HerNovation: Setting Boundaries to Thrive in Work & Life

As an African woman, what you deem to be your purpose is mostly very different from what the society has planned out for you. The universe will almost obviously require you to serve the two purposes.

Balancing work and life and thriving in both can be a bit challenging for an African woman. In tech, where there can be a lot of work that may bar you from living life out of office. For an African woman, there’s a lot of expectation from you out of office. This makes it even more difficult for them to maintain a work-life balance.

HerNovation talk by Jaine Mwai, the Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Standard Chartered Bank delved on how to gain clarity on your deeper purpose as a woman. It is a moment of learning how to effortlessly navigate communication breakdown, being assertive without stepping on toes.

She talked about her journey to the top. Before she became the first female CIO of the year, Jaine had to work hard and smart.

“Things have improved from my time. It is good because now it’s easier for females to swift into managerial positions. We have shown that it’s possible so girls can look up to us and say that this is what they want,” she noted.

“It is important for women to set boundaries between work and life. This is crucial to help them rise up the ladder quickly and eventually have more women in IT Leadership,” she added, “these boundaries are important for women to be known for what they can do in their job. This will help women to scale up the ranks as per the work they do and not anything else.”