Mrs. Doris Kafui Kwakwukume is the Country Manager of SC Johnson Ghana as well as the Marketing Director for West Africa.
The words that describe her best are vivacious, driven, organized and blunt. Ironically as a teenager, she had no plans to become a career woman not to talk of the MD of a company.
“I remember I wanted to join the army after university though, but that was in my early 20s.” she says.
Having being taught to be bold and daring at Wesley Girls, she dared to defy society’s definition of woman. Today she is grateful to God for bringing her thus far.
In this interview with the MBA holder and graduate of Geography and Resource Development from the University of Ghana, Mrs. Kwakwukume shares with our correspondent Carolyn Opata the secrets behind her career success, challenges as well as her driving force…. excerpts
When did you join the company?
I joined SC Johnson Ghana on the 1st of December 1996. It was the week of the first multi-party elections of the 4th Republic. Believe me, it was quite difficult to pay attention to my orientation when all I wanted was to keep a radio company for a few hours.
What will you say has brought you this far?
I must say I’ve been blessed. I am also a very driven person. When I believe in something, I’m like a dog with a bone. I follow through and make sure I do it. Professionally, you cannot go wrong with that. I also believe I have evolved to the person I am today because I’m very open-minded. That also means you listen to criticisms about yourself. You cannot be a better person by believing you’re right all the time.
During your teenage years, did you have a picture of who you are today?
No way. I had no career plan as a teenager. I can’t believe it now, as my 7-year old daughter is already convinced of what she wants to do when she grows up. I remember I wanted to join the army after university though, but that was in my early 20s.
At what point did you start climbing the ladder?
It began two years after I joined the company. In my fourteen years of service at SC Johnson I have been Assistant Brands Manager, Brands Manager, Key Accounts Manager, Marketing Manager and Marketing Director and now Country Manager.
What oppositions did you face during those times?
Opposition to my position? Nothing of that sort. I must give credit here to the support I enjoyed from my colleagues past and present and my former bosses especially my predecessor, Mr. Ladi Nylander. He was very instrumental in supporting me hone my corporate skills.
Climbing the ladder of success they say is easy, but staying at the top takes a lot, what will you say has kept you at the top?
Being at the top means taking tough decisions for the good of the company. I would say I have been resolute in my decisions and at the same time very democratic.
What challenges did your position come with?
My biggest challenge has been in my current position. In the last year, I have had to realign the company’s goals and strategy. This required building a team to carry this new vision, necessitating some personnel cuts. In Africa where people keep jobs for a long time, having to let some people go has been the greatest challenge. We accept this easier from a man at the top but when it’s a woman, people expect compassion over company interest and label you as harsh if you take a firm stance.
Aligning the Ghana Company has also taken me away from my other position as Marketing Director for West Africa. There was a time I was going to Nigeria every month. I spend less time in Nigeria, our biggest subsidiary in West Africa, now than I would want to.
As Country Manager I also face the challenge in marrying the local company expectations with the Worldwide Corporate vision. The two expectations do not always overlap and achieving the mutual satisfaction of both parties also poses its own set of challenges.
How did you sail through?
By being resolute in what I believe is the direction that will benefit the company. At the top you cannot please everybody. The basic objective of being a boss is to keep the company growing and profitable. In instances that you have let people go, you try to give it a human face and ensure that the person will not be worse off after they leave.
What has been your driving force all these years?
My father always inspired me. He believes in us and for that reason, we never want to let him down. When I joined the corporate world, my father presented me with a poem by the Indian poem laureate Japal Singh, which I still keep on my office wall. It says:
“Be not afraid to stand before the proud and powerful
With your robes of simpleness,
Let your crown be humility,
Your Freedom – The food of the soul.
Build God’s Throne daily.
Upon the ample bareness of your poverty
And know that what’s huge is not great
And power is not everything.”
This poem and Thomas A. Edison’s saying that, “There’s always a better way to do it…..find it”, have always been my mantra. You must always believe in yourself, think positive at all times and believe nothing is impossible.
As a leader with so much responsibility how do you cope with your family?
First and foremost, I am committed to achieving a good Work/Life balance. As a very organized person, I use my time efficiently and make a conscious effort to spend time with my family. I start my day early, get to the office no later than 7.30am and leave the office by 6.00 pm in the evening. I also make it a policy not to take the burdens of my work home with me.
The norm in society is for women to be at the background, what will you say to women who have allowed themselves to be relegated to the background?
I don’t believe women allow themselves to be relegated to the background. That is what society expects and some women do not challenge it. I was lucky to have had a different socialization. In Wesley Girls we were thought to be bold, stand up straight and not curtsy when we talk to our Headmistress and teachers. That teaches you self-esteem. I say, “believe in yourself and what you want to do”.
How do you think women can make themselves more relevant in the society?
They ensure they are heard. We have to challenge society’s portrayal of what a woman should be and should do. More women should strive to be CEOs, and take decision- making positions in the corporate and political world; become Assembly women, parliamentarians, cabinet members and even Presidents. Nobody can champion our cause but ourselves. Men may not make it their mission to subjugate us, but sometimes they do not know any better. We allow it when both sexes perpetuate what society expects.
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