What does it mean to lead with impact? For Deloitte Consulting Tanzania finance head Relief Mtenga, aBi Finance Uganda head of finance Sonia Adibaku, L’Oréal East Africa CFO Linda Mfuchi and Ishara Towers Rwanda CFO Lilian Budandi, the answer goes far beyond the balance sheet. Ahead of International Women’s Day, the four finance leaders from across the region reflect on what it truly means to make a difference.
Relief Mtenga sees a face behind every number on a spreadsheet. At Deloitte Consulting, she oversees the finances of a large donor-funded HIV project that touches the lives of thousands of mothers, children and caregivers across Tanzania. It is a responsibility she does not take lightly.
"I always tell my team members in procurement, if you cause delays or make decisions that lead to losses, even if it’s just ten percent, just know that you have killed a child. That money was actually designed to save these people. So before you do anything, just think of the added value this amount will do to a person," she says.
The Tanzania national grew up watching her mother, who had little formal education, share whatever little she had with those around her. When Relief had to navigate the suspension of USAID funding following a US presidential directive in early 2025, she led her team through the uncertain transition, preparing for every outcome.
"Being able to see how much 10,000 can change somebody’s life, an amount that you use for lunch and it might even not be enough. But that amount can save somebody’s life. I normally tell my team, the positions we have are not permanent. Just learn to be humble," she says.
Finance as a force for change
Sonia Adibaku studied procurement at Makerere University Business School and stumbled into audit almost by accident, drawn in by the promise of a merit-based career path at an audit firm. But it was the moment she moved into development that she found her purpose.
Two years ago, Sonia led the financial aspects of a proposal for a $50 million grant co-created with three partner organisations to support young women in Uganda’s coffee sector and related value chains. The programme is now running, and the results are already visible in communities.
"There are young women out there who have never held KSh50,000 and have never even dreamt of it. But such programmes can actually change their livelihoods. I will look back on this and say yes, I was able to change the lives of one, two, three young women," she says.
For Sonia, impact also lives in the smaller moments like linking a partner with a client that transforms their business. She describes this as going beyond finance, and it is the part of her work that gives her the greatest satisfaction.
"It’s when someone calls you and says, ‘because of your counsel, we got additional funding, we got customers’. At times it’s because of the information and exposure you have that you’re able to share, that helps them grow their businesses. That’s quite something," she says.
Breaking the mould
Linda Mfuchi Were’s path to the CFO’s office at L’Oréal East Africa began on a basketball court. A scholarship at USIU brought her to Nairobi, where financial necessity pushed her towards a degree in finance. A chance connection through a fellow basketball player introduced her to the then-CFO of L’Oréal, and she has been with the company ever since, rising through eight years in East Africa and two and a half years at the regional office in Johannesburg. In 2025, she returned to Nairobi as the first Black woman to hold the CFO role.
"I was 35 when I took over. It was exciting to come back and almost tick the box from my years in high school, the sense that I had almost made it. But I did not prepare myself for the reality of being the director," she says.
Leading with impact, for Linda, means changing the story her team tells about themselves. She pushes her finance people to think not as number-crunchers but as value creators, equipping them with the presentation and critical thinking skills they need to advise the business rather than simply report to it.
"A robot can do the reporting. So how do you collaborate with AI and make it your friend? The technical skills are a given. What makes you stand out is your soft skills like critical thinking, problem solving, influencing. You cannot develop these if you just look at the numbers," she says.
From small beginnings
Lilian Budandi’s introduction to finance came at her aunt’s cybercafé in Kigali, where she worked just days after sitting her final high school examinations, accounting for the day’s earnings and banking the cash each evening. It was an unlikely beginning for someone who had dreamed of becoming a doctor, but it planted a seed.
As CFO of Ishara Towers Rwanda, Lilian has built a career defined by her conviction that finance brings balance to a room. Many of the team members she has mentored have gone on to become CFOs themselves, and she considers that one of her most meaningful achievements.
"Finance brings balance to a room. It asks the question that was not asked, that was overlooked, that would have a very big impact on a decision. I love to see that value addition and being part of everything. I like to call it business partnering, and I challenge my team to always think of themselves as business partners," she says.
In 2024, Lilian was nominated as a trailblazer by Women in Leadership Kigali and selected to speak at the Smart Africa Summit, presenting on business and investment to an audience that included heads of state. Standing at that podium, she thought back to the young woman counting cash in her aunt’s café, and the long road in between.
"Young people tend to overlook small jobs and connections. I got my second job through a friend, not a CEO. Just learn. Be present. You never know where it will take you," she says.
