How a young banker from Zambia became the CIO of a pension fund

When you plant a seed, it germinates. You know, you see the first leaves, it grows. The feeling of “I've created something”, from nothing to something. 

Growing up in a remote town, on the Copperbelt Outreach province of Zambia, I was surrounded by a lot of miners. We limited ourselves because of our socioeconomic backgrounds. I would go to the bank with my mother, and I would admire those bank tellers. I thought they were the richest people because they could pay anyone that walked into the bank. 

I went to university, graduated, became a banker myself. It was a specific moment during the 2008 global financial crisis that sparked my interest in investment management.  

A particular miner who was a customer at a bank where I worked, had come in with a family member who had just been retrenched. We actually had to inform them that there was no money because all the money that they had worked for, the bank had deducted, due to the monies that they owed the bank. I could see the anguish, the distress, and just the confusion that that family went through.  

What is it that I can do? What career can I pursue to ensure that I do not find myself in a similar situation? My role is to ensure that the investments are managed according to the mandate, in a way that grows and safeguards the retirement funds. 

To my younger self, Mambwe—opportunities will happen to you, you have the same chance at success like everyone else. You need to prepare and for you to prepare, you need to ensure that you are always learning, that you're always upskilling for you to remain relevant. You also need to ensure that you remain committed, you remain disciplined, and you remain determined. You have to put in the hard work because the work will not do itself.