Lilian Budandi, IHS Towers finance director, considers herself a true East African. As a leader, she embodies unapologetic excellence and a clear sense of purpose.
Lilian Budandi’s story began in a cybercafé in Kigali, where she started working just three days after her final secondary school examinations. From 8am to 5pm, she would allocate minutes to users, manage payments and troubleshoot computer problems at her aunt’s internet cafe. At the end of each day, she would take an envelope full of the day’s earnings to the bank. This was her introduction to the world of finance.
“Imagine a high school student, still waiting for results, being entrusted with money. I had to account for it at the end of the day. That place gave me the exposure to getting access to people and talking to them. That access to money really exposed me to entrepreneurship and a business mindset, knowing that you can actually do this and get money back,” she says.
Shortly before she joined university, Lilian’s colleague referred her to an expatriate who needed someone to support the launch of a new business. The role was hybrid and demanded a versatile skillset. Lilian would be expected to fulfil the duties of a secretary, an accountant, a marketer – and more. Over time, Lilian began to understand the nuts and bolts of taxation and how the business fitted into the broader economic landscape.
“He needed someone who could be everything, and my colleague immediately thought of me. That exposure to taxes, business operations, and accountability made me forget about medicine. I started thinking about finance,” she says.
Although she had qualified for a government-sponsorship to study medicine, her childhood dream, Lilian turned it down. Instead, she chose to pay for her own studies in finance and continue working.
A child of East Africa
“I didn’t even like finance at all to start with. I grew up with the idea that I would become a doctor. That was the dream. I did chemistry and mathematics in high school and everyone, especially parents at that time, encouraged you to be a lawyer, a doctor, or an engineer. So that’s what I aimed for,” she adds.
On weekdays, she would attend classes in the evenings while working during the day. A few months in, she caught a lucky break that ushered her into a finance role.
“My first formal job in finance came while I was still in my first year. I was hired at Delta Petroleum, now Galana Energies. They thought I had already graduated. They asked me to bring all my documents, and I had to tell them I had no degree because I had just enrolled in year one. But by then, it was too late to fire me,” she explains.
A child of Rwandan nationals displaced following the 1994 genocide, Lilian grew up in Uganda as a refugee. She relocated to Kenya as a teenager, before moving to Tanzania and eventually settling in her native Rwanda. Each move immersed her in a new culture and forced her to learn new languages. Lilian believes these early experiences gave her a sense of independence and taught her how to relate with people from different backgrounds.
“It was great and challenging at the same time moving away from my parents at that early age, because for most of those travels, I was alone. I gained so many interpersonal skills. To me, it’s always very hard to say I’m from one place. What matters now is whether I fit where I am. I did not get into social life as much, but it helped me to really focus on my studies and on work at the same time. Today, I appreciate it more than anything else,” she says.
Overcoming fear
For Lilian, the joy of finance is in the impact she creates. Over time, she has come to find her niche as a strategic partner to the organisation, shedding the old skin of pure accounting.
“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 about themselves as business partners,” she says.
In those early days, Lilian was often the only woman in male-dominated boardrooms, a situation that remains familiar even now. She battled the constant fear that her youth made her ill-suited to the roles she so capably fulfilled at work.
“I think I have overcome that fear that comes automatically to many. I cannot stand and say I was not given a chance or that I was intimidated here and there. The fear was there inside me, but I overcame it over and over. Is it still a challenge? Yes, it is. But I tell other women that you can overcome and still not see yourself the way the world wants to see you.”
Lilian has carried this mindset into the way she mentors her team members, many of whom have gone on to become CFOs themselves. Her leadership has earned her recognition beyond her immediate role, distinguishing her as an authority in finance. In 2024, Women in Leadership Kigali nominated Lilian as a trailblazer. She was the keynote speaker at the Smart Africa Summit held in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, where she made a presentation on business and investment to an audience that included heads of state and ministers. That moment took her back to her first job at her aunt’s cybercafé, reminding her that great things can come from small beginnings.
Creature of routine
“It was very humbling, and I thought it’s where I am now that has landed me into this kind of platform. So, I'm grateful. Young people tend to overlook small jobs and connections. But 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.
Lilian often begins her day with a workout. To maintain a balance between work and other parts of her life, she relies on her support system, which includes her family, friends and team members. She believes this approach has played a key role in her success.
“For me, it has become crucial to prioritise what recharges me before anything that might surprise me at work. That consistency has been incredibly helpful. Secondly, I’ve learnt the importance of trusting my support systems. I tell my team that support won’t be free or cheap. It will be costly, because it will require that you direct them. But it’s there. That means ensuring that my team is capable, trained and resourced enough to do exactly what they are supposed to do. This applies at home too. My siblings even joke that I operate like a robot because everything is systemised,” she says.
Outside of finance, Lilian has a quieter dream. She has always wanted to learn how to play the guitar, a skill she has tried to pick up many times, but is yet to master. Still, she remains hopeful.
“I love music. I do not know how to sing, but I love it,” she said. “I want to learn the guitar. Anytime I get hold of it, it hurts my fingers. But I still want to learn it someday, maybe when I retire,” she says.
