Anael stresses why gender equality matters in workplace

Dar es Salaam. For gender diversity to be achieved, men have to be part of discussions, actions and debates as it is important to make them understand the advantages of a gender equal society. One of the leaders who ensures that gender diversity is practised in workplaces is Anael Samuel, Managing Director of Songas Limited, one of the key stakeholders in the energy sector in Tanzania.
Mr Anael’s career journey did not start in leadership. In fact career wise, he has spent most of time in the finance industry. After he graduated computer science and mathematics at the University of Dar es Salaam, Mr Anael joined Uniliver, a fast moving consumer goods company where he started as a management trainee in company branch in Kenya.
“It was a two-year programme. As a management trainee, I was taken through all the departments; finance, marketing, productions and sales so that I could grasp the actual picture of management field. There were a number of people who resigned at the Uniliver branch in Tanzania, all their responsibilities fell on one person who also resigned shortly after they did. I was afterward appointed to manage the finance department. This made me come back to Tanzania,” he recalls.
This made him navigate the finance world for the first time and it was during his serving at Uniliver, Mr Anael decided to challenge himself to different positions in the finance industry in Tanzania including being a deputy Chief Financial Officer at Tanga Cement, head of Finance and administration at Intra Energy Tanzania Limited, a coal mining company before landing at Songas as a Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
“When I became a CFO at Songas, the finance department gave me the opportunity to see the business in its totality and with the managerial knowledge I had gained prior to the position, I understood the importance of empowering my people. I did now want to be the CFO who was busy crunching numbers so I focused on the strategic matters and at the same time, I allowed people to grow career wise by giving them a room to make mistakes and decisions,” Mr Anael details.
He further explains: “This also made me grow personally because I learned from them. I was involved in issues which a normal CFO would not do including stakeholder engagement and understanding the commercial and technical sides of the business. When the previous Managing Director resigned, an opportunity to apply for the position presented itself to me, I did exactly that. The rest is history.”
According to Mr Anael, he understands the importance of holding to a supporting hand on the road to success.
“Whenever I see young employees, I am reminded of my past and how it is important to have and hold an encouraging hand that makes you want to work even harder to attain your goals and dreams. Reminiscing on those times usually makes me rethink on the gaps and decisions that could have been done differently,” he reveals.
When Mr Anael interacts with young employees during inductions at Songas, he usually navigates ways to inspire them whilst painting pictures of great leaders they could be in the future.
“I usually take interest in young people because I believe that they can one day be the change or influence change that is need in the society. For instance I often make sure that young people working at Songas are thoroughly trained and well trained mentally. As of now, every female employee at Songashas has gone through a specialised training for future leadership,”he hints.
Being intentional to enhance gender diversity in the male dominated energy sector, Songashas put in place a policy that influences 50 percent of interns in the organisation to be females.
“We have a policy in the company where all the women leaders in senior positions are trained for CEO positions through the 12-month CEO Apprenticeship Programme (CAP) that is conducted by the CEO Roundtable and  Strathmore University Business School (SBS). All females at Songas have also went through the Female Future programme that is spearheaded by Association of Tanzania Employers (ATE),” Mr Anael details.
He also avers that all the women working at Songas have also gone through the Female Mentorship Programme, in which, he is one of the mentors.
“The major success of the policies conducted that I am proud of is that 40 percent of the members of the senior management team at Songas are women. We are also proud of our internship programme because it has helped in bridging the gap between men and women in the energy industry. We train them, we equip them with knowledge for six months and we allow them to go into the market where they get easily absorbed,” Mr Anael says.
He emphasises that it is important for men to be involved in gender diversity discussions because it would ease the societal unlearning of gender inequality as well as dissemination of a picture that shows how vital it is to include women in decision making tables. As he advises young women to invest in their career advancement, Mr Anael emphasizes on seeking mentorship from people serving different industries.
“To grow in your career, you need people with vast amount of knowledge and experience to hold your hand and take you through their path where you are likely to grasp many lessons that will make you exceptional,” he stresses.  Mr Anael says that young women should be ambitious and test their limits without restricting themselves. He advises young people aspiring to rewrite history and leave marks as leaders to take chances and stand for themselves.