Sharon describes herself as a strong, determined, and resilient woman. She is an experienced accountant who studied at the University of Nairobi (Business School) and a professional accountant registered with ACCA.
Can you describe your professional Journey in 150 words?
I started my journey in Cellulant as an intern in the finance team 4 years ago. 2 months later I was confirmed as an Accountant, an opportunity that enabled me to work through all the different sectors in finance from payables to credit controlling, revenue Assurance and even reporting. Today, I am a Finance Lead for Zambia since January 2021.
What drove you towards accounting?
Honestly, I landed in accounting through an elimination process method, I knew I had good mathematical skills, that I wanted to put to use, but I wanted a job where people go to work looking good and had no dirt, so engineers and their overalls were out of the question, and after 12 years of studying very hard I wanted a university course, that would be straight forward, so Actuarial Science and IT were out of the question and that left Finance and Accounting. (Thinking of it, maybe I have just always been an analyst!)
What would you say has been the most exciting part of the job?
I have always wanted a job that allowed me to travel. There is a thrill and excitement about meeting new people, experiencing new cultures, and discovering that the more things look different, the more alike they actually are, which I can’t explain. So when the Zambia opportunity came, I literally could not sleep in December, waiting for the new year to begin. That Cellulant gave me such an opportunity, shows the company’s goodwill towards growing its people for which I will be eternally grateful. And who knows, maybe I will be going to West Africa or North Africa for my next role.
What has been the most interesting part about working in a different market?
The part I found most interesting is meeting people I mostly hear on calls due to the nature of our business being in 18 markets with Zambia being one of them. I also enjoy visiting new places ( Victoria falls is definitely worth a visit) and the food is interestingly different.
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What’s the one problem you are solving for clients in this market?
Timely settlement and reconciliations of merchants’ collections to allow for the scale of proximity payments. The goal is to ensure that Tingg in Zambia is the preferred mobile money payment platform. To do this we need to ensure that customers want to pay using Tingg (by providing a fantastic product) and merchants want Tingg in their stores ( by delivering on our settlement and reconciliations process), that is where my team and I come in.
What has been the most rewarding moment?
We recently created a solution that impacted the revenue line in growth. That was a good month for my team and me!
What do you love most about working at Cellulant?
I love the creativity with which we are allowed to complete projects and tasks. It creates an environment that supports growth and innovation…#UnlimitedPossibilities&Growth
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How do you want to be remembered?
As a team player who was one of the contributors to the Cellulant mission of reaching the billion-dollar business target…It takes one of one..it takes ME!
In your own words, what does Cellulant want to do in Africa and why is that inspirational for you?
Cellulant ensures that regardless of where you are in Africa, you have access to goods and services as a consumer because you have the channels to pay for them, whether it will be through mobile money, mobile banking, or card. We are not just trying to bank the unbanked, we are providing an entire continent banked or unbanked with easier and more efficient ways of making payments.
