Advice for Young Women on Building a Career in Financial Consulting

The author shares her experience, which taught her that professional growth is achieved when a person is willing to step outside their comfort zone. The most significant milestones in her career are linked to taking on complex tasks, such as transitioning from cable works to cybersecurity. Although this initially seemed daunting, this experience taught the value of continuous learning.

Further development occurred through responsibility for South Africa and Nigeria. Working in different markets and cultures built resilience and adaptability in her, and it showed her that leadership begins with the ability to listen.

Many of the best opportunities in her career arose from her willingness to agree to something even before she felt completely ready. Collaborating with colleagues and mentors worldwide within a multinational organization broadened her horizons. These experiences shaped her leadership style and gave her a global perspective, which she applies today as the Business Unit Manager for Lenovo at Pinnacle ICT.

Women's Month is a time to honor women who have overcome barriers and created opportunities for future generations. It also serves as a reminder that everyone contributes to building an industry where women can thrive.

Advice for Young Women

The author's advice to young women considering a career in ICT is simple: believe in yourself, remain curious, and never stop learning. The author emphasizes that technology is constantly evolving, and there is room for every viewpoint and every leadership style.

Artificial intelligence is named one of the most exciting areas in the industry. It transforms the workplace by increasing productivity and automating routine tasks, allowing people to focus on more valuable work. Furthermore, the hybrid work model continues to change organizational operating principles, and sustainable development is becoming an increasingly important aspect when making technological decisions. Business requires solutions that improve efficiency and support long-term environmental goals.

The author expresses pride in working with Lenovo for its ability to innovate while remaining focused on customer needs. Whether it's AI-powered PCs, intelligent infrastructure, or hybrid workspace solutions, Lenovo creates technologies that help businesses solve real problems. The brand's commitment to quality and customer experience sets it apart in a rapidly changing market.

The Legacy I Want to Leave

When the author thinks about the legacy she wants to leave, she doesn't think about titles or achievements, but about people. She hopes to be remembered as someone who led with integrity, encouraged the growth of others, and created opportunities for those around her. If she manages to inspire even a few women to pursue a career in technology and confidently take on leadership roles, she will consider that her greatest achievement.

Positivity Generates Positivity

The author believes that when leadership is exercised with purpose and optimism, conditions are created where both people and business can thrive.

The author questions the reason why successful women are constantly invited to share advice, inspire, and motivate other women. The author notes that this question often arises after key speeches or panel discussions when the moderator poses a final question: 'What advice would you give to young women?'

For many years, the author answered this question without hesitation, as she considers it thoughtful and well-intentioned, given her experience in mentorship, leadership, coaching, and women's rights advocacy. However, recently, she has started asking a different question: why is it almost always successful women who are asked to give advice?

This request rarely concerns economic policy, the future of higher education, artificial intelligence, management, or organizational strategy—areas where many women possess deep expertise. Instead, they are often asked to focus on inspiration, support, and preparing other women.

The more the author reflected on this, the clearer it became that this was not just an innocent question, but a reflection of societal expectations placed upon successful women. When men are invited onto the stage, they are usually asked to discuss markets, innovation, growth, geopolitics, or the future of their industries, and their knowledge is perceived as professional expertise.

When women speak, the conversation inevitably turns to resilience, work-life balance, self-confidence, imposter syndrome, and advice for young women. Thus, in addition to their achievements, women acquire an additional role: teacher, mentor, coach, role model, or cheerleader.

Although no one formally assigns this role or includes it in the job evaluation agreement, this expectation exists. The author emphasizes that mentorship itself is important, as many influential people in her life generously shared wisdom and opened doors.

However, the author draws a distinction between the voluntary choice of mentorship and being expected to mentor solely because of one's success. This transition from choice to expectation happens so subtly that we barely notice it.

We praise women who 'lift others up while lifting themselves,' applaud those who 'look back,' and admire those who 'empower other women.' These ideals are commendable, but they have become obligations almost exclusively tied to successful women.

The author notes that it is rare to see a successful man conclude a speech with the question: 'What advice would you give to young men?' Or to be asked about plans for preparing the next generation of male leaders. Instead, he is asked about the future, vision, strategy, and expertise.

Women, however, are often expected to explain not only how they achieved success but also how everyone else can achieve it. This is a subtle but important difference, implying that women are expected not just to excel professionally, but to become custodians of the entire development process. They are expected to carry the emotional burden of ensuring the prosperity of other women. This expectation requires careful examination.

The author asks: why is the responsibility for advancing women so easily placed on the women themselves? Why do organizations ask less about why 'the pipeline keeps leaking' instead of asking women how to fix it? Why do we ask women how to navigate complex workplaces instead of asking the workplaces themselves why they remain complex?

These questions are fundamentally different: one assumes the responsibility lies with the women, while the other places it where it belongs—with institutions, leadership, and corporate culture. Perhaps this is the conversation that should be having.

Every minute spent figuring out how women overcame unnecessary barriers is a minute not spent figuring out the reasons these barriers exist. Women should never feel guilty for mentoring, as it is one of the most generous expressions of leadership. However, they should also not feel that success entails an unwritten contract requiring them to be constant motivators, consultants, and role models just because they are women.

Successful women deserve something that many of us rarely receive: permission simply to be experts, to be invited because of their knowledge, to ask difficult questions in their fields, to shape public discourse, influence policy, and challenge conventional views. And yes, when they voluntarily choose to mentor the next generation, let it be a choice, not another expectation quietly placed on the shoulders of women at the moment of their success.