18 | The Lion King
resource is the people, the staff. Assim-
ilating UBA DNA into the culture of the
people for effective business perfor-
mance was a challenge, but we have
gone through that now. Both within and
outside the bank, the UBA way of doing
business is understood and there is no
conflict with the cultural orientation of
the people any more.
Have the recent key changes in po-
litical leadership in Zambia affected
banking operations in the country, es-
pecially now that the country is mourn-
ing the death of its President?
The death of the president was a
big loss to the country and everyone
including businesses like us mourned
the loss. Like I said earlier, Zambia has
had political stability from independ-
ence. The road to transition to a new
elected president has been smooth so
far. No major crises. Of course there are
disagreements amongst political forces
but it has not led to any breakdown of
law and order. My expectation is that
a new president will be sworn in by 21st
January 2015 through a peaceful dem-
ocratic process.
How do you circumvent the challenges
created by constant changes in gov-
ernment policies?
The policy makers in Zambia are very
good at communicating policy chang-
es. We interact a lot with the Bank of
Zambia (BoZ) through various engage-
ments and meetings. Most fundamental
changes are discussed with CEOs and
their opinion sought. But as a bank,
you must have in place inbuilt shock
absorbers to accommodate changes
in government policies both expected
and unexpected.
In what ways has UBA supported the
activities of government of Zambia?
Between September and October
every year, the government of Zambia
presents a budget to the Parliament.
It sets out what they intend to do in
the coming year. Once the budget is
released, we start our engagement with
the government and her agencies on
the support we can provide in the key
focus area of the budget to enable
them achieve their objective. The sup-
port could be in form of funding or rev-
enue collection. We have been doing
that and will continue to do so. We also
provide advice on strategic issues when
such is required of us as a bank includ-
ing through the Bankers Association of
Zambia (BAZ).
How have you been able to differenti-
ate the UBA brand in the market?
The UBA brand is unique. UBA is the only
Growing the Seed
bank in our market that has a strong
focus and commitment to facilitating
trade and payment between countries
in Africa and its people and with equal
reach to the rest of the world. Our way
of doing business is unique and gives
the UBA brand a competitive edge in
the market place.
How do you view the introduction of
the UBA Africash, Afritrade, and Afri-
card products to the Zambian market
and what has been the response of the
average Zambian?
These are unique products that define
UBA. They are generally accepted. We
need to do a lot more in advertising
the products and we are already doing
that. Africans trade a lot amongst
themselves and these products are
providing them easy way for trade
settlement without having to carry cash
across borders or going through London
or New York by way of SWIFT messages.
The market acceptance is total.
How do you motivate staff to achieve
their maximum potential in meeting set
targets?
We engage in a lot of bonding ac-
tivities in UBA Zambia. We also have
incentives for top performers. We run a
very flat management system. Every-
one can reach anyone to talk through
challenges on the job. We try as much
as possible to work like a family with
everyone a stakeholder. It has helped in
motivating staff.
How do you balance work and family
life?
I joined UBA from HSBC in UK. The
family is settled there and the kids are
in school. Moving them around would
not be fair especially in terms of their
education. Sincerely speaking, it has
been difficult. I try to be with the family
during certain times of the year; Christ-
mas, Easter and other similar holidays.
We go on holiday once in a while when
the kids are on break from school and I
am able to get time off work. But I know
I could do better on work family life
balance than I am doing now.
