Even for accomplished finance leaders, the desire to explore new disciplines never fades. For PowerUp head of finance Eva Zalwango, CRDB Bank CFO Frederick Nshekanabo, and IHS Towers FD Lilian Budandi, the skills they long to learn reflect personal interests they have carried quietly for years.
PowerUp head of finance and operations Eva Zalwango has led major automation efforts throughout her career. At Prudential Uganda, she introduced the country’s first direct debit model. She also helped automate standing orders for Airtel Money at Jubilee Insurance. Today, she supports financial reporting for clean energy and carbon credit programmes. Still, she wants to go a step further and learn the programming behind the systems she manages.
"I wish I could programme. I’ve always wanted to be the kind of person who understands the actual backend of the tools we use. I work with systems and lead projects, but if you ask me to write a line of code, I cannot. That is something I want to change,”she says.
Eva’s exposure to digital transformation has deepened her yearning to learn how to code, as each system rollout brings new processes and potential complications. She often works closely with developers but often wishes she could check or troubleshoot things herself. Unlike the others, Eva’s interest is closely tied to her current role. PowerUp works in clean energy and carbon credits, sectors that depend on data integrity and automated processes. Eva is keen to lead those efforts with a clear grasp of how the systems work underneath.
"I have to rely on them to explain what’s going on in the backend. I wish I could just go in and understand it myself without needing that extra step. It would give me more confidence in the systems we use,” she says.
The noble profession
But CRDB Bank CFO Fredrick Nshekanabo’s interest is rooted in a different kind of foundation. Before finance entered the picture, he had expected to become a lawyer. His father and uncle both practised law, and for a long time, that was the plan. But when the time to choose a university course came, he found himself placed in accounting instead.
“I was passionate about law, and I think I still am in a way. Whenever we are discussing regulatory matters or reviewing legal documents, I find myself very engaged. That interest has never really gone away. Sometimes I wonder how different my career would have been if I had followed that path,” he says.
He moved on quickly, completing professional qualifications and rising through the ranks at CRDB. But his interest in the legal profession remains. At CRDB, he handles decisions that involve regulation and investment, often reflecting on how formal legal training could have helped in those moments.
“If I were to go back today to when I was starting my career I would have trained in finance. But maybe I would have started in business or law. Whoever makes a combination of that is better and strategically positioned to excel,” he says.
The key to fulfillment
IHS Towers FD Lilian Budandi’s chosen skill comes from a more personal place. She wants to learn how to play the guitar. Although it is not something she needs in her role, she has always wanted to do it. The idea has stayed with her through years of juggling work, study, and travel.
"I want to have something that’s mine, something creative. Not for work, not for anyone else. Just for me,” she says.
Early in her career, Lilian declined a place to study medicine, which had been her childhood dream, to keep her job at a newly-established enterprise and pay for her studies in finance. During that time, she worked during the day and attended classes in the evening. She secured a role in finance in her first year university and her career began to progress, taking her to different countries within East Africa.
Over the years, the demands of work and family left little time for creative pursuits. The idea of learning the guitar therefore promises a new kind of fulfillment.
“I think I will do it one day. Because I just feel like it is something that I would have loved to do. Not even necessarily on a stage. When I see people holding it and playing it for themselves, I really enjoy it,” she says.
