Understand your journey, never undermine your process, don’t chase money alone, hone your craft; very importantly, don’t get into office politics. These among several other things are what we learned from Director for Governance and Sustainability at Sahara Group Limited answers to our Career Questionnaire. Dive in.
What is your number one hack for dealing with difficult colleagues/bosses?
A perspective shift. Attempting to look at things from their point of view usually helps. The phrase “managing your boss” is one I have also come to understand.
2 things you do when you are having a bad day?
Breathe, reflect, pray.
When you are creatively stuck, you…?
Take a break, get a good night’s rest. A fresh head usually brings with it fresh ideas.
2 tips for navigating office politics?
Don’t… just don’t. I sincerely believe that eventually good work speaks for itself. May not be at where you currently are but nothing is worth changing the essence of who you are. That said, wherever you are, I think it is important that you are able to showcase and articulate what it is you are contributing to those that matter. Sadly, where you fail to do that, the best work in the world may remain undiscovered or worst still -usurped.
If you could have a lunch date with one woman you admire – who would that be and what would you ask her?
Michelle Obama. She encapsulates what the big sister I never had would be if I created her in a lab!
If you could wear the same hairstyle to work everyday, it would be?
A kickass blowout –cue Gina Torres who plays Jessica Pearson in “Suits”.
Your all time favorite book is..?
“Half of a Yellow Sun” by Chimamanda Adichie.
3 greatest lessons you have learned on your career journey?
1. No experience is wasted even those that teach you that that is certainly not where you belong. My first paying job was at a shoe store. That motivated me to stay on track in school and get the grades I needed to do better!
2. Don’t chase the money alone, hone your craft and it will come.
3. Find a workplace that allows you room to be your whole self. You will give your best there.
About Pearl Uzokwe
Pearl Uzokwe is the Director for Governance and Sustainability at Sahara Group Limited. Pearl is a qualified solicitor and member of the Law Society of England & Wales. She graduated with a LLB (Hons.) from the University of Bristol and is also a Chartered Secretary (ICSA). Shehas since experienced great professional growth in the last fifteen years whilst building her legal career within UK and Nigerian corporate structures.
In 2002, she began working at the Crown Agents UK who providespecialist and multidisciplinary services in institutional development, international trade & procurement and finance. Her role in the legal department of the organization, saw her provide legal advice and support to the UK Department for International Development (DFID) in the development and administration of a number of notable funds including the Private Infrastructure Development Group – set up to facilitate private investment in the infrastructure needed to help alleviate poverty in developing countries and the International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFIM)– a $4 billion investment facility designed to accelerate the availability of funds to be used for health andimmunisation programs in 70 of the world’s poorest countries.
She has also worked within the corporate departments of London legal firms: Denton Wilde, Sapte LLP and Stephenson Harwood LLP. Pearl’s vast professional experience within the upstream, downstream and midstream sectors of the oil and gas industry, corporate law and international development culminated in her appointment as the second female Director within the 4,000 strong organization. In 2018, she was chosen to be the group’s Director forGovernance and Sustainability-a role which her professional pursuits and private passions seemed to have been leading up to in the period before hand.
