’s personal statistics and recognition. The third is an emphasis on the central importance of leadership, that is, the role leaders must play in bringing out the best in everyone on the team. Leaders must be empathetic and must bolster the confidence of the people they lead. He indicates that throughout his life’s work he has seen these principles at work. As an empathetic leader he has interacted with people globally and has seen at first hand the “interplay between empathy and technology.” The Microsoft CEO says “empathy isn’t a soft skill; it’s actually the hardest skill we learn.”^[19] He asserts that these principles have not only shaped his corporate leadership style but also his leadership style as a husband and father.

In a July 2019 interview with Chicago Booth Magazine, a publication the University of Chicago’s business school, his alma mater, Nadella listed three attributes he looks for in leaders. They are the leader’s ability to create clarity when none exists, the ability to create energy and the ability to create success in an overstrained space (environment).^[20]  

Nadella is credited with re-shaping the culture at Microsoft inspiring employees to embrace a “learn-it-all” curiosity that got all stakeholders of the company – developers, customers and investors – to engage with the company in a new way. He has placed an emphasis on the kind of soft skills that are often derided in the extremely competitive corporate world.^[21] Nadella believes that empathy is key to innovation and it is needed to understand and satisfy customer needs. He encourages business leaders to, “Listen more, speak less and be decisive when the time comes.”^[22]

 

Awards and Recognition

Nadella has been globally recognised for his achievements at Microsoft and in the global technology industry. In 2022, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan Award, one of the highest civilian awards by the government of India.^[23] In honour of his transformative leadership he was awarded an honorary Ph.D by the Georgia Institute of Technology in January 2024.^[24] He was named CNN Business CEO of the year for 2023 in recognition of him leading Microsoft to shift focus from the legacy of Windows to an industry-leading position in AI innovation.^[25]  In 2019, he was named Fortune’s Businessperson of the Year.^[26] He was praised for his willingness to delegate. Also in 2019, he was named the Financial Times Person of the Year.^[27] He’s been named among Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the world twice, both 2018^[28] and 2024.^[29]

Nadella has served on many boards and committees including the Board of Directors of Starbucks, Board of Trustees of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the Board of Trustees of the University of Chicago.

 

CONCLUSION

Satya Nadella did not expect to lead one of the world’s most influential and most profitable companies when he was a young man in the Indian city of Hyderabad. His dream then was to play cricket and to work in a bank. He eventually moved from Hyderabad to Redmond to work at Microsoft and in his early years at Microsoft, becoming CEO was “not even a thought” he says. Rather, his focus was on excelling in the little role he had at that time, according to him.  Nadella’s best career advice is,  “Don’t wait for your next job to do your best work.”^[30] 

 

^[1] Marcus Law (2024-02-06) Satya Nadella’s 10 Years as Microsoft CEO: From Cloud to AI  Technology Magazine. Retrieved 29th April 2024

^{[2] Wily Healy (2024 -04-23) If You’d Invested $10,000 in Microsoft Stock When Satya Nadella Became CEO, This Is How Much You Would Have Today  MSN.com Retrieved 29th April 2024
[3] https://www.globalindian.com/profiles/satya-nadella/
[4]} Nadella Satya, Shaw Greg & Nichols, Jill Tracie (2017), Hit Refresh: the quest to rediscover Microsoft’s soul and imagine a better future for everyone. New York, HarperCollinsPublishers, 

^[5] Satya Nadella’s life and career, from computer-science student to CEO of Microsoft and turning it into a $3 trillion titan  Business  Business Insider Africa. Retrieved 29th April 2024

^{[6] McCracken, Harry (2010-12-15). “Microsoft’s New CEO Satya Nadella: 10 Things to Know”. Time. Archived from the original on 4 February 2014. Retrieved 29th April 2024
[7]  https://news.microsoft.com/exec/satya-nadella/ Retrieved 29th April 2024
[8] “Microsoft Says Son of CEO Satya Nadella Has Died”. finance.yahoo.com. March 2022. Archived from the original on 1 November 2022. Retrieved 29th April 2024
[9]  https://www.forbes.com/profile/satya-nadella/?sh=50787c133bff Retrieved 29th April 2024
[10] Hollar, Sherman (2020-12-01). “Satya Nadella – Biography & Facts”. Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 2 February 2022. Retrieved 29th April 2024
[11] “Microsoft names Satya Nadella new CEO”. CNET. 4 February 2014. Archived from the original on 6 February 2014. Retrieved 29th April 2024
[12] Marcus Law (2023-01-23). Microsoft confirms ‘multibillion-dollar’ OpenAI investment  Technology Magazine. Retrieved 29th April 2024
[13] Edna Tarigan (2024-04-30). Microsoft to invest $1.7 billion into AI infrastructure in Indonesia, CEO Satya Nadella says  MSN.com
[14]} “Padma Bhushan: Microsoft’s Satya Nadella, and Google’s Sundar Pichai get Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian award – Times of India”. The Times of India. 25 January 2022. Archived from the original on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 29th April 2024^[15]

^{[15] Jordan Novet (2024-02-24) Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella hits 10-year anniversary CNBC.com Retrieved 29th April 2024}

^{[16] Matt O’Brien (2024-02-03). Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella caps a decade of change and tremendous growth | AP News AP News. Retrieved 29th April 2024}

<sup>[17] Staff; agencies (2014-10-10). “Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella: women, don’t ask for a raise”. Theguardian.com. Archived from the original on 17 September 2017. Retrieved 29th April 2024
[18]Swisher, Kara (2014-10-09). “Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella on Women Pay Gaffe: “I Answered That Question Completely Wrong.””. Vox. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 29th April 2024

[19] Kylie Kirschner (2023-10-17). Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says empathy isn’t a soft skill — it’s actually ‘the hardest skill we learn’. Business Insider Africa. Retrieved 30th April 2024.

[20] Sandra Jones (2019-01-19)  Leadership Lessons from Satya Nadella | The University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Chicago Booth Magazine. Retrieved 29th April 2024

[21] “Transforming culture at Microsoft: Satya Nadella sets a new tone”. www.intheblack.com. Archived from the original on 14 June 2020. Retrieved 29th April 2024

[22] Newsroom (2018-06-18). “Satya Nadella: when empathy is good for business”. www.morningfuture.com. Archived from the original on 14 June 2020. Retrieved 30th April 2024

[23]</sup> “Padma Bhushan: Microsoft’s Satya Nadella, and Google’s Sundar Pichai get Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian award – Times of India”. The Times of India. 25 January 2022. Archived from the original on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 30th April 2024

<sup>[24] “Georgia Tech Presents Satya Nadella With Honorary Degree”. Georgia Tech News Center. 25 January 2024. Retrieved 30th April 2024

[25] Samantha M. Kelly (2023-12-31). Microsoft’s Satya Nadella is CNN Business’ CEO of the Year | CNN Business Retrieved 30th April 2024

[26]</sup> Lashinsky, Adam (2019-11-19). “Businessperson of the Year 2019”. Fortune. Archived from the original on 4 July 2020. Retrieved 30th April 2024

<sup>[27] Waters, Richard (2019-12-19). “FT Person of the Year: Satya Nadella”. Financial Times. Archived from the original on 5 July 2020. Retrieved 30th April 2024

[28] Isaacson, Walter (2018-04-19). “Satya Nadella”. Time. Archived from the original on 4 July 2020. Retrieved 30th April 2024

[29] Hobson, Mellody (2024-04-17). “Time 100: Satya Nadella”. Time Retrieved 30th April 2024</sup>

^{[30] Morgan Smith (2023-03-24) Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s No. 1 tip for career success  CNBC.com Retrieved 30th April 2024}

 

 

50 Inspiring Living Leaders

This 50 Inspiring Living Leaders series highlights current influencers who are succeeding in leadership, integrity, family or entrepreneurship in whatever field and exhibit most, if not all, of our values of PELÉ. We value people, growth, particularity, excellence, success, authenticity and significance. These stories are largely written in terms of growth, success and significance in leadership, integrity, family and  entrepreneurship. While we do our best to receive personal references about each leader, most of our research and writing is based on literature review of publicly-available information. As authorities in leadership, we are fully aware that there is no such thing as a perfect leader, and leaders may have their flaws, but we choose to celebrate these inspiring living leaders for their achievements outlined in our series. Having said that, should you happen to have any incontrovertible evidence that any of our featured leaders does not fit our bill of an authentic leader, please write to us at info@perbiexecutive.com. Our vision at PELÉ is a flourishing global ecosystem of authentic leaders characterised by healthy growth, holistic success and lasting significance.

BILL GEORGE – Authentic Leader of Leaders

INTRODUCTION

A number of the inspiring living leaders being profiled in this series are actually recommendations of Bill George, who in his life as a business leader and academic alike has become a cultivator of leaders and curator of leadership, a leader of leaders par excellence. As an internationally-recognized author, speaker, and teacher—after three decades of walking the talk as a C-level leader in Corporate America himself—this octogenarian not only keeps abreast with the daily news but skillfully brings out the leadership lessons and infringements therein, often publicly holding the feet of leaders to the fire like he recently did Meta’s founder Mark Zuckerberg.^[1] Perhaps this Harvard-taught and Harvard-teaching leader’s most endearing legacy will be fathering the whole field of Authentic Leadership.

 

GROWTH

Early Formation

Born William W. George in Muskegon, Michigan in the Midwestern United States of America (USA) on September 14, 1942. He grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan but saw opportunities elsewhere. George’s parents supported any career he wanted to pursue^[2] “even though his father, a Michigan business consultant, pressed his (frustrated) dreams of corporate leadership onto their only child.”^[3] Bill gained his values from his mother.^[4] He would later graduate with a Bachelor in Industrial and Systems Engineering (BSIE) with high honors from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1964.^[5] At Georgia Tech, George was a member of the Beta Psi chapter of the fraternity Sigma Chi. A couple of years later, as a Baker Scholar William George received a Master of Business Administration with high distinction from Harvard University, in 1966,^[6] way before most people had gotten wind of what an MBA was and an MBA-craze had begun.

Turn Outs and Turn Downs

Young George actually started out his work life serving in the U.S. Department of Defense, where he was Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)^[7]in Washington D.C. and later as Special Civilian Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy.^[8] William George began in government but would soon end up in the private sector, specifically in the corporate world.

Bill held a series of senior executive positions in Litton Industries (1970-78), primarily as president of Litton Microwave Cooking. In 1969, Litton Microwave Cooking Products, a division of Litton Industries, had hired George at age 27 as president and Chief Operating Officer (COO). He quickly got a jolt as he was packing his bags to move to Minneapolis. Over the radio he heard a warning. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration declared microwave ovens “might be hazardous to your health.” That crisis formed him as a leader, the kind of leader he has become. “I was not an expert in any aspect of the business, but in this crisis everyone looked to me for survival,” he wrote in Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value. “My skill was to pull together the right people and empower them to solve the problems, one at a time.”^[9]

As senior executive at Honeywell (1978-1989), Bill was President of Honeywell’s Space & Aviation Systems and President of Honeywell Europe. By the late 1980s, Bill George was a successful executive at Honeywell International. He was on the shortlist to be the next CEO. But he was miserable. George disliked the focus on turnarounds. Squeezing out expected quarterly numbers wore on him, too.^[10] “I really wanted to be working closely with customers and employees, but had prioritized impressing my bosses and Wall Street,” says George.^[11] Not only did Honeywell get the cold shoulder from George, he turned down offers to join medical device maker Medtronic three times. But the company, which was founded barely seven years after George’s own birth, both in the Midwest, did not give up. He accepted the fourth invitation to become President and COO in 1989, then became Chief Executive Officer (CEO) from 1991 to 2001; and finally bowed out as board chair (1996-2002).

Sometimes, how you start out is not how you turn out; starting this way or the other does not mean that’s how you’ll end. From hard core business about tough things like defense, microwave technology and space/aviation hardware, who could’ve predicted that where Bill will flourish most and earn a household name and global fame would be in the softer business of health, especially of the heart? “It was the best decision of my professional life,” he says of finally joining Medtronic. “I was excited to go to work with a group of talented people who were dedicated to the mission of alleviating pain, restoring health and extending life.”^[12] Bill was looking for purpose; and he had found it, now heading in the direction of his own True North.

My bet is that no one saw a life of academia coming after that ‘meteoric Medtronic’ adventure, becoming a professor at Harvard Business School in 2004. For what it’s worth, Bill’s 30 years in senior executive leadership in corporate America seems to have been spread over three ten-year blocks each at Litton, Honeywell and Medtronic, more or less.

 

SUCCESS

Bill George became a household name through health leadership, as a non-medic who clearly had a heart for human flourishing thus applied that passion and his smarts and endearing values to prospering the Minnesota-born company he led. Mr. George is “best known in Minnesota for his leadership role in the evolution of Medtronic, piloting the medical technology company through 13 years of outstanding growth as President and Chief Operating Officer (1989-91), Chief Executive Officer (1991-2001), and Chairman of the Board (1996-2002).”^[13] Under his leadership, Medtronic’s market capitalization grew from $1.1 billion to $60 billion, averaging 35% a year,^[14] all the while posting a “strong reputation by demonstrating ethical leadership and integrity.”^[15]

Having always been a stickler for purpose and long-term success, Bill is clear that even the whooping successful numbers above stemmed from staying true to purpose rather than an attempt to chase after profit or shareholder value. In a recent interview, he was noted as saying:

I went to Medtronic because it offered me a chance to restore people to full life. When I got there, it was a mid-size company with $750 million in revenue; now it’s $32 billion. But the important thing was not the size but how we helped people. Our metric was how many seconds go by before another person is restored by a Medtronic product. When I started, that number was 100 seconds. When I left, it was seven seconds. Today, it’s two per second. Now, that’s a metric everyone can relate to. They can’t relate to $2.61 a share. Shareholder value is an outcome. If we create great value for our customers, we will increase market share, we will enter new markets, and we will expand our business and business models. But workers on Medtronic’s heart-valve line want to ensure every product is perfect because they know human life is at stake.^[16]

Bill George is revered in the American Midwest for taking “a homegrown Minnesota company, Medtronic, and shepherd[ing] its rise through a remarkable decade of growth.”^[17] In his own books, Bill humbly but assertively speaks of strategic mergers in the 1990s he spearheaded that provided not only for global expansion of the company, but also a corresponding boom of innovation in medical devices, services and therapies that served to benefit more than 1.5 million patients per year suffering from cardiac disease and other serious illness.^[18]

Bill and the Academy

Growing up on a university campus as the son and grandson of professors, I used to marvel at how many professors in the business school had no business teaching business because they had never operated any businesses themselves. Bill George is the very antithesis of that aberration, having become a professor at Harvard Business School in 2004, after three solid decades of executive leadership actually doing business. During 2002-03, Mr. George was Professor of Leadership and Governance at IMD International and Ecole Polytechnique in Lausanne, Switzerland, and Executive-in-Residence at Yale School of Management.^[19]  William W. George, “an American businessman and academic” as he’s largely described in a nutshell now, was a Professor of Management Practice, and a Henry B. Arthur Fellow of Ethics at Harvard Business School^[20] until 2016. He has since been a Senior Fellow and now Executive Fellow at Harvard.
Bill believes, “We need to develop moral leaders who are authentic, compassionate, and driven by a sense of purpose.” He continues, “I have been critical of some business schools for training too many managers and not enough leaders and not talking about the values that matter. Do you have the courage to do the right thing?”^[21] There is a difference between management and leadership, Mr. George seems desirous of reminding us. In the famous words of the father and founder of modern Management, Peter Drucker, “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” Bill George is prophetic in the academy.

Literary Leadership

Behold Bill’s bibliography: Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value (2003), True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership (2007), True North Groups: A Powerful Path to Personal and Leadership Development (2008), Finding Your True North: A Personal Guide (2008), and 7 Lessons for Leading in Crisis (2009). In August 2015, George published the work that has been most defining of my own leadership in this decade, Discover Your True North, along with its companion workbook, The Discover Your True North Fieldbook:  A Personal Guide to Becoming an Authentic Leader. ^[22]His latest, seven years later, is a variant of the last, tailored to emerging leaders, True North: Leading Authentically in Today’s Workplace, Emerging Leader Edition published by John Wiley & Sons (August 2022). Later that same fall, in November, Bill George came out with True North Fieldbook, Emerging Leader Edition: The Emerging Leader’s Guide to Leading Authentically in Today’s Workplace.^[23]

Family Man

Bill George is big on family, as seen from his various social media posts as he does life with his spouse, and wider family, and has espoused in his book True North (2015), especially the chapter on “the integrated life.” He has been married to Penny Pilgram George, a psychologist-philanthropist, for half-a-century and they have two adult sons, Jeff and Jonathan. Together with their own wives, Renee Will and Jeannette Lager, the four children and their power parents constitute the board at the George Family Foundation, which we shall touch on in a subsequent next section. Today, the couple, who met in the nation’s capital while both were working for the Pentagon, have been married for 54 years and are exemplary champions of philanthropy.

 

SIGNIFICANCE

Awards, Honours and Impact Platforms

Bill has received a truckload of awards and recognitions. These include  “Alumni Achievement Award” (Harvard Business School, 1997), “Executive of the Year” by the American Academy of Management in 2001, “Director of the Year” (National Association of Corporate Directors, 2001-02), “Legend in Leadership” by Yale University in  2002, “Lifetime Achievement Award” (Minnesota High Tech Association, 2003),  and “25 Most Influential Business People of the Last 25 Years” (PBS Nightly Business News, 2004).^[24]

Bill George was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2012 for applying engineering principles to manufacturing to advance health care. In April 2014, the Franklin Institute awarded him the Bower Award for Business Leadership. Bill received the Larry Foster Award for Integrity in Public Communication at the second annual Arthur W. Page Center Awards (2018) in New York City.^[25] Mr. George is a CNBC contributor and has made frequent appearances on television and radio. He has a string of honorary PhDs from Georgia Tech, Mayo Medical School, University of St. Thomas, Augsburg College and Bryant University.^[26]

Leadership in Governance

Giving back to society, for Bill, isn’t an afterthought or a post-retirement thing. Even “in the midst of his meteoric Medtronic years and continuing today, Bill George has maintained a focus on community service and philanthropy.”^[27] He has served on dozens of corporate, health care, and nonprofit boards in the state and nation, among them Minnesota Business Partnership, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the Global Center for Leadership and Business Ethics, and the National Association of Corporate Directors. Mr. George has served as a director on the boards of Goldman Sachs, The Mayo Clinic, ExxonMobil, Novartis, Target Corporation and

Minnesota’s Destination Medical Center Corporation.  He is currently a trustee of World Economic Forum USA, and has served as board chair for Allina Health System, Abbott-Northwestern Hospital, United Way of the Greater Twin Cities, and Advamed.^[28]   He more recently joined the Advisory Council of CFK Africa.^[29]

Family Foundation

In 1994 Bill and Penny founded the George Family Foundation whose mission is to “foster wholeness in mind, body, spirit, and community by developing authentic leaders and supporting transformative programs serving the common good.”^[30] Their guiding philosophy is “We believe in sharing the blessings we have received and in celebrating the spiritual reciprocity that exists between donors and receivers working collaboratively to make the world a better place.”^[31] They fund causes pertaining to whole-person health and well-being (integrative medicine), education, authentic leadership development, social justice in community, spirituality and inner life, environment, and youth/nextgen development. For their inspiration, George cites a line from Winston Churchill: “We make a living by what we earn, we make a life by what we give.”^[32]

Gaining Authentic Traction

In academic literature, “authentic leadership” has found its own niche among other significant approaches and theories of leadership like servant leadership, transformational leadership, adaptive leadership, among others. And it is all traced back to George’s groundbreaking book in 2003 and his follow-up one with Peter Sims in 2007. As leadership guru Peter Northouse so succinctly states the case for this authentic leadership genre,

“In recent times, upheavals in society have energized a tremendous demand for authentic leadership.
The destruction on 9/11, corporate scandals at companies like WorldCom and Enron, “fake news,” and fears of foreign influence in presidential elections have all created anxiety and uncertainty. People feel apprehensive and insecure about what is going on around them, and as a result, they long for bona fide leadership they can trust and for leaders who are honest and good. People’s demands for trustworthy leadership make the study of authentic leadership timely and worthwhile.”^[33]

Even the February 2007 Harvard Business Review would also admit, in consonance with the Northouse notice above, that “The ongoing problems in business leadership over the past five years have underscored the need for a new kind of leader in the twenty-first century: the authentic leader.”^[34] Based on his three decade-long experience as a corporate executive and thorough interviews with an array of 125 successful C-level leaders from different racial, religious, national, and socioeconomic backgrounds to understand how leaders become and remain authentic,^[35] George discovered that authentic leaders know themselves, feel free to lead from their sense of purpose and core values and genuinely desire to serve others. Specifically, authentic leaders demonstrate these five basic characteristics: 1. Passion (Strong sense of purpose), 2. Behavior (strong values about the right thing to do), 3. Connectedness (trusting relationships with others), 4. Consistency (self-discipline and act on their values), and 5. Compassion (sensitive and empathetic to the plight of others).^[36]

This is purported to be “the largest leadership development study ever undertaken.”^[37] But Bill outdid himself when for the 2015 work, he and his team interviewed 220 leaders (nearly double) in business and nonprofits, and learned that people’s life stories—their crucibles—help them understand who they are. “People have to know who they are before they can make a difference in their professions,” George tells McKinsey in a podcast interview. ^[38]

Annually, Merriam-Webster determines the word of the year. We might as well say 2023 was Bill’s year for the word of the year 2023 was “authentic.” In an article that prescribed six reasons why it pays to be authentic, Inc. magazine first reminded all and sundry that “authentic” is “an overused buzzword that has lost its meaning, sure, but considering the current era of artificial intelligence and misinformation, where the distinction between what’s real and what’s fake has become increasingly ambiguous, it’s not a bad choice.”^[39]

The Authentic Leadership movement has included raising emerging leaders with that ethos. In the fall of 2022, George co-authored and published a new book, “True North: Leading Authentically in Today’s Workplace, Emerging Leader Edition” with Zach Clayton, a younger leader. The book, among others, identifies five different archetypes of bosses that you never want to become or work for, because they’ve lost their “true north” in some way.^[40]

In Others’ Words

From presidents of countries to presidents of companies, everyone has high praise for Bill’s life and leadership. Former US president Jimmy Carter once said of him, “Bill George reminds us that compassion and understanding are as important qualities for business leaders as dedication and resolve.”^[41] According to Kate Rubin of the Minnesota High Tech Association also, Mr. Bill George is “laser-beam focused. He exemplifies the leadership philosophy he teaches: to be guided by an inner compass, to know your strengths, to make it your business to be of service.”^[42]

While it is quite American to blow one’s own horn, what is exceptional is for Europeans to chip in in genuine praise, especially a Swiss: “Bill George may be as close as American executive ranks have come to producing a moral philosopher.” Those powerful words came from Rolf Dobelli, founder and curator of Zurich minds, a community of Switzerland’s distinguished thinkers, scientists, artists and entrepreneurs.^[43]

 

At PELÉ

During an interaction on LinkedIn a couple of years ago, Bill’s encouragement to me was: “Thank you Yaw, keep being the authentic leader that you are.” That went a long way to encourage our young firm and authentic leadership brand at Perbi Executive Leadership Education (PELÉ), where we pursue authentic and customised relationships and resources for C-level executives to grow personally, succeed professionally, and become significant societally. Whether in America or across the Atlantic in Africa, together with others of the Authentic Leadership tribe of Bill George, we hope to hone current C-level leadership as well as incubate a host of emerging C-suite executives.

 

CONCLUSION

Born, bred and blossoming in the American Midwest, this Midwest thoroughbred with two first names, or is it two last names rather?, also lives in the Twin cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul. William George has shone his light far beyond continental America through to Europe to the ends of the earth, literally. In fact, he is a strong proponent of Global Intelligence Quotient (GQ), in addition to the IQ one is born with and all the EQ one can get. That disposition alone puts him way past the average American who seems to think that America is at the centre of the universe.

Bill has walked the talk in corporate America and triumphed; now he’s talking the walk on the platform of the academy, especially championing Authentic Leadership with vision, understanding, courage, and adaptability (or VUCA 2.0) even in a volatile, ambiguous, complex and uncertain (VUCA) world. And with his scholarship, as he teaches the world at Harvard’s global campus and brings the nations thought leadership through his research and writing, even in his twilight years this Midwestern son shines bright and strong. He travels widely for speaking engagements related to his “True North” leadership initiatives. Meet the authentic leader of leaders, William (Bill) George, Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School, Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Medtronic, Bestselling Author and originator-thought leader in Authentic Leadership. Hail the cultivator of leaders and curator of leadership, an authentic leader of leaders par excellence.

^[1] Annika Kim Constantino. “Mark Zuckerberg is ‘continuing to derail’ Facebook, says Harvard expert: ‘He’s really lost his way’.” CNBC. September 12, 2022. Last retrieved March 1, 2024.

I also personally witnessed him do this, and participated, in a real time discussion on his LinkedIn feed.

^[2] Investor’s Business Daily. “Legendary CEO Bill George Now Helps Others Find Their True North”. (2022-11-10) Investor’s Business Daily. Retrieved March 1, 2024.

^[3] Rohan Preston. Power couple Penny and Bill George believe in doing ‘a force of good in the world.’ Star Tribune. November 27, 2023. Last retrieved March 1, 2024.

^[4] Ibid.

^[5] “Official website biography”. Archived from the original on 2017-04-04. Retrieved March 1, 2024.

^[6] Ibid.

^[7] Investor’s Business Daily. “Legendary CEO Bill George Now Helps Others Find Their True North”. (2022-11-10) Investor’s Business Daily. Retrieved March 1, 2024.

^[8] He shares this in his books I’ve read. Also public knowledge on his official website and others like Harvard’s.

^[9] Investor’s Business Daily. “Legendary CEO Bill George Now Helps Others Find Their True North”. (2022-11-10) Investor’s Business Daily. Retrieved March 1, 2024.

^[10] Ibid.

^[11] Ibid.

^[12] Ibid.

^[13] Minnesota Science & Technology Hall of Fame. How has he Transformed the Scene? Minnesota Science & Technology Hall of Fame. (Last retrieved February 29, 2024)

^[14] Charlie Rose biography Archived October 10, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 1, 2024.

^[15] Jonathan McVerry. Page Center honoring George, Ifill and Onoda at annual awards dinner”. Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, PennState. January 4, 2018. Last retrieved March 1, 2024.

^[16] Carolyn Dewar. “Leading with authenticity: A Conversation with Bill George. McKinsey & Company. www.mckinsey.com. Last retrieved  March 1, 2024.

^[17] Minnesota Science & Technology Hall of Fame. How has he Transformed the Scene? Minnesota Science & Technology Hall of Fame. (Last retrieved February 29, 2024)

^[18] See his books: Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value (2003), True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership (2007), Finding Your True North: A Personal Guide (2008) etc.

^[19] “Official website biography”. Archived from the original on 2017-04-04. Retrieved March 1, 2024.

^[20] “Harvard Business School faculty page”. Archived from the original on 2007-12-06. Retrieved March 1, 2024.

^[21] Carolyn Dewar. “Leading with authenticity: A Conversation with Bill George.” McKinsey & Company. www.mckinsey.com. Last retrieved  March 1, 2024.

^[22] “Official website biography”. Archived from the original on 2017-04-04. Retrieved March 1, 2024.

^[23] Wikipedia. Bill George (Businessman). Last retrieved March 1, 2024.

^[24] Minnesota Science & Technology Hall of Fame. How has he Transformed the Scene? Minnesota Science & Technology Hall of Fame. (Last retrieved February 29, 2024)

^[25] Jonathan McVerry. Page Center honoring George, Ifill and Onoda at annual awards dinner”. Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, PennState. January 4, 2018. Last retrieved March 1, 2024.

^[26] Minnesota Science & Technology Hall of Fame. How has he Transformed the Scene? Minnesota Science & Technology Hall of Fame. Last retrieved February 29, 2024.

^[27] Ibid.

^[28] Ibid.

^[29] Meet Our Team | Staff, Board, and Advisory Council”. CFK Africa. Retrieved March 1, 2024.

^[30] George Family Foundation. Mission & Guiding Philosophy. (last accessed February 29, 2024)

^[31] Ibid.

^[32] Ibid.

^[33] Peter Northouse. 2019. Leadership: Theory and Practice (8th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 197.

^[34] Bill George, Peter Sims, Andrew N McLean, and Diana Mayer. Discovering Your Authentic Leadership. Harvard Business Review. February 2007. Last retrieved March 1, 2024.

^[35] Ibid.

^[36] Bill George. 2003. Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the secrets to Creating Lasting Value. John Wiley & Sons.

^[37] Bill George, Peter Sims, Andrew N McLean, and Diana Mayer. Discovering Your Authentic Leadership. Harvard Business Review. February 2007. Last retrieved March 1, 2024.

^[38] Carolyn Dewar. “Leading with authenticity: A Conversation with Bill George. McKinsey & Company. www.mckinsey.com. Last retrieved March 1, 2024.

^[39] Marcel Schwantes. Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year Is the Best So Far for Improving Your Leadership. Inc. Nov 29, 2023 (last accessed February 29, 2023)

^[40] Anna Kim Constantino. “Harvard expert: The 5 types of bosses you never want to work for—or become.” CNBC. September 9, 2022. Last retrieved March 1, 2024.  

^[41] Jimmy Carter’s commendation of Bill George’s True North book. See Audible.com.

^[42] Minnesota Science & Technology Hall of Fame. How has he Transformed the Scene? Minnesota Science & Technology Hall of Fame. (Last retrieved February 29, 2024)

^[43] Ibid.

50 Inspiring Living Leaders

This 50 Inspiring Living Leaders series highlights current influencers who are succeeding in leadership, integrity, family or entrepreneurship in whatever field and exhibit most, if not all, of our values of PELÉ. We value people, growth, particularity, excellence, success, authenticity and significance. These stories are largely written in terms of growth, success and significance in leadership, integrity, family and  entrepreneurship. While we do our best to receive personal references about each leader, most of our research and writing is based on literature review of publicly-available information. As authorities in leadership, we are fully aware that there is no such thing as a perfect leader, and leaders may have their flaws, but we choose to celebrate these inspiring living leaders for their achievements outlined in our series. Having said that, should you happen to have any incontrovertible evidence that any of our featured leaders does not fit our bill of an authentic leader, please write to us at info@perbiexecutive.com. Our vision at PELÉ is a flourishing global ecosystem of authentic leaders characterised by healthy growth, holistic success and lasting significance.

 

BERNARD AVLE – The Relevant Voice of Reason.

INTRODUCTION

Affectionately just called “Bernard,” even two decades ago Bernardino Avle was already an inspiring emerging African leader. Bernard is “a passionate Ghanaian who believes in Africa”^[1] and is desirous “to use multimedia tools and platforms to tell African stories.”^[2] Those who have just come to know him in the last ten or so years as a no-nonsense, no holds barred, say-it-as-it-is, voice of reason on Accra’s Citi 97.3 Mhz frequency amidst the cacophony of patronising personalities and parochial politics can be aptly described as only “latter day saints.” Welcome then, to the man of the hour, the relevant voice of reason.

Way back in 2005, Bernard was one of 15 Inspiring Young People this author penned about and published in his first (and only) volume with that title. At the time, Bernard was “the youngest of all breakfast show presenters in the nation.”^[3] Bizarrely, nearly two decades later, he still is among the youngest and arguably the best. While some of the other 15 ‘inspiring young people’ have not lived up to the promising trajectory displayed in their youth, Bernard, au contraire, has even surpassed expectations. No doubt.

Today, Mr. Bernard Avle is a broadcast journalist on both radio and TV, General Manager at Citi FM and Citi TV of Omni Media, public speaker, event MC and international conference facilitator par excellence. And for most people, it is his ability to speak truth to power, ask hard questions of leaders, analyze trending issues deeply, reason in real time and keep the feet of authorities to the fire that make him stand head and shoulders above the rest. No one, no matter how great, mighty or connected, has Bernard in their back pocket.

 

GROWTH

Christened Bernardino Koku Avle by a certain erstwhile Chief Research Analyst with the Community Health Department of the University of Ghana Medical School and his then postmistress wife, Koku had been born to them on a quiet Wednesday morning, 20^th May, 1981.  Bernard(ino) is the seventh of eight children, some half siblings.^[4]

Legon Thoroughbred

Until his graduate education in the UK (2008-2009) as a Chevening Scholar^[5] at the Warwick Business School, where he obtained his MBA in Marketing, all of Bernard’s education had been in Legon; specifically in or around the University of Ghana (UG). His father’s employment with UG explains how he commenced his basic education at the University Primary & Junior Secondary School (JSS), on the Legon campus of UG. After his JSS graduation, young Master Avle went on to study General Arts, a combination of Elective Mathematics, Economics and Geography, barely a couple of miles down the street from UG, right next door at Presec (Presbyterian Boys’ Secondary). He would then return to the UG campus in June 2001 till June 2004, as a student in the revered (or is it feared?) Departments of Economics.

First Class, A++ Student

Goals are key to any achievement in life.  Bernardino set himself a goal to get a First Class at UG. And he did! On 12^th March 2005, Bernard Avle was one of the few who graduated from UG with a First Class honours B.A. degree in Economics (and a Geography minor).^[6] Remember, it’s ‘dreaded’ Economics we’re talking about here. Bernardino typifies what this author has called an “A++” tertiary education for the last two decades.  The “A+” is for academics, and the extra and/or co-curricular activities comprise the extra plus. Bernard made his A+, a First Class in no less a subject than Economics, and had the extra plus in leadership, broadcasting, politics, spiritual matters etc.  “The chain of awards Legon Hall feted him with in the 2003/4 academic year alone included Student Personality of the Year, Award for Exceptional Contribution to the Hall and Academic Excellence Award.”^[7]

Interestingly, Bernard reveals the secret underpinning this First Class as an intentionally formed goal “specifically to prove to skeptics and even critics who believed that anybody involved in as many extra-curricular activities (as he was) on campus would automatically have mediocre academic grades.  He was bent on demystifying an almost entrenched and calcified myth.”^[8]

“Born to Lead,” Indeed

Bernard Avle, “who seems quiet from a distance, has consistently displayed such a high leadership acumen in several spheres of life: broadcasting, politics, academia and the spiritual.”^[9]  Even two decades ago, this leadership skill was duly recognized with a certificate in Leadership and Liberty by the Institute of Economic Affairs, Ghana.

As a leader-broadcaster with the university FM station on campus, Radio Univers, he even acted as News editor from May to August 2003, a leadership role which involved managing a newsroom crew of over 15 student volunteer journalists, overseeing news search, editing, reporting and casting.  He was also a trainer of nouveau fresher volunteer broadcasters.  In the 2003/4 academic year, Bernard was actually the Student Coordinator for Radio Univers.^[10] These, on hindset, were apt preparatory simulations for his role today as a broadcast journalist cum General Manager at one of Ghana’s most influential radio stations, Citi FM.

Politically, Bernard served as Junior Common Room Secretary of Legon Hall (2002/3) and was a member of the Student Representative Council’s General Assembly the following academic year.^[11]  It is noted in 15 Inspiring Young People Volume 1 how “as an academic leader he was Class Representative for his Economics Class in Level 300, during which same period he was a spiritual leader of the Legon Pentecostals Union (General Secretary) and served on the University of Ghana’s Chaplaincy Board.”^[12] So whichever way you look at it, Bernard was born, it seems, to lead…and in every field of endeavour he finds himself in.

 

SUCCESS

In 2017, Bernard Avle became Ghana;s Journalist of the Year, an award conferred by the Ghana Journalism Association (GJA). This was a well-deserved recognition of Mr. Avle’s commitment to personal excellence in broadcast journalism as well as solid leadership in that space. Since the Law of Consistency is a prerequisite to the Law of Success, it isn’t any wonder that for consistently being on radio since 2001, from the university’s Univers to the city’s Citi, Bernard had done his proverbial 10,000 hours and had become a broadcasting genius.^[13]

Broadcast Bloom to Boom

Bernard joined Radio Univers, the University of Ghana’s FM station, as a freshman and stayed the course throughout his entire four-year sojourn on Legon Campus, while many moved in and out.^[14] “For the entire period in question he hosted Exposition (a Christian talk show), Campus Exclusive (a student magazine programme) and was an ombudsman News Reporter.  From 2003, Bernard also took up the challenge of hosting View Point, a current affairs programme.^[15] Now he’s graduated to host the riveting Point of View on Citi TV too, unveiling a ‘baby face’ he used to hide behind radio. Even for his final year project work he was thinking about broadcasting: A Cost Benefit Analysis of an Expansion of Radio Univers.^[16]

Bernardino is an all-rounder but has laser acuity “on issues on technology, business & economics, good governance and social development, with his distinctive mark of a well-researched approach to any area of discussion, which translates into the piercing and relevant questions that he treats his guests to.”^[17]

One-Eyed Focus

After discovering and falling in love with the media, Bernard has looked nowhere else. He knew he was leaving campus radio to continue a career in radio at Citi FM. There was virtually no hiatus and certainly no doubt. He started out with the Citi FM news crew from July to December, 2004 and got the break to serve his first Citi breakfast on air that December as a 23-year old youth!^[18] The rest, as they say, is history.

“What do you love about broadcasting in general and the breakfast show in particular?” this writer inquired. According to Sir Bernardino, “Broadcasting has placed a privileged onus on me to play a leading part in the ongoing democratic experience, which is being spearheaded by an increasingly robust, probing, and pluralistic media.  Hosting the Citi Breakfast Show has given me the unique opportunity to be part of the mornings of many Ghanaians to ask relevant questions on the behalf of a perceptive audience.”^[19] Within four years of producing and presenting the Citi Breakfast Show, Mr. Avle had grown the audience base by over 500 per cent!^[20]

A typical day for Bernard begins at dawn: 4 am!  By 6 am the Citi Breakfast Show commences and lasts for four hectic hours. Bernard not only has planning and production for the next day to think about, but also managerial and leadership duties as General Manager. Then there’s TV—Point of View—that ends deep at night. Factor in Accra traffic, to and fro, and you can do his sleep math.

Family Fortunes

Bernard even found love, again, on the University of Ghana premises. Bernard met Justine at a YouthPower! Conference organized by The HuD Group at the Great Hall of UG in October 2005. Bernard and Justine grew very fond of each other and tied the knot in 2011. Sadly, Justine, who really manned the domestic front to release Bernard to soar for God and country, kicked the bucket one fateful August evening in 2022.^[21] Their union was blessed with five children, four boys and a girl.^[22]

The Cost of Success

It hasn’t been all rosy. Well, even roses have thorns. Beyond the wicked blow of being a relatively young widower, Bernardino has his critics. We might even say there are those who loathe him to the same extent people love him. When he lost his wife, some of the most egregious comments that surfaced were stupefying. But Bernard isn’t a target just because he stands tall today; even before he would rise, the attacks came in fast and ferociously.

In a section of the 15 Inspiring Young People that was titled ‘Choking on Breakfast,’  Mr. Avle shared how when he set off in the commercial world of radio, “The bad reviews I initially got from industry analysts were almost crushing.  Sometimes their expectations of me were rather high and in my opinion unfair. These were coupled with criticisms that sometimes left me feeling inadequate.”^[23] He admitted, “Hosting a breakfast show requires one to be eclectic in outlook, intense in commitment and consistent in delivery. Developing these traits come at a cost. My spiritual relationship with the Lord suffered initially.  How I got through? He was patient with me.”^[24]

 

SIGNIFICANCE

Awards and honors

The awards Bernard and his Citi Breakfast show have garnered include BBC Africa Radio Awards Interactive/Talk Show of the Year (2007) and two other continental awards, Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana (CIMG) Radio Programme of the Year for both 2013 and 2015, Ghana Journalists Association Journalist of the Year (2017), Ghana Journalists Association Best Radio Morning Show (2017 and 2018) and the Ghana Journalists Association Best (English) Radio Station (2018).

During his tenure as Operations Manager at Citi/Omni Media (Nov 2009-Nov 2013), Citi Eyewitness News was adjudged CIMG Radio Programme of the year (2011) while Citi FM’s newsroom won the Innovative Newsroom Award at the 16th Telkom Highway Africa Media Awards in South Africa (2012).

Bernardino Koku Avle has been a Fellow of The African Leadership Initiative West Africa (ALI) and the Aspen Global Leadership Network (AGLN) since 2015. Being Ghana’s journalist of the year is probably the one award that most consolidated the young man’s towering presence on the Ghanaian media landscape, cementing the influence of this voice of reason. It is no accident that this 2017 award followed impressive feats moderating the 2016 Presidential Encounter (presidential debate) and the one four years prior which was history-making with the first ever appearance of a sitting Ghanaian president.^[25]

Growing Other Leaders

Mr. Avle is also a member of the governing council of the Global Marketing Network in Ghana. As a founding director of iJourno Africa, he trains and creates opportunities for participants to practise citizen journalism and equip them with tools to cover local issues. Almost as a way of paying back his indebtedness to The HuD Group for facilitating his finding of a virtuous wife, Bernard serves on the Ghana board, inspiring and empowering holistic emerging leadership development in Africa (and  beyond). He likes to tell the youth, who he regularly mentors on various speaking platforms in Ghana, “Think like a man of action. Act like a man of thought.”^[26]

As a man who seeks to multiply himself, Bernard conceptually developed and successfully  implemented a $90,000 project to recruit, train and deploy up to 200 Citizen Journalists to cover Ghana’s 2016 Presidential and Parliamentary elections. Two years prior, he had done similarly with a $80,000 one to train 30 Citizen Journalists from 10 regions in Ghana.^[27] Other innovative social impact projects to raise emerging media leaders have included a UNICEF “Voices of the Future” one.

Gallantry against Galamsey and other Gains

Illegal small scale mining in Ghana has gotten out of hand, making nonsense of both the law and law enforcement in addition to wrecking havoc on Ghana’s water bodies, flora and fauna. In 2017, Bernard Avle together with Citi FM launched a gallant campaign against galamsey^[28] for which the Ghana Chamber of Mines awarded him and his show “for vigorously promoting environmentally responsible mining in Ghana through objective and analytical reportage.”^[29] The citation further read, “Your relentless campaign against the upsurge of illegal mining and its consequent destruction of major water bodies in Ghana is admirable and worth emulating.”

He is also “currently spearheading national campaign against lawlessness on our roads, dubbed “War against Indiscipline.”^[30] Between last year and now, Bernardino has been campaigning to raise money to support the Lower Volta flood victims of the Akosombo dam spillage, not only offering immediate relief and timely health interventions but also building permanent shelters for the displaced.^[31] Bernard serves on the board of the Citi FM Foundation.

 

 

At PELÉ

“Our problems are becoming bigger and our [leaders] are becoming smaller. It’s a tragedy,”^[32] says Mr. Avle. At Perbi Executive Leadership Education (PELÉ), where authentic and customised relationships and resources are offered to C-level executives to grow personally, succeed professionally, and become significant societally, we have conscripted this relevant voice of reason as a consultant in media and general leadership development at PELÉ. Together we hope to hone current C-level leadership as well as incubate a host of emerging C-suite executives.

 

CONCLUSION

Bernardino Koku Avle was born to broadcast; he landed in 1981 to lead. From being a First Class graduate to serving first class food for thought as breakfast on air, consistency has been Mr. Avle’s forte right into his forties. Come next year, Deo volente, Bernard would have been running the same Citi Breakfast Show for twenty years, two decades! Apart from the Law of Consistency at work in his story, is also the Law of Process. Bernard did not just appear on the national scene in a day; he had been preparing himself daily for years on campus. From campus radio to city radio, and now Citi TV as well, Bernard has succeeded at both working in and on media, a feat few broadcast journalists are able to achieve. For many prominent figures on air, an elevation to managerial or leadership roles has meant, unfortunately, being promoted to fail. Even one of his nation and generation’s finest, Bernard Avle, gets his (un)fair share of criticism and takes it in his stride. Ghana’s presidential debate moderator and national award-winning journalist, together with his cutting-edge Citi/Omni media tribe, are reshaping the African narrative, in word and by deed. A relevant voice of reason indeed.

^[1] CitiTVonline. Bernard Avle. Retrieved February 16, 2024.

^[2] Bernadino Koku Avle. Curriculum Vitae shared with the author on January 25, 2024.

^[3] Yaw Perbi. 2005. 15 Inspiring Young People. Volume 1. First Edition. Accra. Ghana: NEOpublishing, pg. 55.

^[4] Ibid, pg. 55.

^[5] “Launch of Chevening Alumni Ghana Association – News articles – GOV.UK”. Government of United Kingdom. Retrieved February 7, 2024.

^[6] Yaw Perbi. 2005. 15 Inspiring Young People. Volume 1. First Edition. Accra. Ghana: NEOpublishing, pg. 57.

^[7] Ibid.

^[8] Ibd.

^[9] Ibid, 56.

^[10] Ibid.

^[11] Ibid.

^[12] Ibid.

^[13] A notion from Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers that 10,000 hours of practice is what it takes to become a genius in a field

^[14] Ibid, 57.

^[15] Ibid.

^[16] Ibid.

^[17] “20 under 40: Bernardino Koku Avle – Business World Ghana”. Business World Ghana. 9 March 2015. Last retrieved February 9, 2024.

^[18] Yaw Perbi. 2005. 15 Inspiring Young People. Volume 1. First Edition. Accra. Ghana: NEOpublishing, pg. 58.

^[19] Ibid.

^[20] Bernadino Koku Avle. Curriculum Vitae shared with the author on January 25, 2024.

^[21] “Bernard Avle Loses Wife Justine Avle | AmeyawDebrah.com”. 2022-08-04. Retrieved Feb 16, 2024.

^[22] MyNewsGH (2022-08-04). “BREAKING News: Citi FM’s Bernard Avle loses wife Justine Avle”. MyNewsGh. Retrieved February 16, 2024.

^[23] Yaw Perbi. 2005. 15 Inspiring Young People. Volume 1. First Edition. Accra. Ghana: NEOpublishing, pg. 60.

^[24] Ibid.

^[25] Bernadino Koku Avle. Curriculum Vitae shared with the author on January 25, 2024.

^[26] Yaw Perbi. 2005. 15 Inspiring Young People. Volume 1. First Edition. Accra. Ghana: NEOpublishing, pg. 60.

^[27] Bernadino Koku Avle. Curriculum Vitae shared with the author on January 25, 2024.

^[28] “Citi FM launches #StopGalamseyNow campaign”. Citi 97.3 FM – Relevant Radio. Always. 2017-04-03. Retrieved February 16, 2024.

^[29] Allotey, Godwin Akweiteh (2016-11-26). “Citi Breakfast Show honoured at Ghana Mining Awards”. Ghana News. Retrieved February 16, 2024.

^[30] Bernadino Koku Avle. Curriculum Vitae shared with the author on January 25, 2024.

^[31] Abigail Arthur. #Relief4LowerVolta: Citi FM/Citi TV supports flood victims, organizes health screening in affected areas. www.citinewsroom.com. Last retrieved February 17, 2024.

^[32] Modern Ghana. Modern Ghana vignette of quotes.  www.modernghana.com. Last retrieved February 16, 2024.

 

 

50 Inspiring Living Leaders

This 50 Inspiring Living Leaders series highlights current influencers who are succeeding in leadership, integrity, family or entrepreneurship in whatever field and exhibit most, if not all, of our values of PELÉ. We value people, growth, particularity, excellence, success, authenticity and significance. These stories are largely written in terms of growth, success and significance in leadership, integrity, family and  entrepreneurship. While we do our best to receive personal references about each leader, most of our research and writing is based on literature review of publicly-available information. As authorities in leadership, we are fully aware that there is no such thing as a perfect leader, and leaders may have their flaws, but we choose to celebrate these inspiring living leaders for their achievements outlined in our series. Having said that, should you happen to have any incontrovertible evidence that any of our featured leaders does not fit our bill of an authentic leader, please write to us at info@perbiexecutive.com. Our vision at PELÉ is a flourishing global ecosystem of authentic leaders characterised by healthy growth, holistic success and lasting significance.

INDRA NOOYI – The Business Leader and Strategic Thinker Who Transformed PepsiCo

“No business can ever truly succeed in a society that fails.” ― Indra Nooyi

INTRODUCTION

Indra Nooyi shattered the glass ceiling with her rise to become the first woman of colour and immigrant to run a Fortune 50 company.^[1] Her achievements at PepsiCo have marked her out as an outstanding strategist and leader. She spent twenty-four years at PepsiCo and is credited with growing the American multinational food and beverages company’s net revenue by more than eighty percent during her tenure as CEO.  Her initiatives strengthened PepsiCo’s commitment to environment sustainability and  improved the healthiness of its food offerings. In June 2023, Forbes estimated Nooyi’s net worth at $350 million.^[2]

Nooyi’s amazing journey from Madras in southern India to the zenith of the corporate world in the United States is one that inspires many. 

GROWTH

Roots in India

Indira K. Nooyi was born on 28^th October 1955 in Madras (now called Chennai) in the south of India to a close and devout Hindu family.  She has an elder sister and a younger brother. Indra describes her family as a ‘traditional family living in a multigenerational home’ and although they were not wealthy, they lived comfortably and had invaluable stability^[3].  Her family was ‘supremely focused on education’ and so were keen on educating the women in the family, something that was uncommon in mid-twentieth century India.  

Her mother, Shantha, instilled in Indra and her elder sister, Chandrika, respect for their teachers, admonishing them to revere their teachers as ‘gods’. Indra recounts that often at the dinner table, Shantha “would ask us to write a speech about what we would do if we were president, chief minister, or prime minister – every day would be a different world leader she’d ask us to play”. ³

Indra had her secondary education at Holy Angels Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School, a few kilometres from her home and then proceeded to Madras Christian College (MCC) from where she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics in 1974.  She played guitar in an all-girl rock band and was an avid cricket player too.  After a tough admission process, Indra began an MBA at the Indian Institute of Management in Calcutta (IIM Calcutta) in August 1974. She was pushed towards IIM Calcutta partly by her sister, Chandrika, who having spent her days at Holy Angels and MCC with Indra did not want Indra following her to Indian Institute of Management – Ahmedabad (IIM Ahmedabad). “I need a break from you – don’t you dare apply to IIM Ahmedabad!” Chandrinka had warned Indra.³

After graduating from IIM Calcutta, Indra worked with Mettur Beardsell, a textile firm owned by a UK-based company, Tootal, and then subsequently with Johnson & Johnson’s Bombay (Mumbai) office. At Johnson & Johnson, she took on the difficult challenge of marketing Johnson and Johnson’s Stayfree brand of sanitary pads. This was particularly difficult in the late 1970s India when such a product was not advertised and many retailers were reluctant to stock them.^[4]

A Shade of Difference

When her sister, Chandrika, decided to leave Madras for IIM – Ahmedabad, their parents had been reluctant to allow an unmarried woman to travel that far for studies and were insistent on her marrying before leaving for college. Their mother had declared that she would fast until death if Chandrika was allowed to leave for Ahmedabad. Their grandfather’s intervention saved the situation. In many ways Chandrika was a trailblazer for Indra – her attendance of the distant IIM Ahmedabad paved the way for less resistance to Indra’s decision to attend IIM Calcutta. In August 1978, at age 23, Indra was leaving unmarried to study in a place thousands of miles away. This was not an easy decision as she recalls in the Financial Times January 2004 edition: “It was unheard of for a good, conservative, south Indian Brahmin girl to do this. It would make her an absolutely unmarriageable commodity after that.” ⁴

After reading an article titled ‘A Shade of Difference’ in the September 1976 edition of the Newsweek magazine, Indra felt the article was speaking to her. She wanted a life in global business – a different shade of what she was doing at that moment. The article was about Yale University’s new business school. In 1978, Indra gained admission to Yale School of Management in the United States to pursue a Master’s degree in Public and Private Management.

After graduating from Yale in 1980, Nooyi worked with the Boston Consulting Group for six years managing international corporate strategy projects.^[5]  From 1986 to 1990, she worked with telecommunications company Motorola, serving as Vice-President and Director of Corporate Strategy and Planning. She subsequently worked for power and automations company, ASEA Brown Boveri, as Senior Vice President for Strategy and Strategic Marketing.

 

SUCCESS

Leading PepsiCo

Nooyi sees the fundamental role of leaders as looking for ways to shape the decades ahead and helping others accept the discomfort of disruptions to the status quo.³ She demonstrated this leadership at PepsiCo.

Her journey with PepsiCo began in March 1994 as Senior Vice-President of Corporate Strategy and Planning overseeing major restructurings during her first years. She played a major role in PepsiCo’s acquisition of Tropicana Products in July 1998 and its merger with Quaker Oats Company in 2001.^[6] 

She rose through the ranks at PepsiCo serving as Senior Vice-President, Corporate Strategy and Development; Senior Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer; President and Chief Financial Officer; Member, Board of Directors, responsible for Corporate functions. Indra Nooyi was appointed President and CEO in August 2006 and Chairman in 2007.

To reposition PepsiCo for success in the decades ahead, Nooyi introduced her guiding strategy, Performance with Purpose (PwP). She introduced PwP to rethink PepsiCo to provide consumers with healthier products and to promote environmental sustainability.^[7] PwP was aimed at delivering excellent financial performance and three important goals: Nourish humanity and communities, Replenish the environment and Cherish the people at PepsiCo (Nourish. Replenish. Cherish.).

PwP tested the resolve of Nooyi as she faced resistance from some of the shareholders of PepsiCo but she remained resolute and it defined her leadership of PepsiCo. PwP influenced major decisions as well as minor decisions. For example, to show that she cherished the workers at PepsiCo, she wrote hundreds of personalised letters and notes over ten years to the parents of senior executives thanking them for raising their children well to become excellent workers at PepsiCo. She sent similar ‘Thank You’ notes to the spouses of her direct reports.

PwP influenced major decisions such as redirecting the company from junk foods to more healthier foods.^[8] PepsiCo reduced the sugar content in its products and also ended the use of trans fats. It introduced recyclable packaging and new processes to reduce water consumption.^[9] In 2012, PepsiCo won the Stockholm Industry Water Award for conserving nearly 16 billion litres of water in 2011.^[10]

Nooyi is renowned for her strategic thinking and is credited with growing the revenue of PepsiCo’s from $35 billion in 2006, when she became CEO, to $63.5 billion by 2017.^[11] The market capitalisation of PepsiCo rose by $57 billion dollars between 2006 and 2018, when she stepped down. She is also praised for mainstreaming design thinking at PepsiCo to drive innovation in the company^[12].

The many initiatives implemented by Nooyi at PepsiCo were hugely successful and the company continues to benefit from them years after her exit – she shaped the decades ahead. Her achievements have made her a celebrated business leader.

In an interview with Morgan Stanley in 2023, Nooyi advised business leaders that “You don’t inherit leadership. You earn the stripes to be a leader. Leaders have to inspire everyone in the organisation to follow them.”^[13] Indra earned the stripes with her achievements at PepsiCo and has a global following.

 The Value of Family

Nooyi sees family as a powerful source of human strength and has often touted the family she created with her husband, Raj Nooyi, as her proudest achievement. Indra was introduced to Raj by an Indian friend and after a few weeks of dating, they decided to get married. After four decades of marriage, Raj and Nooyi still debate who broached the subject of marriage. Raj and Indra have two daughters, Preetha and Tara.

Before joining PepsiCo in 1994, Nooyi had in direct conversations with Jack Welch rejected job offers from  GE (General Electric) because the offers were going to require her to move away from her family. She rejected an offer from the agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology giant, Monsanto, for the same reason. Nooyi chose to join PepsiCo in part because its headquarters was close to her home and it would take her fifteen minutes to drive to her home, and to her children’s school, from the office.

Indra in her autobiography – My Life in Full: Work, Family, and Our Future – recounts an occasion where her mother reminded her of the paramountcy of family and her role in it. She had just been informed of the decision to appoint her as President of PepsiCo and she drove home eager to tell her family. She was however met on arrival by her mother ordering her to go out and get milk. When upon her return she complained about her mother not being interested in hearing about her appointment as President of PepsiCo, her mother replied, “You may be the president or whatever of PepsiCo, but when you come home, you are a wife and a mother and a daughter. Nobody can take your place.  So, you leave that crown in the garage.” ³

The importance of family and providing the right conditions for work-life balance underpinned many of the major decisions she took as CEO. It also drives her efforts to find solutions to the work-life conundrum. The family support structure – mother, uncles, aunts and in-laws – she had around her allowed her to work full-time. These family members supported with the care of her daughters.^[14]

 

SIGNIFICANCE

Achieving Work-Life Balance

As a trail blazer for women at the very top, Indra has been a strong advocate for the creation of the right work environment to promote women’s financial independence and security.^[15] She has been rallying businesses and governments to provide conditions that allow families to thrive.^[16] In her view, companies need to see child care and elder care as business issues.^[17] In order to create a healthy work-life balance, she has proposed a three-pronged approach focusing on paid leave, flexibility and predictability, and care.^[18]

She has campaigned for a minimum twelve weeks paid maternity leave for mothers (primary caregivers) and eight weeks paid paternity leave to be made available across the United States.  She has been pushing for the extension of paid leave to workers caring for sick family members. Indra is a beneficiary of these paid leaves. In January 1983, she was granted a 6-month paid leave by the Boston Consulting Group to enable her return to India to care for her ailing father. She ended up taking only three months but credits the gesture as saving her career as she did not have to choose between family and career. In her own words, “In many ways, it’s only when you have experienced this benefit yourself that you can truly realise its critical importance.” ³

The second prong focuses on providing workers with work flexibility—including opportunities to work remotely—and predictability in work schedules, especially for shift workers.

The third prong concerns the provision of quality, safe and affordable care infrastructure for children and the elderly. Again, Indra exemplified this at PepsiCo by resisting scepticism to spend $2 million to retrofit a floor at PepsiCo’s headquarters into a childcare facility, PepStart.^[19]

Community Service

Since Nooyi’s retirement from PepsiCo‘s board in 2019, she has been focusing her efforts and attention on community service. For her it is no longer about “achieving anything. It’s about giving back—as so much was given to me—to my community, the state, the country.” ¹

In 2019, Nooyi was appointed co-director of Connecticut Economic Resource Centre to help improve the state’s economic development strategy. Nooyi and fellow Yale graduate Dr. Albert Ko were chosen to represent Connecticut on a six-state body  in the U.S. tasked with designing a plan for the easing of Covid-19 restrictions.^[20]  In 2021, Indra and her husband Raj Nooyi donated $3 million dollars to Yale School of Public Health (YSPH) to establish the Raj and Indra Nooyi Professor of Public Health to help position YSPH as an international leader in public health science.^[21] She has made several donations to Yale and is one of her  alma mater’s largest alumni donors.

She was the co-chair of AdvanceCT, a Connecticut based non-profit organisation, from 2019 to 2021.^[22] She joined the board of Amazon in 2019.^[23] Nooyi also joined the Board of the International Cricket Council as its first independent female director in June 2018.^[24]

 Recognition and Awards

Indra Nooyi has received numerous awards and recognitions over the years. She was elected to the Fellowship of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2008^[25] and was elected chairperson of the U.S. – India Business Council in January 2008. In 2009, she was named CEO of the Year by the Global Supply Chain Leaders Group and was named every year from 2008 to 2017 on Forbes’ list of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women.^[26] She was winner of Academy of International Business (AIB)’s The International Executive of the Year award in 2016.^[27] In 2021, she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in the U.S.^[28]  In 2019, Indra was honoured with a portrait at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.^[29]

She has received honorary doctorate degrees from many universities including her alma mater (Yale University),^[30] New York University^[31], Duke University^[32] and University of Warwick^[33].

 

CONCLUSION

Indra Nooyi’s journey to the pinnacle of corporate America and her accomplishments at the top is one of the most remarkable stories about overcoming challenges with hard work and determination, no matter one’s origins. It is one that motivates many to strive for success in work and family life. When Nooyi stepped down as CEO of PepsiCo in 2018, after 24 years, she shared with staff some of the lessons that had guided her throughout her career. These lessons are worth repeating and are summarised below:^[34]

• Always have a clear, compelling vision for what you want to accomplish
• Focus on the short-term and the long-term
• Bring people along with you
• Be a good listener
• Be a lifelong student
• Think hard about time–make the most of your days.

 

[1] https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-on-books/author-talks-indra-nooyi-on-leadership-life-and-crafting-a-better-future retrieved 29th January 2024

[2] https://www.forbes.com/profile/indra-nooyi/?sh=66b9d4be5d6f retrieved 29th January 2024

[3] Nooyi, Indra. My Life in Full: Work, Family, and Our Future. New York, Penguin, 2021

[4]  Encyclopedia of World Biography “Indra Nooyi Biography’’ https://www.notablebiographies.com/newsmakers2/2004-Ko-Pr/Nooyi-Indra.html retrieved 29th January 2024

[5] https://www.weforum.org/people/indra-nooyi/ retrieved 29th January 2024

[6] Tempest Lynsey “ How Indra Nooyi changed the face of PepsiCo” World Finance https://www.worldfinance.com/special-reports/how-indra-nooyi-changed-the-face-of-pepsico retrieved 30th January 2024

[7] https://www.bcg.com/publications/2010/indra-nooyi-performance-purpose  retrieved 29th January 2024

[8] Novak, David (September 12, 2018). “Follow Indra Nooyi’s example: Be a leader people want to follow”. www.cnbc.com. Retrieved January 30, 2024. 

[9] https://insights.som.yale.edu/insights/departing-pepsico-ceo-indra-nooyi-did-it-her-way  retrieved 29th January 2024

[10] https://siwi.org/latest/pepsico-receives-the-2012-stockholm-industry-water-award/ retrieved 30th January 2024

[11] https://www.ismworld.org/events/conferences-and-events/annual-conference/indra-nooyi/ retrieved 29th January 2024

[12] https://hbr.org/2015/09/how-indra-nooyi-turned-design-thinking-into-strategy  retrieved 29th January 2024

[13] https://www.morganstanley.com/articles/indra-nooyi-next-generation-leaders retrieved 29th January 2024

[14] Burke, Louise. “How I made $290 million while raising two children” The Telegraph 3^rd October 2021

[15] Indra Nooyi: The Indian executive who broke the glass ceiling in corporate America”. The Economic Times. August 7, 2018

[16] https://www.rolandberger.com/en/Insights/Publications/Indra-Nooyi-on-having-a-career-and-a-family.html retrieved 29th January 2024

[17] https://www.fuqua.duke.edu/duke-fuqua-insights/indra-nooyi-former-pepsico-ceo-says-families-should-be-central-designing-future  retrieved 30th January 2024

[18] https://www.marketplace.org/2021/09/28/former-pepsico-ceo-indra-nooyi-on-the-work-and-family-conundrum/  retrieved 30th January 2024

[19] https://graziadaily.co.uk/life/in-the-news/ex-pepsi-ceo-indra-nooyi-childcare/  retrieved 30th January 2024

[20] https://ctmirror.org/2020/04/13/cuomo-says-ne-governors-to-cautiously-ease-covid-19-restrictions/ retrieved 30th January 2024

[21] https://ysph.yale.edu/about-school-of-public-health/charitable-opportunities/donors-make-a-difference/the-raj-and-indra-nooyi-professor-of-public-health/  retrieved 30th January 2024

[22] https://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/nooyi-smith-stepping-down-as-co-chairs-of-advancect-successors-named retrieved 30th January 2024

[23] https://ir.aboutamazon.com/officers-and-directors/person-details/default.aspx?ItemId=e5f7858e-89c5-4615-9236-295b354ef354 retrieved 30th January 2024

[24] https://highereducationplus.com/indira-nooyi-to-be-the-first-female-director-of-icc/ retrieved on 30th January 2024

[25] https://www.amacad.org/person/indra-nooyi retrieved 28th January 2024

[26] https://www.forbes.com/profile/indra-nooyi/?sh=45e404ce5d6f retrieved on 30th January 2024

[27] “International Executive of the Year Award”. Academy of International Business (AIB). Retrieved 30^th January 2024

[28] https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/indra-nooyi-2/ retrieved 31^st January 2024

[29] https://npg.si.edu/object/npg_NPG.2019.4 retrieved 31st January 2024

[30] https://som.yale.edu/news/2019/05/indra-nooyi-80-presented-with-honorary-doctorate-at-yale-commencement retrieved on 30th January 2024

[31] https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2008/may/indra_krishnamurthy_nooyi.html retrieved on 28th January 2024

[32] https://today.duke.edu/2009/01/honorary.html retrieved on 30th January 2024

[33] https://warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/pressreleases/olympics_weirdstones_pepsi/ retrieved on 28th January 2024

[34] https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/10/parting-words-as-i-step-down-as-ceo/ retrieved on 30th January 2024

50 Inspiring Living Leaders

This 50 Inspiring Living Leaders series highlights current influencers who are succeeding in leadership, integrity, family or entrepreneurship in whatever field and exhibit most, if not all, of our values of PELÉ. We value people, growth, particularity, excellence, success, authenticity and significance. These stories are largely written in terms of growth, success and significance in leadership, integrity, family and  entrepreneurship. While we do our best to receive personal references about each leader, most of our research and writing is based on literature review of publicly-available information. As authorities in leadership, we are fully aware that there is no such thing as a perfect leader, and leaders may have their flaws, but we choose to celebrate these inspiring living leaders for their achievements outlined in our series. Having said that, should you happen to have any incontrovertible evidence that any of our featured leaders does not fit our bill of an authentic leader, please write to us at info@perbiexecutive.com. Our vision at PELÉ is a flourishing global ecosystem of authentic leaders characterised by healthy growth, holistic success and lasting significance.

 

JOYCE R. ARYEE – A Nation’s Aunt.

After about five decades of public service and private sector leadership, it is intriguing to find a wide social spectrum—from those young enough to be her grandchildren to those old enough to be her parents—all call her “Auntie Joyce.” Everybody’s aunt. Here may be why.

 

INTRODUCTION

Long before ‘women in leadership’ was a global mantra and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) became a do or die affair, there was Joyce Aryee. Auntie Joyce. Having blazed the trail for women in leadership in the first and last twenty years of the twenty-first and twentieth centuries respectively as a public servant and politician, business and executive leader and minister of the gospel, Rev. Dr. Joyce R. Aryee has earned herself a distinguished place in the African leadership hall of fame, with a global afterglow.

 

GROWTH

Joyce Rosalind Arye was born on 27 March, 1946 to a Fante mother from Elmina and a Ga father hailing from Anorhor in the Ghanaian capital region of Greater Accra. As the second of four children (two girls and two boys), little Joyce was raised in Ghana’s second largest city, Kumasi. In the suburb of North Suntreso where she grew up with her middle class family, Joyce would begin her early years of education at the Methodist Primary and Methodist Middle schools in the area. Joyce lost her father early—when she was barely seven years old—thus “as a single parent, her mum had to go through hell in bringing her and her siblings.”^[1] Her educationist mum desperately desired to endow all her children with quality education and so she had to complement her salary with baking and trading her sizzling handiworks in order to make sure that her children successfully went through school.^[2]

Soon, Ms. Aryee the tween would relocate to Accra, Ghana’s capital, to attend the prestigious Achimota School (founded as the Prince of Wales College in 1927), all seven years of secondary school, from Form One till graduation from Upper Six, with her A-Level certificate. Her life, from then onwards, would be largely an Accraian kind as she proceeded to the University of Ghana, barely 5km away in  northeasterly direction, graduating in 1969 with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in English.^[3]

Auntie Joyce also wields a Post-graduate Certificate in Public Administration from GIMPA, the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration. GIMPA was set up to offer training for Civil and Public Servants in Public Administration and Management  hence its name. Dr. Joyce Aryee recalls, “It was a compulsory three months training in Public Administration for a Public Servant. Civil Servants (those working in the Ministries) received a Post-graduate Diploma; they were required to do a six-month training.”^[4]

 

SUCCESS

A String of Female Firsts and Fellowships

Madam Aryee is the Republic of Ghana’s first ever female Minister of Information in its approximately sixty-seven-year history—and there’ve been only three such females so far—with her serving the longest as well, by far. Joyce is also the first ever female CEO of a Chamber of Mines in Ghana and even across Africa. She has a strand of Fellowships adorning her Curriculum Vitae like a well-strung necklace: FIPR (Fellow of the Institute of Public Relations), FGIM (Fellow of the Ghana Institute of Marketing), FGHIE (Fellow of the Ghana Institute of Engineers, March 2010), FCIA (Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Financial and Investment Analysts, September 2011), Fellow of the Graduate School of Governance and Leadership (October 2011) and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Supply Chain Management (April 2021).

Political Office and Public Service

“Joyce Aryee” was a household name in Ghana in the 1980s when I was growing up in bustling Accra, Ghana. While nearly everyone was antsy during the heady days of the military revolution in Ghana, “Auntie Joyce” was a sight for sore eyes and dare I say a somewhat calming balm amidst a sea of macho military men and braggadocious cadres of the bloody 1981 Revolution that brought Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings to power. Rumours were rife about a supposed amorous relationship between Joyce and the thirty-something military leader of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) military junta but she kept her eye on the road, pursuing her tasks. For a dozen years she was an appointee in the PNDC government. The PNDC was the Ghanaian military government after the elected People’s National Party government was overthrown by Jerry Rawlings, the former head of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council, in a coup d’état on 31 December 1981. He remained in power for a dozen years—with Joyce Aryee serving alongside all those years-–until 7 January 1993, after which he metamorphosed into a civilian to run the country as a two-term president for another eight years.

As quadruple Minister of State (called “Secretary” back then, like the United States still does today), Ms. Aryee was Minister of Information (1982-1985), Minister of Education (1985-1987), Minister of Local Government (1987-1988) and Minister of Democracy, a non-cabinet ministerial role at the National Commission for Democracy. The latter role meant she was front and centre in the democratisation process that restored multiparty democracy in Ghana, a midwife of Ghana’s Fourth Republic. From 1993 to 2001 Joyce Aryee was a Member of the National Defence Council.^[5]

With the Ministry of Information being the principal organ responsible for the dissemination of Government’s development communication, Joyce’s role was to facilitate free flow of adequate, timely and reliable information and feedback between the government and the public for socioeconomic empowerment and enhanced democratic citizenship.^[6] At the time, that PNDC portfolio was designated “Secretary of Information.”^[7]

Joyce prides herself that in support of human capital and national development she was formulating and coordinating education policies, setting standards and monitoring and evaluating their implementation to ensure accessible quality education for all Ghanaians as Minister of Education during that volatile period of Ghana’s history where the education of the ordinary Ghanaian young person could have easily gone awry.

Ms. Aryee’s public service did not start with the politics of the military government, for prior to her appointment she had been Public Relations  Officer (PRO) of both the Ghana Standards Board and the Environmental Protection Council. She had also been an Education Officer with the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board and Test Development and Research  Officer (TEDRO) with the West African Examinations Council in the 1970s as well. At the time she was co opted into the PNDC military government she was at the Ghana Standards Board.

Business and Executive Leadership

Joyce Aryee led the Ghana Chamber of Mines for a decade (2001-2011) as Chief Executive Officer, managing a process of “integrating social responsibility and dialogue with Government to promote sustainable mining for national development.”^[8] The Chamber is the main minerals industry association in Ghana “representing the collective interest of companies involved in mineral exploration, production and processing in Ghana.”^[9] With that wealth of experience under her belt, Madam Aryee founded a leadership, management and communication consultancy and training outfit christened after her household name: Joyce Aryee Consult (JAC). JAC has consulted for mining companies including Keegan Resources and Pelangio Explorations.

The years of corporate leadership experience and public leadership experience, coupled with her education at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), has made her a governance attraction for many companies, local and foreign. She has served on umpteen boards including those of AEL Mining Services, International Cyanide Management Institute (ICMI), Stanbic Bank, Volta River Authority, Central University (as Pro Chancellor), Databank Ark Fund (Chair), Global Media Alliance (Chair), Newmont Gold Ghana and Newmont Golden Ridge Limited (Chair), The Roman Ridge School (Chair, Academic Board), Global Records Management Ltd. (Chair), L’ainee Services Ltd and Apex Health Limited.

Clergy and Ministry

Madam Joyce Aryee is the Founder and current Executive Director of Salt and Light Ministries, a ‘parachurch’ organisation established to raise disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ to be effective, fruitful and practical Christians.^[10] The objectives of Rev. Aryee’s Salt and Light Ministries are to motivate, inspire and encourage people to live effective and productive Christian lives, to assist Christians to discern God’s purpose and will for them and their generations, to aid Christians to discover, nurture and apply their spiritual gifts to everyday situations, to provide Biblical counselling, to raise and train people to be disciples of Jesus Christ in order to fulfil the Great Commission^[11] and, not surprisingly as a successful Christian in the marketplace herself, to motivate and inspire Christians to proactively bring Biblical principles and values to bear on social, political and economic activities.^[12]

Dr. Aryee is regularly on air and online with words of wisdom and scriptural admonitions for all who have ears to hear. She is “passionate about the Arts and serves as Executive Chairperson of Harmonious Chorale and patron to many other choirs.”^[13]

Family Hiccups

About the only thing Auntie Joyce has had to try more than once and still not hit gold is marriage. Joyce has been married twice; firstly to a medical doctor with whom she lived in Germany for a season and had a now-43-year-old son^[14] and secondly to her childhood neighbour Dr Charles Wereko-Brobby.^[15] Auntie Joyce is a biological grandmother of three.^[16]

Cathedral Controversy

Being the celebrated colossus of a leader with a proven track record spanning half a century and with the rare ability to successfully straddle being a politician and a pulpiter, it is no wonder the current President of the Republic of Ghana appointed her to the Council to execute his vision for a National Cathedral that has become embroiled in controversy. Rev. Dr. Joyce Aryee has been defending the project to the hilt,^[17] a situation that some of her admirers are understandably concerned might soil her legacy if sophisticated prudence is not brought to bear. This author, a keen advocate for authentic leadership and principal at PELÉ, is one of such admirers.^[18]

 

SIGNIFICANCE

Awards and Honours

The Nation’s Aunt has a truckload of awards recognizing not just her personal success but her societal significance, making her arguably the most decorated female leader in Ghana’s history. Madam Aryee is a recipient of the second highest national award in Ghana known as the Companion of the Order of the Volta (CV) conferred by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Ghana in 2006^[19] for her service to the nation in the public and private sectors. She has been named on the list of 100 Global Inspirational Women in Mining in the world.^[20]

Achimota School, her alma mater, named their seventeenth dormitory ‘Rev. Dr. Joyce R. Aryee House’ after her, in honour of her selfless service to the nation as well as her  commitment and contribution to her former secondary school. Such dormitory naming, ranging from prominent leaders like the school’s triune co-founders (Governor Gordon Guggisberg, Dr. Kwegyir Aggrey and Rev. A.G. Fraser) to significant missionaries like David Livingston and Mary Slessor, is a “tradition of the school authorities to name dormitories after the sons and daughters of the school who [have] excelled in their fields of endeavour and had contributed immensely to the country.”^[21]

She is the recipient of several awards including the African Female Business Leader of the Year (2000) by the African Leadership Centre for Economic and Leadership Development and the CIMG Marketing Woman of the Year 2007. Auntie Joyce was honoured in the mining and public service category at the maiden edition of the Women in Excellence Awards in 2011. The American Biographical Institute (ABI) nominated her as the “2011 Woman of the Year.” Again, she won an award as the Public Relations Personality of the Year 2014 by the Institute of Public Relations Ghana. She also received the Inspirational Woman Award at the Ghana UK Based Achievement (GUBA) Awards 2015 for creating change, paving the way for women as well as being the first female to head an African Chamber of Mines.

Even as a near-octogenarian, like the Proverbs 31 woman, her good works still follow her. His Royal Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Life Patron of the Millennium Excellence Foundation, conferred upon Auntie Joyce, the “Millennium Prize for Leadership and Contribution to National Development” in recognition of her meritorious work in the areas of Motivation and Outstanding Clergy Policies in Ghana (July 2021). That same year, she was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Ghana CEO Awards. She is an Honorary Council Member of the Ghana Association of Restructuring and Insolvency Advisors.^[22] Even her love for music has not gone unrewarded. Over a decade ago she received the Honorary Award of the Year( 2012) at the Adom FM Ghana Gospel Industry Awards (GGIA) (2nd Edition).^[23]

 Honorary Doctorates

Dr. Joyce Aryee wields two honorary doctorates, a Doctor of Communication Arts degree from the Central University (Honoris Causa, May 2021) to recognise her contributions in the area of communication and leadership and the other from the University of Mines and Technology (July 2009) in recognition of her immense contributions to the growth of the mining industry.

Substantial Humanitarian Boards

Apart from corporate boards, Dr. Aryee has provided deep wisdom from her gracious heart to bolster the governance of significant nonprofits like the George Benneh Foundation, Finatrade Foundation, Energy Foundation, Compassion International, Prisons Ministry of Ghana, Bible Society of Ghana (Chairman and President), The HuD Group (I’ve seen her in action there for myself), and Harmonious Chorale, a multiple award-winning non-denominational choral organisation she founded to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ through chorale music. Auntie Joyce loves chorale music and it was always electrifying to see her interactions with my late grandfather, Emeritus Prof. J.H. Kwabena Nketia. In fact, Harmonious Chorale, in 2016, staged a whole night’s performance on the celebrated Ghanaian ethnomusicologist’s compositions for voice and instruments.

Growing Other Leaders

Auntie Joyce does not just stand tall like one huge Baobab tree towering over everyone else and sucking in all the air in the room. In both her personal and professional capacities, in formal, semi-formal and informal ways, she has been raising cohort after cohort of leaders for the private and public sector alike. Being a Fellow of the African Leadership Initiative (ALI) myself, I’ve personally encountered her as a Senior Mentor of ALI, a leadership formation programme birthed to develop the next generation of values-based and community-minded leaders of Africa to transition from success to significance. Beginning from Ghana and Nigeria in West Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda in East Africa and in Southern Africa, Mozambique and South Africa, ALI is part of the Aspen Global Leadership Network (AGLN). Rev. Aryee has “resourced several leadership and skills development programmes, both locally and internationally.”^[24]

Written Words and Said Speeches

Joyce Aryee co-authored the book The Transformed Mind with Samuel Koranteng-Pipim in 2012. They describe it as a “ provocative and inspiring volume” which speaks to issues facing Africa by Africans. “The stage is set,” the introduction audaciously declares, “The world is our audience, Africa our aisle, and Ghana our pulpit. We speak as citizens of a world to come. And we’re passionate about the issues we address, in the hope that you will be challenged to change your world.”^[25] A sought-after and most eloquent public speaker, Rev. Dr. Joyce Aryee addressing a graduating class at the Ghana Technology University College (GTUC) once said, “Great leaders care about the well-being of those in their charge. They do not use people simply as a means to an end. They genuinely want others to develop to their full potential.”^[26] She lives this out, that’s why she’s everybody’s “Auntie Joyce.”

Mama Mining

No single female leader has influenced the mining industry in Ghana, and perhaps in Africa, like Auntie Joyce. She is “passionate about sustainable mining and has advocated strongly for responsible mining for sustainable development. She has delivered several papers in sustainable mining in various mining conferences across the globe.”^[27] In 2022, she was appointed by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources of the Ghanaian government as chairperson of a five-member committee to oversee the management of funds in support of victims of the Appiatse explosion.^[28] Dr. Joyce Aryee is also the First Patron Extraordinaire of AMN, Accra Mining Network, the largest amorphous extractive industry professional organisation in the world.^[29] She has also participated in several mining conferences in South Africa and Canada, and as a guest speaker at the “Women in Mining Conference” in Australia.^[30] Joyce is widely, very widely, travelled.

 

PELÉ

“Great leaders are needed now than ever in all sectors of the economy,”^[31] Dr. Joyce Aryee believes, and one of the ways she does this is to serve as a consultant in general leadership development at PELÉ where authentic and customised relationships and resources are offered to C-level executives to grow personally, succeed professionally, and become significant societally.

 

CONCLUSION

Whether as Minister of the Government or Minister of the Gospel, the doubly-doctored Rev. Dr. Joyce Aryee has distinguished herself, serving God and Ghana for nearly half-a-century in both the public domain and the private sector. A nation’s aunt, who was a voice of reason in Ghana’s military government days and midwifed the birth of the Fourth Republic of Ghana, it is no wonder that from those young enough to be her grandchildren to those old enough to be her parents, all call her “Auntie Joyce,” really a sign of endearment. She’s everybody’s aunt, all the people she’s served or have only heard of her—from politics to the pulpit—for nearly 50 years. Hail the colossus of women in leadership par excellence, by all standards. Give Auntie Joyce her due.

 

^[1] “Dr. Joyce Rosalind Aryee – First CEO of Ghana Chamber of Mines – Today Newspaper”. Ghana Today. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 15 January, 2024.

^[2] Ibid.

^[3] Attah-Mensah, Samuel. “Footprints on Citi TV with Dr. Joyce Aryee”. Citi Tube. Citi Tube. Last retrieved 17 January, 2024.

^[4] Personal correspondence between Rev. Dr. Joyce Aryee and the author, Dr. Yaw Perbi, via WhatsApp on 23 January, 2024.

^[5] Christensen, Martin K.I. (31 May 2010). “Ghana Ministers”. Worldwide Guide to Women in Leadership. Martin K. I. Christensen. Last retrieved 23 January, 2024.

^[6] Joyce R. Aryee. (2024). Profile: Rev. Dr. Joyce Rosalind Aryee. Sent to the author by Joyce Aryee on 18 January 2024. Last retrieved on 23 January, 2024.

^[7] Eribo, Festus & William Jong-Ebot, Press Freedom and Communication in Africa, 1997, p. 20.

^[8] Joyce R. Aryee, Joyce R. (2024). Profile: Rev. Dr. Joyce Rosalind Aryee. Sent to the author by Joyce Aryee on 18 January 2024. Last retrieved on 23 January, 2024.

^[9] Ibid.

^[10] Salt & Light Ministries. About Us. https://saltandlightministriesgh.org/about-us/ Last retrieved 23 January, 2024.

^[11] Matthew 28:18-20

^[12] Ibid.

^[13] Aryee, Joyce R. (2024). Profile: Rev. Dr. Joyce Rosalind Aryee. Sent to the author by Joyce Aryee on 18 January 2024. Last retrieved on 23 January, 2024.

^[14] “Dr. Joyce Rosalind Aryee – First CEO of Ghana Chamber of Mines – Today Newspaper”. Ghana Today. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Last retrieved 23 January, 2024.

^[15] Sackitey, Gideon. Personalities | Dr. Charles Wereko-Brobby. Ghanadot. Retrieved 23 January, 2024.

^[16] Personal correspondence between Rev. Dr. Joyce Aryee and the author, Dr. Yaw Perbi, via WhatsApp on 24 January, 2024.

^[17] Anim-Appau, Felix (October 2023). National Cathedral; Project not stalled, keep contributing towards completion – Joyce Aryee urges public. Onua Online. Retrieved 23 January, 2024.

^[18] Boakye, Edna Agnes (21 January, 2023). Halt National Cathedral project and audit expenditure – Dr. Perbi to gov’t. Citi News Room. Retrieved 23 January, 2024.

^[19] Ghana Web. Ghana Famous People | Politics | Joyce Aryee. Last retrieved  23 January, 2024.

^[20] Aryee, Joyce R. (2024). Profile: Rev. Dr. Joyce Rosalind Aryee. Sent to the author by Joyce Aryee on 18 January 2024. Last retrieved on 23 January, 2024.

^[21] Boateng, Dennis Agyei. “Achimota School names girls’ dormitory after Rev. Joyce Aryee – Graphic Online | Ghana News”. Graphic Online. Retrieved 23 January 2024.

^[22] “Governing Council”. GARIA. Retrieved 23 January 2024.

^[23] MyJoyOnline (24 June 2012). Selina Boateng wins Artiste of the Year at Ghana Gospel Industry Awards”. MyJoyOnline. Retrieved 24 January, 2024.

^[24] Aryee, Joyce R. (2024). Profile: Rev. Dr. Joyce Rosalind Aryee. Sent to the author by Joyce Aryee on 18 January 2024. Last retrieved on 23 January, 2024.

^[25] Koranteng-Pipim, Samuel & Joyce R. Aryee (2012). The Transformed Mind. Eagle Online Books. Amazon.

^[26] Ghana News Agency. 28 July, 2014. “Great leaders don’t use people as a means to an end.” Citionline. Last retrieved on January 21, 2024.

^[27] Aryee, Joyce R. (2024). Profile: Rev. Dr. Joyce Rosalind Aryee. Sent to the author by Joyce Aryee on 18 January 2024.Last retrieved on 23 January, 2024.

^[28] Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources. June 28, 2022. “Government Launches Apiate Support Fund.” MLNR. Last retrieved 23 January, 2024.

^[29] Accra Mining Network (AMN), Since 2015 (27 July 2015). “Joyce Aryee, AMN Patron Extraordinaire”. Accra Mining. Retrieved 23 January, 2024.

^[30] “Dr. Joyce Rosalind Aryee – First CEO of Ghana Chamber of Mines – Today Newspaper”. Ghana Today. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Last retrieved 23 January, 2024.

^[31] Ghana News Agency (28 July, 2014). “Great leaders don’t use people as a means to an end.” Citionline. Last retrieved on January 21, 2024.

 

50 Inspiring Living Leaders

This 50 Inspiring Living Leaders series highlights current influencers who are succeeding in leadership, integrity, family or entrepreneurship in whatever field and exhibit most, if not all, of our values of PELÉ. We value people, growth, particularity, excellence, success, authenticity and significance. These stories are largely written in terms of growth, success and significance in leadership, integrity, family and  entrepreneurship. While we do our best to receive personal references about each leader, most of our research and writing is based on literature review of publicly-available information. As authorities in leadership, we are fully aware that there is no such thing as a perfect leader, and leaders may have their flaws, but we choose to celebrate these inspiring living leaders for their achievements outlined in our series. Having said that, should you happen to have any incontrovertible evidence that any of our featured leaders does not fit our bill of an authentic leader, please write to us at info@perbiexecutive.com. Our vision at PELÉ is a flourishing global ecosystem of authentic leaders characterised by healthy growth, holistic success and lasting significance.

 

 

 

STRIVE MASIYIWA – Strife. Success. Significance.

The stirring story of an affluent, all-round African who began the burgeoning of Black British billionaires. From a southern African refugee status to a global tech giant stature, Strive Masiyiwa’s life story is loaded with life lessons.

 

INTRODUCTION

Strive Masiyiwa is a household name in the world of Information Communication Technology (ICT) on every continent of the world. Zimbabwe-born and London-based, the nearly-63-year-old African billionaire businessman and philanthropist worth 1.9 billion USD (2024)^[1], a little ahead of Apple’s Tim Cook in the same industry,^[2] has caught our eye at PELÉ for several reasons. Our interest has been in how well he straddles the worlds of leadership and entrepreneurship, politics and philanthropy, family and faith. Strive is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Econet Group, the international technology conglomerate comprising Econet Wireless Global and Cassava Technologies.

 

GROWTH

Early Years

Born to entrepreneurial parents on January 29, 1961 in then Rhodesia, later to become Zimbabwe post-independence, Strive Masiyiwa’s family left the country after the government of Prime Minister Ian Smith‘s Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom.^[3] Their refugee family settled in a copper mines area in Zambia where Strive would attend primary school. By the age of 12, his parents could afford to invest in European education and sent him off to a private school in Edinburgh, Scotland as an international student.

Politics

In the wake of finishing high school in Scotland, in 1978, Master Masiyiwa returned to Africa to join the freedom fighters. However, “One of the senior officers told me,” he recalls, “’Look, we’re about to win anyway, and what we really need is people like you to help rebuild the country.'”^[4] With that he returned to Britain to study engineering, and would later lead “a new African revolution–in telecommunications.”^[5]

Strive would finally graduate from the University of Wales in 1983 with a degree in electrical engineering. After a stint in the computer industry in England he returned to Zimbabwe the next year hoping to aid the post universal franchise elections country recover from the Rhodesian Bush War.^[6]

 

Entrepreneurship

When Masiyiwa returned home to Zimbabwe after a 17-year hiatus, he initially worked briefly as a telecoms engineer for the state-owned telephone company before quitting to start up his own electrical engineering business using his monthly salary savings and a Barclays bank loan.

Later he would grow large in his entrepreneurial expedition and diversify into telecoms, with the emergence of mobile cellular telephony, eventually establishing Econet Wireless after much strife with the Zimbabwean government which initially refused to give him a licence to operate. That was a five-year legal battle (1993-1998) which went all the way to the highest court of the land and reportedly took him to the brink of bankruptcy. Strive’s strife was against a crippling cocktail of corruption and cronyism. In the end, his victory was not for himself alone, for it led to the removal of the state monopoly in telecommunications, and is regarded as one of the key milestones in opening the African telecommunications sector to private capital.^[7]

 

Dual Blessing of Southern and South Africa

In 2000 Masiyiwa left Zimbabwe with his family to go to South Africa for a season. “Part of the reason it would be unwise for him to return is almost certainly linked with a decision he took that same year to make a personal loan to the owners of Zimbabwe’s three independent newspapers, including the Daily News, which was later shut down by Mugabe’s regime.”^[8] While this was his second refuge in his native southern African region—having been once a refugee in Zambia as a young lad—Masiyiwa maintains that the real reason he moved to South Africa was to realise his dream of creating a truly multinational African business.^[9] Hear him: “This is the space we have been trying to fill, to pioneer the development of African companies that have a global outlook. South Africa was the only place where there was an outlook about building businesses that go to other countries.”^[10]

 

SUCCESS

Continental Leadership

Strive Masiyiwa’s company’s first cell phone subscriber was connected to the new network in 1998,^[11] the same year in which he listed Econet Wireless Zimbabwe on the local stock exchange as a gesture of thanks to reward the thousands of ordinary people who supported him during his long legal battles against the Zimbabwean government.^[12]

Today, Econet Wireless Zimbabwe has gone on to become a major business that dominates the Zimbabwean economy. Fifteen years into operation, in 2013, the Zimbabwe Investment Authority (ZIA) awarded Econet Wireless Zimbabwe with a Lifetime Award in the ICT sector, in recognition of the investment the company had made into the country. The said investment included a $1.2 billion injection, certainly responsible for the business outcome of rapidly moving Zimbabwe from low penetration levels of below 15% in 2009 to one of the fastest growing telecoms markets in the world with a penetration rate of almost 100%.^[13]

At the turn of the millennium, sub-Saharan Africa had just one phone line for every 70 people, in contrast to almost one per person in the U.S. and Europe.^[14]  In just six years, between 1996 and 2002, Africa jumped from 2 million to 35 million mobile connections.^[15] Today, the number of smartphone subscriptions in sub-Saharan Africa is over 415 million and is expected to reach 689 million by 2028.^[16] Strive has been part of the leadership that has made the continent leapfrog the ‘landlines’ stage in development, with Africa even leading the world today in cell phone innovations in fintech like mobile money (MPESA in Kenya and MoMo in Ghana). Talk of vision, at the start of Econet when Strive had proposed a joint venture and reached out to the national telecoms company, his former employers, the cataractic bosses were adamant and categorically stated that there was no call for mobile telephones in Zimbabwe.^[17]

 

Global Impact

Econet Wireless International, Econet Global, Mascom Wireless Botswana, Econet Wireless Nigeria (now Airtel Nigeria), Econet Satellite Services, Lesotho Telecom, Econet Wireless Burundi, Rwanda Telecom, Econet Wireless South Africa, Solarway, and Transaction Processing Systems (TPS) are all key Strive Masiyiwa businesses established with partners. Mr. Masiyiwa’s operations and investments run across Africa and the United Kingdom, Europe, US, Latin America, and New Zealand, United Arab Emirates, and China.^[18]

Strive Masiyiwa’s entrepreneurial and leadership success has had its financial payoffs, even on a personal level. For instance, he  owns two adjacent apartments atop the 29-storey Eldorado Tower at 300 Central Park in New York City, bought for US$24.5 million in 2016.^[19] On 7 July 2022, Masiyiwa became the first black billionaire to enter the Sunday Times Rich List with a net worth of £1.6 billion.^[20]

 

As a brand that values integrity, we cannot help but reproduce one of our favourite Masiyiwa quotes on the issue: “Integrity is better capital than money. You can accumulate it just like money, and you can use it just like money, but it goes further, and is enduring.”^[21] A related Masiyiwa quote is: “If we tackle corruption, no child would sleep hungry, there would be no injustice, every child would be in school. The most powerful force against corruption is one person saying “no”.” You may find these, along with eight other powerful quotes of his, in a brief Forbes article.

 

Family

If indeed “true success is when those who know you the best, love you the most” (John Maxwell) then Strive is successful on that count. Strive is married to a queen of philanthropy, Tsitsi, with whom he has six biological children: Elizabeth, Sarah, Vimbai, Moses (the only male), Joanna and Esther.  Their oldest is now thirty-two. The family resides in London, England.

SIGNIFICANCE

At PELÉ, we are convinced that individual success must lead to societal significance. Well, the man once picked by Time magazine as one of its 15 “global influentials” has been mentioned in the same breadth as greats like Nelson Mandela and Kofi Annan, both of the African soil with global impact.

Philanthropy

Strive runs a non-profit organisation, Higherlife foundation, together with his wife, Tsitsi Masiyiwa. The Zimbabwean billionaire couple’s NGO empowers vulnerable children through education and creates opportunities for highly talented young people. They run one of the largest support programmes for feeding and educating orphans on the continent through this family foundation.^[22] As part of the The Giving Pledge, a commitment to philanthropy by the world’s wealthiest individuals, it appears Masiyiwa “spends nearly as much time and money giving back as he does growing Econet Wireless.”^[23]

As a down-to-earth man of the people for the people, Masiyiwa still maintains a public Facebook page through which he primarily mentors budding African entrepreneurs and all who have ears to hear what he has to say about success in life, leadership, integrity, family, faith and entrepreneurship. This page currently has 5.7 million followers.

 

Boards

Masiyiwa’s international appointments and board memberships over the years, both for profit and non-profit, include: Unilever (board member), Netflix (board member), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (trustee),^[24]  the National Geographic Society (trustee), Bank of America (Global Advisory Council), UN Commission on Adaptation (former Commissioner), Generation Africa (co-founder), Pathways for Prosperity Commission on Technology and Inclusive Development (co-chair), The Rockefeller Foundation (former board member),^[25] and the US Council on Foreign Relations (former Global Advisory Board 2012-2023).

Mr. Strive Masiyiwa has also served the Asia Society (former board member), Stanford University (Global Advisory Board), the Africa Progress Panel, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (chair, now Chair Emeritus), The Micronutrient Initiative of Canada (former board member), Grow Africa, the African Union‘s Ebola Fund (co-founder), Morehouse College (former Trustee), the African Academy of Sciences (Honorary Fellow) and the Pan African Strategic Institute. A couple of years ago, Strive was involved in helping to organise the Global Africa Business Initiative launched in New York in 2022. He is the only African member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum‘s Committee on Conscience. Masiyiwa has also served on a couple of UN Advisory Panels.

 

Faith

Masiyiwa is a practising Christian.^[26] It was during the five-year legal strife with his home government that when his wife invited him to church he would realise that “I did not know Him [Jesus Christ]; I only knew of Him.” That moment changed everything for Strive. He borrowed a second-hand Bible, and read the entire book in two weeks, committing his life (and business) fully to Christ.^[27] “Christianity is a value system that calls on me to be compassionate, it calls on me to help the weak,” he says. “I generate a lot of money for me and my shareholders and people who have been associated with me, but that cannot be an end in itself.”^[28]

Strive is the co-founder of the Capernaum Trust, a Christian charity that sponsors the education of over 28,000 Zimbabwean orphans, and co-founded with Sir Richard Branson the environmental group the Carbon War Room. As noted above Mr. Masiyiwa sits on countless boards, from Grow Africa to organisations leading the charge against evils like HIV/AIDS, Ebola and genocide. He joined forces with Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, to tackle the 2014 Ebola epidemic in West Africa, raising $35 million to stem the tide and bolster the economies of affected countries.^[29]

 

CONCLUSION

Strive Masiyiwa has striven and succeeded, by all standards, be it in entrepreneurship, leadership, politics, philanthropy, family or faith. Britain’s first Black billionaire is a blessed Prince of Africa, for just like the Semitic patriarch who wrestled with a mysterious man until daybreak when he was eventually blessed by the divine, in prophetically naming him ‘Strive’ his Zimbabwean parents must have had a hunch that he too will strive with God and with humans, and win.^[30] He has. Hands down.

^[1] https://www.forbes.com/billionaires/

^[2] https://www.forbes.com/billionaires/

^[3] Out of Zimbabwe, a telecoms boss means serious business in Africa”. The Guardian. 30 July 2009. Retrieved January 11, 2023.

^[4] Robinson, Simon (2 December 2002). “Strive Masiyiwa: Founder of Econet Wireless”. Time.

^[5] Ibid.

^[6] Arlidge, John. “How Strive Masiyiwa became Britain’s first black billionaire”. Retrieved January 11, 2023.

^[7]  Out of Zimbabwe, a telecoms boss means serious business in Africa”. The Guardian. 30 July 2009. Retrieved January 11, 2023.

^[8] Out of Zimbabwe, a telecoms boss means serious business in Africa”. The Guardian. 30 July 2009. Retrieved January 11, 2023.

^[9] Ibid.

^[10] Ibid.

^[11] Robinson, Simon (2 December 2002). “Strive Masiyiwa: Founder of Econet Wireless”. Time.

^[12] https://nehandaradio.com/2014/06/16/story-masiyiwa-story-raised-money-part-3/ (from Strive’s own blog). Retrieved January 11, 2023.

^[13] https://www.techzim.co.zw/2013/11/investment-zimbabwe-earns-econet-wireless-zia-lifetime-award/

^[14] Robinson, Simon (2 December 2002). “Strive Masiyiwa: Founder of Econet Wireless”. Time.

^[15] Ibid.

^[16] Taylor, Petroc (18 July, 2023). Smartphone subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa 2011-2028. Statista.

^[17] The Economist. (8 October, 1998). Judgment Day. This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the same headline. Last retrieved January 15, 2024.

^[18] Leach, Anna (18 August 2014). “Zimbabwe’s Econet Wireless and the making of Africa’s first cashless society”. The Guardian.

^[19] Ojekunle, Aderemi (1 April 2019). “A peek into the life and business empire of Strive Masiyiwa, Zimbabwe’s first billionaire”. Pulse Nigeria. Retrieved January 15, 2024.

^[20] Watts, Robert. “Strive Masiyiwa: the first black billionaire to make the Rich List. This is his story”. The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved January 15, 2024.

^[21] Nsehe, Mfonobong. (Jul 6, 2014). “10 Inspirational Quotes From Zimbabwe’s Richest Man, Strive Masiyiwa.” Forbes. Last retrieved January 16, 2024.

^[22] Ojekunle, Aderemi. (4 January, 2019). A peek into the life and business empire of Strive Masiyiwa, Zimbabwe’s first billionaire. Pulse Nigeria.

^[23] https://www.arrowleadership.org/blog/general-leadership/the-faith-of-strive-masiyiwa/ Last retrieved January 15, 2024

^[24] Kulish, Nicholas (26 January 2022). “Three New Faces to Help Steer the Gates Foundation”. The New York Times. Retrieved January 15, 2024.

^[25]  “Rockefeller Foundation Board of Trustees-Strive-Masiyiwa”. Retrieved January 15, 2024.

^[26] https://www.arrowleadership.org/blog/general-leadership/the-faith-of-strive-masiyiwa/ Last retrieved January 15, 2024

^[27] Ibid

^[28] https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2009/jul/30/strive-masiwiya-zimbabwe-telecoms

^[29] Ojekunle, Aderemi. (4 January, 2019). A peek into the life and business empire of Strive Masiyiwa, Zimbabwe’s first billionaire. Pulse Nigeria.

^[30] The Holy Bible. Genesis 32:27-28

50 Inspiring Living Leaders

This 50 Inspiring Living Leaders series highlights current influencers who are succeeding in leadership, integrity, family or entrepreneurship in whatever field and exhibit most, if not all, of our values of PELÉ. We value people, growth, particularity, excellence, success, authenticity and significance. These stories are largely written in terms of growth, success and significance in leadership, integrity, family and entrepreneurship. While we do our best to receive personal references about each leader, most of our research and writing is based on literature review of publicly-available information. As authorities in leadership, we are fully aware that there is no such thing as a perfect leader, and leaders may have their flaws, but we choose to celebrate these inspiring living leaders for their achievements outlined in our series. Having said that, should you happen to have any incontrovertible evidence that any of our featured leaders does not fit our bill of an authentic leader, please write to us at info@perbiexecutive.com. Our vision at PELÉ is a flourishing global ecosystem of authentic leaders characterised by healthy growth, holistic success and lasting significance.

 

Guard Your January!

Happy New Year! Welcome to the first blog of 2024, a pep blog. The equivalent pep talk is available on Youtube here. Now, this is the the bottomline of this debut communication: Guard your January. Guard your January!

I noticed this many years ago, maybe 15 years ago, that as January go so does the rest of the year. And so although a lot of people take quite a while to get out of the yuletide mood and year-end festivities I realized over a decade ago that by the second day of the new year I needed to grab a hold of myself and start thinking about the rest of the year, prayerfully planning etc.

So for instance at The HuD Group, a holistic emerging leadership development organization I co-founded 20 years ago and now has has work in about 25 countries on all continents, one thing we do and mobilize others to join us in is that from the 2nd to the 22nd of January every year we have a focused time of fasting and praying. We call it P³ or PPP because it’s a time of Prayer, Purpose and Planning.

Now, even if you’re not a person of faith you probably still agree, at least, that you are not just a piece of matter. You are here by the intentional creation of an intelligent Designer who has you here on purpose to fulfill His mission for your life. And so, think about your God-given purposes in January. Why are you here on Earth? Why has God given you another year? (Not everybody made it into 2024, don’t forget).

If you need some guardrails, you’re here to reflect your Creator in your being and your doing and so think about your purpose in 2024 in terms of

–Character (will you be a godly or God-like leader? In what ways?)

–Community (who are you going to intentionally hang out with this year, from family and friends to fellowships?)

–Celebration (what’s going to be the central joy of your life, ultimately how are yougoing to bring delight to your Creator a.k.a. worship)

–Contribution (as one “born to rule through service given” how are you going to lead differently in 2024?)

–Commission (you have an obligation to form godly, effecual leaders too; and better still when you can do it from the inside out with the redemptive power of God that comes from believing in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross).

As you think about these God-given and practical purposes, prayerfully consider each and plan your year accordingly. Don’t just be engaged in activities and running around in January–especially from program to program–because as January goes so does the rest of the year. Personally, I hardly take speaking appointments in January and I rarely travel in January because I realized many years ago that is a time to be focused, to be prayerfully intentional about the rest of the year. Last year I violated that, taking on what I thoutht was an ‘unmissiable’ speaking engagement in Kenya. Let’s just say I paid for it dearly.

May you grow in this practice of putting first things first, and in such a profound way that leads to more success this year and even more significance. Remember: guard your January! That’s my pep talk and blog, my first pep talk and blog, for you in 2024.

The ‘L’ Word. Leadership is Not a Dirty Word.

Perbi Executive Leadership Education (PELÉ) just concluded a successful co-hosting of the annual John Maxwell Team conference dubbed Live2Lead in Accra. Corporate, non-profit and other leaders in Ghana experienced in real-time, via simulcast, the motions colleagues in Atlanta, Georgia were also going through in the United States. Live2Lead. Live is an ‘L’ word, so is Lead. Yet Google “The ‘L’ Word” and you are more likely to be greeted with Lesbian or even Los Angeles and not Lead(ership). In fact, a certain Showtime drama series that depicts these other L’s and aired in the first decade of this century dominates the internet should you conduct “the ‘L’ word” phrase search.

For us at PELÉ, Leadership is the ‘L’ word. If Dr. John C. Maxwell is right that “leaders see everything with a leadership bias,” then is it any wonder? This is incredibly important to us in our quest to form a global ecosystem of authentic leaders that in our DeepLEAD^TM courses, the first of all 24 modules (in a three-part series comprising eight modules each) is actually entitled “The ‘L’ Word.” We LOVE Leadership.

Some associate leadership with politics and because “politics is dirty” leadership gets a bad rap; leadership then becomes a dirty word and a dirty thing. Politics, like any other worthwhile thing, can be dirty. But even when and where it is true that “politics is dirty,” leadership is bigger than politics. In fact, our founding principal at PELÉ is on record to have said that “leadership is too important to leave it to politicians alone.” Similarly, because “Gen Z doesn’t do hierarchy,” the current rejection of twentieth century ‘command and control’ and ‘authoritarian’ leadership to rather embrace a flatter perception of the leader—plus the notion of twenty-first century ‘distributed leadership’—also tends to make the word ‘leadership’ undesirable, even demonized in some quarters today. For many, leaders and leadership have had a bad rap, a negative reputation, hence the title and subtitle of the first of our DeepLEAD^TM modules, The ‘L’ Word—Leadership is not a dirty word, with the wild hope to change that narrative in the head and heart of anyone who cares to pay attention. We establish the paradigm that the current rejection of twentieth century ‘command and control’ and ‘authoritarian’ leadership and the embracing of a flatter perception of the leader plus and distributed leadership does not exclude how vital leadership is and what it can/cannot do.

 

‘O’ for Objectives

While the overall aim of the DeepLEAD^TM Growth Series is “to establish an indisputable link between the person of the leader—including their self-awareness, life story, character, temperament, habits, emotional health—and the success of leadership,” the specific objectives of The “L’ Word module include exposing students to the wide array of leadership opinions and definitions to appreciate the breath and nuance of the ‘L’ subject. By the end of the course, one would’ve laid “the foundation for the topic of leadership in a memorable and definitive way for not just the course itself but for all of life.” While one would’ve compared and contrasted two dozen leadership definitions and descriptions, studied a 200-year panorama of leadership paradigms from the Great Man Theory of the 1800s to Authentic Leadership or Adaptive Leadership of the first and second decades of this century respectively, there’s an all-encompassing Dr. Yaw Perbi definition of a leader, which we use throughout the course and in our engagements with clients.

 

‘D’ for Definitions

It has been interesting observing the definitions and descriptions of leadership that have most caught the attention and strummed the heartstrings of the October 2023 cohort of the DeepLEAD^TM live Masterclass. Already, the fact that DeepLEAD^TM embraces complexity, straddles paradigms and tames tensions is forming these in them as they grapple with definitions that even seem contradictory, like Mandela’s shepherd paradigm of leading from behind and fellow Noble Prize laureate Mott’s whose definition of leadership is being in front and staying ahead! Here’s John R. Mott (Nobel Peace Prize laureate 1946): “Leaders are people who know the road, and who can keep ahead, and who can pull others after them.” Here comes Nelson R. Mandela (Nobel Peace Prize laureate 1993): “A leader…is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind.” The DeepLEADer has the wisdom to know when and where to be ahead or lead from behind.

Whether it’s the leadership theories, descriptions or definitions in The ‘L’ Word module, by the end of it leaders undergoing it would realize that no one theory, description or definition is enough to explain all of leadership. Warren Bennis captures the nuance and complexity of the ‘L’ word well when he asserts, “Like love, leadership is something that everybody knows exists, but no one can define…” No wonder, he explains, “decades of academic analysis have given us more than 350 definitions of leadership.”

 

Conclusion

What dominates our minds when it comes to “the ‘L’ word” is miles apart from what populates a typical Google search today. But Leadership is the ‘L’ word. And it is incredibly important, as strongly put in the DeepLEAD^TM series, that because “everything rises and falls on leadership” and “leadership is cause, everything else is effect,” one day, eventually, Leadership will get the most results in an internet search for “the ‘L’ word.” In the course we state, and it bears repeating, that “Whether in normal times or unusual ones, the tenets and principles of great leadership ought to be passed on to each generation.” So no matter what letters we assign to the generations–X, Y, Z, Alpha, whatever–that in each and every generation, the ‘L’ word would be Leadership. That’s what we live for, why we’re here. We live to lead.

 

Post Script

DeepLEAD^TM is for any leader seeking profound, authentic transformation—of self, systems & society—that lasts. There is a live DeepLEAD^TM Masterclass currently ongoing. Watch out for the launch of the online pre-recorded, self-paced version in December 2023.