Modesta shatters corporate glass ceiling, empowers women

Modesta Mahiga has 20 years of experience in the corporate world, both as an employee, business owner, and management consultant.

Reflecting on her professional journey so far, she says that through success and failure, she has always led her career and businesses with principles and conviction.

Although she studied law and became an advocate for the High Court of Tanzania, Ms Modesta started her career in human resources.

By the age of 23, Ms Modesta had become the manager of a global multinational company.

With few employment opportunities, Ms Modesta emphasises the need for graduates to develop a resourceful, resilient, and adaptive mindset.

It is with this mindset that, at a very young age, she chose to start her own business in 2007 after leaving JTI (Japan Tobacco International), where she served as Recruitment and Employee Relations manager.

“It’s time to reframe our perspective.

Instead of thinking of being employable, let’s aim at being resourceful.

I always joke that I have been unemployed since 2005, which was the last time I was on a major corporation’s payroll,” she laughs.

With transformed minds, youth in Tanzania can create opportunities beyond seeking employment in the dwindling job sector.

Finding graduates with the workforce skills to hit the ground running in corporate settings is a global challenge.

Cultural context also contributes to workplace performance; in the US, where Ms Modesta now resides, the independent, direct, and competitive culture encourages young people to be proactive, take the initiative, and speak up, whereas in Tanzania, young people are influenced often at the bottom of the social hierarchy, making them less likely to take the initiative or speak up in the presence of those they perceive to be older or more experienced than them.

This creates a disconnect between socialisation and the expectations of the globally competitive corporate world.

This is why Ms Modesta sought to supplement Tanzania’s educational system through school programmes, media, and consulting, impacting millions of young women and men pursuing employment and entrepreneurship after graduation.

Starting her own business to ultimately head a group of five companies was not a walk in the park for Ms Modesta.

She is fully aware of the hurdles women face in corporate Tanzania and how sexual harassment has been detrimental.

Ms Modesta advises women to “decide who they are and how far they will go, and make their values apparent from day one.”

“When you choose what you stand for in advance and set boundaries, you tell yourself and teach others how to treat you. But that comes with counting the cost, the fact that you might say no to that, not attend late-night events or stay late alone with a boss, and you prepare yourself for what repercussions might come with standing by your conviction,” she insisted.

“I had walked away from a lot of money in Tanzania when I realised sexual advances were made; I remember when I started in business, someone told me, “You will die poor” because she did not want to compromise her morals.

Ms Modesta says sometimes a woman might feel the weight of family responsibilities and have knocked on many doors with no luck when an opportunity like that comes. With strings attached, a lady might be tempted to take it, but she urges you to believe that is not the only door that will open.

“As long as God lives and you have breath, there will be better days if you won’t give up and compromise.” She pivots on her faith and religious values, which have strengthened her morals and values.

Ms Modesta grew up watching her parents serve Tanzania as public servants with honour and dignity, and she credits them for setting a solid foundation and building that character in her.

It is that character that, regardless of her parents having served in the cabinet and high positions in the government, she has never even thought of leveraging that for her gains, and she has worked her way up solely based on merit.

She had already built businesses and an impressive reputation in Tanzania when she had to relocate to the United States for her husband’s graduate studies.

Her life changed dramatically when she became the stay-at-home mother of two toddlers. “It took me a while to find my footing in the US,” she admitted.

She had to leverage the relationship and reputation she had built in Tanzania and across the globe to see what she could do remotely and, at the same time, be present for her children.

“I am grateful for the trust I had built in Tanzania and for the technology that kept me connected to clients and the wider market.

It was critical to helping me transition as an entrepreneur in the US,” she said.

Having children back-to-back had already put Ms Modesta on edge. For two years while she was in Tanzania, she had to find her footing and accept the new reality of her life as a mother. Then came the move to the US.

It elevated the situation even further; while in the US, her husband had to leave for London, and she was left with the kids alone for six months.

“I was thinking about the investment my parents had put in my education, the five businesses I built in Tanzania; I was lost; I was asking myself, Who am I now?” She questioned herself.

Having a supportive husband gave her the lifeline she needed at this point in her life; Mr.

Mhando Philemon Mbughuni has been a hands-on father to their children.

 “I would not be able to do as much as I do without his unwavering support,” she admits.

Ms Modesta is the CEO of Modesta Mahiga LLC, a US management consulting firm that serves clients across six continents.

Her list of clients is impressive, including the World Bank, the African Union, global corporate giants, and respected international partners.

Still, she remains strongly connected to the African continent and steadfast in her commitment to reaching the disenfranchised and underserved.

Just as she leveraged radio, television, and newspaper columns to reach tens of millions of youth in Tanzania, Ms Modesta offers free career, business, and leadership YouTube, podcasts, blogs, and social media insights, tools, and strategies to equip Africans everywhere for global competitiveness.

Her company also works to facilitate two-way US-Africa trade and investment through ‘Daraja,’ a digital, mobile-first initiative that equips African women to grow their small businesses globally.

Ms Modesta also serves as the Board Director of The Joule Foundation, which was founded “to inspire and equip young girls in Africa with skills for STEAM education and careers.”

The Joule Foundation runs STEAM programmes in schools such as Kimara Kutwa Primary School in Dar es Salaam.

It hosts hands-on STEAM school clubs, workshops, and mentorship from women in STEAM, reaching over 300 girls annually in Nigeria, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.

Ms Modesta’s parting advice is, “Refuse to stay small; if you are in a context where you are the biggest person and everyone is impressed by you, get out because you will be complacent.”

There is a world full of opportunities, growth, and impact.

Go get it!”