Susan Nsibirwa is a Ugandan communication professional with close to 30 years’ experience in advertising, marketing and media management, having worked with some of the top corporations in East Africa. She has since ventured into entrepreneurship, co-founding Urge Uganda, a full service marketing and advertising agency that supports start-ups and small businesses. She opens up to Stellar Woman Magazine about her many passions.
Who is Susan Nsibirwa?
Susan is a passionate learner of life. I think I’ve evolved over the years, but right now, I’d call myself a passionate learner of life. Newly into business. My entire career has been around advertising, communications and marketing, but I just have a passion and a zest for life, for brands and for people. Those three pillars; life, brands and people. In a nutshell, that’s who I am.
I am a graduate, of journalism. I graduated from Makerere University, but obviously from there, having my career then evolving into advertising; working with advertising agencies and then going into marketing and communications as my broad field of specialization. That’s who I am. Apart from what people see from the professional side, I’m a lover of sports. I also like to see myself as a believer in people. So, I do quite a bit in terms of mentoring and lifting people up. Any opportunity I get to lift others is a gift. I take that with a big spoon. And then, of course, I am a Jesus lover and that really underpins my values as a person. What else can I say about me? I’m into public speaking, I take any opportunity, like every week, I am speaking to some people. I’m frequently doing public speaking engagements; I and the microphone can’t be put apart.
How would you describe your childhood?
I’d describe my childhood as ‘very protected and yet very instrumental in who I am today’. Why do I say protected? I say protected because my parents did their level best to afford us the best of what they could offer. Protected because I come from a huge extended family, and so there were always big cousins around, and protected in terms of when I look back now, in terms of privilege, because there’s so much that we could do that the average family could not do at the time. That’s why I’ll say protected. And then of course, when I say very pivotal in who I am today, it also made me very independent because I was put in boarding school when I was seven years old. Once you’re put in boarding school at a very young age, you’ve got to figure out life on your own quite early. That, then, made me be in a protected environment and yet helped me develop into a very independent person. So, when I look back at my childhood, I’ve got fond memories of big family gatherings. I’ve got fond memories of being in a private British school in Kenya. I’ve got fond memories of childhood friends that I can no longer trace, because we were in this private British school. But then, once you come into secondary school, then you start forming lifelong relationships, especially from my secondary school and those are the lifelong relationships that I have now. So yes, I have fond memories of growing up in Kenya, Nairobi. Still, even when I go there now, I smell the air and it brings back childhood memories. So yes, in a nutshell. That’s my childhood.
I like the fact that you learned to be independent at such a young age. You’ve worked with some of the biggest brands in Uganda. Take us through that career journey.
My career journey is one I’m really grateful for, because obviously, I have worked for the big corporations that come to mind. When I joined MTN Uganda as advertising manager, prior to that I’d been with advertising agencies so I have many years of advertising experience. I joined MTN as an Advertising Manager and then Brand Manager. And then from there, I went to Commercial Microfinance Bank as the Head of Marketing and Retail. And then I went to DFCU Bank as Head of Marketing and Communications. I then took a break for a year. After the sabbatical and I joined Vision Group, a media conglomerate, as Head of Marketing and Communications, which I did for eight years. So all my stints in all these different corporate companies were like, you know, three years. I never need more than three years because after three years, I feel like, ‘Okay, I think I’ve done what I came to do here.’ And then I move on to the next challenge, because I love challenges. I don’t like to sit in a place where I feel like I’m being paid, but I’m not really doing much; I am not adding any more value. And so, sometimes that calls for crazy decision making, but I love challenges. I love to feel that when I wake up in the morning, and I go to work, I’m going to make a difference. I’m going to add value to the company. That’s why my previous work stints were all three years, until I got to Vision Group where I surprised myself by lasting eight years. I guess why I survived eight years, so to speak, is because I kept re-inventing my role such that by the time I left, my role had grown by leaps and bounds as I kept re-inventing it and adding responsibilities and finding new ways to keep myself challenged. My career path has really been one where when I look back, intentional, and yet not intentional by my standards, but I honestly see the hand of God leading and guiding me and placing me in different institutions and I doing my bit and and always giving my best. I’ve always pushed myself no matter what task I’m given, to give my best and I think that remains one of my principles. That work ethic hasn’t changed and right now I’m trying to teach it to my team at Urge Uganda. That work ethic where nothing is impossible and you can do all things. I learned that work ethic while I worked at Scanad, my first gig at an advertising agency, two years fresh out of university. I was like, ‘Whoa what is this?’ Because we were working hard and burning the midnight oil. I guess this was the same at even my university because we would be up at midnight, you know, typing work and everything. People would hand in written work but Mass Communications’ students even before the age of computers, we were typing and that really taught us to stay up late, work hard, you know, burn the midnight oil. So, just those two first years of my career after university really taught me the work ethic that enabled me now to excel in these different places that I went to.
Burning the midnight oil, wow. I like that – pushing yourself and being your very best. Tell us about Urge Uganda.
Urge Uganda is a communications agency. Our role is to solve marketing and communication challenges for Ugandan enterprises largely, and because it’s really a choice to use our experience (between me and my business partner), experience that we’ve gained in the corporate world where brands are more sustainable, and see that we can take that knowledge and apply it to locally owned enterprises and using marketing and communications to support their business growth. Obviously, it’s an area that is often misunderstood, and people think anybody can do marketing and that’s clearly not the case. It’s really just to take the professional side of things and apply it by working with business owners to see how they can use marketing and communications to support their business strategy and overall business growth. So that’s in a nutshell is what we are about.
How did you transition from being employed at Vision Group to founding your own Marketing and Communications firm?,
To be quite honest, I had hit the ceiling. Even when I chose not to renew my contract, it was really because I had done everything that I had been tasked to do, plus more. I had reached the areas where I felt the company should be going to, and I had kind of like stalled. Whenever, I felt that, I realised that the company could do with new energy that would then take them to the next level. I needed to find other ways to pour out, to use my knowledge. I also felt that it could best be expressed in starting a company of my own. So that’s really why I left.
Of course, it’s not an easy journey and people would always say, “But you can’t…” bottom line is, what is it you want to achieve in life, and what kind of legacy do you want to leave. I really think that after eight years working with a team there, the one I had been assigned to, just building up the company – I’d really done my best. I’ve done my best, given my all, and it was time for fresh energy. Then it was time for me to ask, what else can I do? What else can I do with everything that I know until this point? I’ve discovered hidden parts of me, because in a corporate sphere, there are so many things you couldn’t do. Now I’m discovering new skills, I am discovering new ways to become a woman of influence. It has freed me. And so, I am able to impact more companies and more people than when I was serving one corporation. I did my eight years, they were beautiful, they were blessed, but now I just need to extend myself a bit more.
How did you get into marketing and communications? You’re a journalist by profession, what sparked you to take that career path?
I think it was a natural progression, actually, when I think of it, because there are certain courses that are there in the journalism programme, like advertising, PR, broadcasting, the different courses that you do in the three year journey. My first paid job was at the French Embassy, where I was the press attaché. I was there because I did French as well as Mass Communication. During my time there, interacting with media houses and all of that, I then saw an advert for a media executive. I looked at all the qualifications, and I realised that I had the knowledge of the media houses. So, I applied for the job as a media executive in that advertising agency and I got the job. Once I was in the advertising agency, I was still using my media knowledge from the journalism side and then learning media from the marketing side. So that’s how I got into marketing. I was now working in an advertising agency dealing with brands but supporting from the media side and this just became a natural progression of my career. Now to get into brand management, I started working my way into a marketing career.
What, in your opinion, are the skillsets that set one apart from being a great employee to being an excellent entrepreneur? Seeing that you have had a taste of both worlds.
The skills that are absolutely necessary now (as an entrepreneur) are like the skills of forming a routine. This is because when you’re an employee, you’ve got to show up at a particular time and the map is all set out for you, so that kind of routine is still very valuable to me now. You’ve got a team, you’ve got to set regular meetings and so all the processes that you learned, the management processes that I learned from my work career are important. I was in senior management from, like, 2006 until 2019. So, at that point in time, there’re certain processes that you learn that become valuable to you as you run your own business.
Setting up systems is important, especially, because any business that doesn’t have systems is going to collapse quite soon. So setting up systems in our own business. I mean systems for recruitment, for staff – however small the team is but just having systems right from the HR processes, the finance and admin processes. So that has been absolutely useful. When you’re in a big organization, like say Vision Group, you’ve got someone in charge of finance, procurement, customer service, you’ve got entire teams, you just pick up the phone and request for some thing – “can you do this?” The sales team is there… And so my first year as an entrepreneur was quite a learning process. This is because you realize now that you’ve got to do all these things – sales, customer service, procurement, finance, admin, you’ve quickly got to learn so many skills that you had no idea, you were ever going to need because in a large organization, you just concentrate on your task and maybe at management level you learn a few things.
You quickly have to learn these skills or learn something about them. And because you’re trying to build a business, you can’t sit there and not know what’s happening in each and every part of your company; the finance, the procurement and all, you’ve got to know everything that’s happening in the company, however small it is. And then the team, because it’s a small one, you’ve got to know everybody and just setting up that reporting line. And you’ve to be involved in the smallest detail, whereas before, you’re overseeing the managers who are then involved in it. An an entrepreneur you’re back to the smallest detail, you’re back to visiting every client, and you’re back to writing proposals and being rejected and being accepted. Calling up clients and saying, “Where’s the payment?”
You quickly realize that you don’t have that luxury anymore. And as you grow, slowly but surely, people now start taking over some of these roles but you still remain at the forefront of the business. This is because we’re not yet at that level, where we’re a large enterprise and you’ve got everything. Even now, still being on the forefront of the business is key.
So, lots of learning still, but what has helped me tremendously, as well, apart from the fact that I’m not alone, and I’ve got a business partner, who is very keen on systems which is very helpful. I also very quickly, as I was about to jump ship, towards the end of my contract at Vision Group, I joined Business Networking International (BNI) and I found fellow professionals who had left to start their own businesses and so just having that peer network group, talking, having similar challenges and what they’ve learned and what you can learn from, that has really, really helped and grounded me as well, in learning all these things and then realizing that you can collaborate. There’re certain things you don’t have to do, other people can do things for you. So that has helped a lot as well.
It doesn’t seem like an easy transition…
Yeah! And whereas before, you just wait for a paycheck, the 28th of the month or the 25th, you wait for that paycheck. Now you’re the one making sure that the payroll goes and there’s something to pay the people on your team. There’re some months where if business hasn’t gone well, where you won’t actually take anything home because it isn’t there. You learn to adjust to, “it’s not the end of month anymore”, it’s the end of month for your team. That mindset changes to: it’s the end of month and because you’re still starting up, it’s not necessarily that you’re going to get a pay check. So that for me was a huge boom. Wow. Okay, but you learn as you go along.
Great! you’ve brought it out so clearly – that mindset shift. How have you managed to see yourself still persevering through it? And how would you encourage others to take on the leap of their passion and go out to satisfy a need that they want to satisfy?
I think it’s not for everybody, and it’s okay. It’s not a crime. If you’re not running your own business, and you’re employed for all your career, it’s fine because there are jobs and they need to be done. It’s just really in terms of your direction for life and your vision and what your vision is for your own life. I think that’s what it was down to, what your vision is for your life and therefore, how can you execute that vision. I personally had always wanted to start a marketing consultancy. I tried this before, twice. So this is like my third time and this time I felt I was good and ready to go out there and stay on course. So it’s really like anything in life that we want to achieve. What’s the vision? One of my favourite book is Stephen Covey’s “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”: Begin With the End In Mind. What’s the end, and what’s the goal? And what are the things that you’re going to do to get there? My advice, then, for women is, it’s not a crime if you don’t start your own business. It’s not a crime if you keep rising in the corporate ladder, and work for your organization, until forever, that’s okay. Until retirement, it’s fine. It’s not like nobody is going to do those jobs. So, you really need to ask yourself, Why, what’s your big “Why?” Why do you want to go into entrepreneurship? Why do you want to start this particular business? Because if you don’t have that “why”, it’s gonna quickly fall apart. So what’s the Why? Well, the minute you can tell the why and keep breaking down, why do you want to start this business? The minute you can break down that “why” and like five times and you still have a passion, then you’re good to go. Otherwise, you’re not going to get there. The. you’ve got to be running, doing this and running that. And starting this and starting that, and being all over the place, and then you know, being burned and losing a lot of money and time in the process. So, I think it’s always a good thing to ask yourself, why? Is it because everybody else is doing it? That’s not reason enough. Start by asking yourself, why do I want to do this? Why do I want to take on this entrepreneurship journey? And just keep asking that, why? Get a few of your friends and bounce that Why, why, why. And, if it’s really solidified, you can really picture the vision of what that journey looks like in the end, then you’re good to go. I think that would be my advice.
Definitely, readers will be excited with that funnelling down your why- your big “why” and then asking more whys thereafter until you are down to the core reason why you’re going to stay with it. Thank you very much.
Now, you were Chairperson of Uganda Media Association at some point. How was that?
Yes, I was. Uganda Media Owners Association was set up to look after the commercial interests of Uganda media owners. It’s really like a lobbying arm, where you’ve got the major players in it. The Four Print newspapers, TV, Radio, and it’s really just to make sure that the industry makes money and protects itself against maybe particular laws or regulations or policies that would make the business unprofitable. It was really a commercial interest, lobbying arm of Uganda media owners. I served on the executive committee and then I served as chairperson.
Very good. Thank you. You have elaborated on that experience. Was there anything fundamental that you implemented during your time as Chairperson?
We started training media owners, especially things to do with trends, like say if it’s digital marketing, or if it’s sales, getting all the salespeople in, because what you find – and it’s really more about collaboration – is media owners, or media houses competing in the commercial area. A lot of the things we did also, we did some lobbying with Uganda Communications Commission, because they were introducing regulations on advertising, Advertising Standards that when fully implemented, would actually affect the revenue of a media house. So, sitting with the rest of the team and going to Uganda Communications Commission and giving them feedback on the Advertising Standards, that was something we did, which was good. What else did I do? I think that was the major one actually, it was really lobbying on The Uganda Advertising Standards because up until now, I don’t know if they’ve implemented them, but if they have, we were really trying to give feedback. The first job was to get the media houses to understand, “guys, UCC has set up regulations and if we don’t give feedback these standards are going to affect the advertising time, especially on TV and radio.”
They were proposing to limit the number of minutes for advertising, and consumer feedback and complaints and all of that. We had to work together and set teams to go into each of the standards. I got into a meeting with a Uganda Communications Commission director, and different people and gave our feedback. I however left before my time was up, and that’s when left Visual Group. I don’t know how far that went, but those are the kind of things that are long and painstaking. But it’s a job which somebody has got to do.
That was amazing, thank you very much for elaborating on that. On the aspect of going from being in the position of chairing such a big body, I would like you to share with us, in your own opinion, what stops women from getting to that level of leadership? Most women choose to play small.
Availability is definitely one, because I, for one, don’t shrink from leadership positions. If I walk into a room and people say, oh, we’re looking for this, and then someone volunteers my name even though I’m not prepared, I’m not gonna say “I’m not prepared.” I’ll go for it and take my position. I’ll never forget, there was one time when we went for a Gayaza Old Girls Annual General Meeting and I had just walked in casually, and then they were like, the role of chairperson. So people were nominated. And then one of my friends nominated me, I was like, what? I could have said, I’m not prepared because obviously the other people had come prepared and lobbied and I had no idea what was required by these voluntary organizations. But because someone nominated me, I was like, “Okay, well, fine.” So I stood up, and I said, “thanks for nominating me. I really wasn’t prepared for this but you know, who knows, if you give me the role, this is what we’re gonna do.” Although other people had come with manifestos because they were fully aware of what we were going to do. I, on the other hand, just walked in casually to attend. But I didn’t shrink back because leadership is one of my values. Of course, I didn’t get it, but I was given another position. That’s just me. I don’t shrink back from leadership positions. And recently, I was nominated for a board position for ACME which is African Center for Media Excellence. When they’re looking for a board chairperson, the nominees were all saying no, I can’t, I’m not available. I can’t, I’m not available. I, Susan, of course, I’m available. I think availability is a major thing because people have got different spaces in their lives and different things going on. I think availability is one obviously. And for me when it comes to leadership, I’m available.
And then of course, because leadership gives the opportunity to learn, keep learning, rally people around, focus on new ideas or causes, and I don’t shrink from that. Then of course, the other thing would be mindset. “I can’t do it. I can’t do it. I can’t do it.” One of my other values is “can do” and I got that “can do” value. I think the term was at MTN, “can do” was one of the company’s values and now it became my personal value, that I could do anything. Literally the only limits I set are the ones that I set for myself, but literally, I can do anything I set my mind to. I think mindset also has something to do with it. In terms of how we limit ourselves and how we see ourselves. I’ve never thought that anything is impossible. And as long as I feel I want to achieve it, it’s achievable. I thus think it’s also mindset.
And then I think also experiences. Some people just don’t want to lead, they don’t like the front seat. They don’t want a seat around that table. Maybe it’s their personality. But leadership can be learned for sure. Sometimes extroverted people like myself, who don’t shy away, who are open, we tend to not shy away from the front seat because the spotlight is always on you. And some people don’t want the spotlight, they prefer to stay behind at the back. I think sometimes personality also has something. But leadership? It’s something that somebody actually learns. There are lots of resources on leadership. Industry sourcing leadership, endless books on leadership and so it can definitely be learned. I think those would be the three main things.
Of course yes, in the C suite there are fewer women on board positions. There are still issues like equal pay. Men will get paid more at the same level. Those are facts which you either look at as the glass as half full or half empty. I have told myself I don’t look at that glass as half empty. I look at what I have and that’s what I go with. And if I go there, how then can I make a difference? That has allowed me to progress in my own career.
Now, looking at your own career, are there women that have supported you to be the person that you are today?
Definitely. I think, for sure because most of the organizations I’ve worked for, the HR managers are women. They will be in charge of recruitment, they will be in charge of your talent development, your professional development so absolutely YES. I would say that I haven’t worked with an HR manager who is not female. In terms of seeing your potential and allowing you to grow and giving you the right talent support, development support, that’s absolutely crucial. That role of the HR manager in the organization cannot be understated.
Then,I won’t call it support, per se but I would call it a source of real learning. That would be my boss at Scanad Advertising agency that I first worked for, because she was like, Boom! A real, what can I call it? A hard working boss. She was from Kenya. That drive is something that at the time, I didn’t appreciate, but later, I realized that, wow. If she hadn’t driven us, I don’t know if I’ll be the person that I am today. So, it’s absolutely crucial.
Of course, you then realise that at a certain point, you’ve got to find either women you can look to, or women you can now pull up. I’ve got women that are peers in my group that are supporting businesses in terms of ideas. I always have one woman that I’m mentoring, that I’m pointing towards the goal of where they want to go. But, I find that a lot of my career advice comes more from my bosses who are male, they’re actually male. And so even when I look at who my referees are on my CV, they’re all my former male bosses. But that’s not withstanding, for me now it’s more of peer groups; I found a group in the UK called Women in Marketing. I’m looking forward to joining it because I think it’s gonna go a lot in my direction. But then also, I joined The Boardroom Africa, which is a support group for women who serve on boards, and I’m finding that a very great experience as well, because they give us resources. You do virtual chats with other women from around Africa who also either want to serve on boards, or are serving on boards, CEOs and all, and that’s proving to be a huge support as well. So, it’s finding myself because I serve on different boards – The Boardroom Africa. Then because I’m in marketing, Women in Marketing – so I’m finding lots of groups for the different roles that I play in terms of making sure that I keep growing.
Fantastic. And what advice would you give for another woman who’s looking to move ahead in their career?
First of all, its important to say that it’s not a race, it’s a marathon.’ Which means look at it from the long term perspective and set your goals on the long term perspective and then set action points on what you need to do to get there.
And then, I would say, find yourself the necessary collaborations or networking groups. If you’re at a five, look at someone who is at a seven or an eight and lean towards learning from that seven or eight.
I think the other aspect is to avoid distractions. There are so many distractions that come along the way. Some are good distractions, others aren’t. You always have to follow number 2. Number two, that habit “begin with the end in mind”, where are you going? And then sit and plan. How are you going to get there? If your role is to become an MD of a company, fine. How are you going to get there? What steps are you going to take? I realised that I should start my own company at some point. I needed to be part of a group, so I joined the CEO Apprentice Club in 2014. I realised that I needed my MBA, I started on my long distance MBA. I had to put together certain action points that are going to be needed for that end journey and begin to achieve them one by one. By the time you get there, it’s a series of actions. It’s not one long step, you realize that it’s a series of actions that are going to get you to where you are going.
And then of course, is to look at your brand and also build your personal brand. What do you want to be known for? What are your values? Who are you as a person? Learn to work on the personal brand. Be intentional about working on that personal brand. If you’re going to get ahead in your career, who are you? What do you do? The same way we work on brands. I’m working on the Toyota brand, Coca Cola brand or Urge brand. I continually have to work on my own personal brand because that personal brand also goes along with character development. And of course, character development is one of those lifelong things. We keep working on our careers, you can make some mistakes here and there but learn from them, get up and keep going. So, character development is absolutely key because you know you can be promoted but the only thing that’s going to keep you there is character. I’ve seen people who are promoted and they’re all excited about the title and everything, but they have never worked on their character and they get there, and that character completely lets them down. Before you know it one year, two years, they are back down to zero. So, work on your character and on your development. And of course, working on your character is part of that whole leadership journey because leadership at the end of the day, boils down to who you are as a person, as a character, your ability to influence people and to get things done. That’s the advice that I would give to a person who wants to get ahead in their career: Work on yourself first, win some personal victories first. As you’re working on yourself, some of these things just begin to happen. As you become more self aware of who you are, things you love doing, your passion for life and where you want to go with your life, then you realise some of these things begin to fall in place, as you’re working on yourself. I’ve said many things but begin to work on yourself because part of working on yourself is where you want to be, and how you’re going to get there.
What advice would you give your 14-year-old self?
I would have told my 14-year-old self to dream big. But above all, enjoy 14! Enjoy it because time is gonna come when you wish you can just scream at the top of your lungs in the middle of the street and you can’t because now it’s like who is that person, there’s a whole name and expectation attached to it. I’d say to my 14-year-old self: smell the flowers, run the fields. Don’t take life too seriously. You’re only fourteen. Enjoy your friends. Enjoy your family. Don’t think you know everything because you know nothing. Absolutely nothing! Have fun, laugh.The boy next door is so not worth your while, explore and enjoy the adventure called life. Learn from your parents, or at your elders feet. Learn, because there is such a huge thing up ahead called adulting. That’s what I would have told my 14-year-old self.
According to your bio, your life mantra is, “making a positive difference every day”. Is it still your life mantra?
Absolutely yes.That’s my mantra and has been. Ever since I wrote it down, which would be the past seven years – it has been my mantra to make a positive difference every day. Sometimes it’s just a phone call, sometimes it’s leading a fundraising drive, sometimes it’s helping an individual out. Sometimes it’s a word of encouragement; making a positive difference every day.
Amazing. Thank you very much. So how do you unwind?
Good question, especially since I became my own boss. Saturday is my day off. I’m off social media. I am off my phone. I am off in my own little space on Saturday and I take time for myself. That’s my time to get in touch with myself. That’s my time for spiritual refreshments and nourishment and reviewing my life and where I am.
During the week you find that you’re working up until a certain hour and then there’s traffic to get home, there’s really no time for relaxation. So I decided to do a whole day. I also like to listen to soft music and instrumental inspirational music as a way of unwinding. Talking to my friends over a cup of coffee, talking about life.
I have a property out of town which is like my favorite place in the world. Because of the lockdown, I can’t access it, but it’s like my favorite place. I can literally just wake up to birds and sleep to absolute silence. You can look at the sunrise and genuinely feel like we’ve got everything we need in life. That is a major unwinding moment for me as well. Sometimes it’s a day, sometimes it’s two days, but it’s a major, major place. It’s a location that I specifically go to when I just want to get to just let things go.
According to you, who is a stellar woman? What attributes do they have?
I think a stellar woman, to me, would be a woman who has an impact. It’s not so much even about the glamour. It’s not about the title. It’s not about the company. I think a woman who is having an impact in whatever field she is, I would call her a stellar woman. That might be anybody; from a teacher, a midwife to even a housewife. One who goes out of her way to make an impact. I would call that a stellar woman. We’re all busy, of course, but anybody who, in and out of their usual routine, gets up and says, “I’m going to go and I’m going to make an impact in my community. I’d call that person a stellar woman.
Could you please leave one challenge for Stellar Woman Magazine readers to make them feel and live a stellar life?
The one challenge I would leave is this: Adapted from Gina Qiao, Lenovo (Marketing & Strategy): Regularly (daily, weekly, monthly, annually) ask yourself: What have I done well? What haven’t I done well? Why didn’t I do it well? What was the root cause?