Mimi Kufuor
In Pursuit of a deeper understanding of the lived experience of professional women of diverse backgrounds, we have launched a series of interviews entitled Entrepreneurship and Diversity in the Workplace. One of our favourite conversations in the series was shared with Mimi Kufuor, who is a Project Manager at a Global Asset Management Company. One may not automatically picture a creative, art-loving individual as someone thriving in such a role, but Mimi defies expectations. In this piece, we learn about her people-driven approach to project management, how a pay-cut turned out to be her best investment in her future, and why diversity at senior levels is so important.
The path to success is seldom straightforward or clear – and as Mimi Kufuor describes, she “fell into” her now-successful career. Although describing herself as someone with a flair for the creative, she pursued a degree in Financial Economics and quickly realised that she had yet another flair – one for the organisation and management of projects. Today Mimi is an established freelance Project Manager, and she is quick to point out that success in her field requires a people-focused skillset. “You need to have a communication style that inspires,” she asserts, “and to be able to know when to push, and when to fall back a bit and give people space to deliver.” While communication and emotional intelligence are key, she also emphasised the ability to look at the bigger picture, and to understand key elements of the project and map them out into a concise and feasible timeline. In describing her work, Mimi tends to evoke visualisation, charting, and non-linear thinking, and as we speak it becomes increasingly clear how her creative profile meshes so well with her chosen career.
"I WOULD DEFINE ENTREPRENEURSHIP AS TURNING AN IDEA INTO SOMETHING FEASIBLE, PRODUCTIVE OR EVEN PROFITABLE. THIS INVOLVES BRINGING AN IDEA TO THE TABLE, ASSESSING WHAT VALUE-ADD IT WOULD BE TO THE ORGANISATION AND TAKING THE RESPONSIBILITY OF IMPLEMENTING IT FROM START TO FINISH."
– Mimi Kufuor
She is also open about the fact that culture – and specifically diversity in the workplace culture – can be a key element she considers when selecting clients. “On walking into their building and seeing people of so many different backgrounds, being interviewed by someone from a different background – the sense of diversity was one of the attractive things about working with my current client,” she reveals. Diversity to her is a source of inspiration, since it opens up the workplace to different possibilities, skillsets, backgrounds, perspectives, and of course, sources of creativity. Mimi emphasises the value of diverse workplaces since in her view they are not only more interesting, but they also provide positive examples to young people who can see themselves represented in roles they aspire to, particularly at senior levels.
IWhat advice would she pass on to those young people? “Be confident in your abilities, take criticism constructively rather than to heart, and collaboration is key – no man is an island,” she suggests. She was also clear that failure – whether minor or major – should be viewed as a source of learning and improvement and should not hold you back from pursuing your true purpose. In her own career she has lived that advice, particularly regarding the pursuit of one’s goals and passions. Indeed, in order to make the move to Project Management she took a pay cut, which meant that her decision to progress her career came at a literal cost. Although she found it daunting at the time, and she encountered setbacks and had to make challenging decisions, she now views that pay cut as an investment in herself and her sacrifices have – happily – led to greater success. “To be honest, I haven’t looked back since,” she laughingly notes.
"YES, IT IS IMPORTANT TO SEE DIVERSE PEOPLE IN SENIOR POSITIONS AS IT GIVES YOU THAT COMFORT AND CONFIDENCE THAT YOUR ASPIRATIONS ARE POSSIBLE. YOU TOO CAN REACH CERTAIN LEVELS WITHIN THE ORGANISATION AS THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO LOOK LIKE YOU, HAVE SIMILAR BACKGROUNDS AND HAVE MADE IT."
– Mimi Kufuor
As we observed, Mimi is inclined to visualisation, and one of the ways she sustains her professional success is by visualising her projects as a business and herself as the founder; in so doing, she leverages an entrepreneurial approach to project management. “It’s not very common to be empowered to be entrepreneurial in a traditional organisation, but I think organisations are starting to realise the value of enabling their employees to demonstrate entrepreneurial characteristics,” she points out. In this vein, she asserts that organisations can gain an important competitive advantage by fostering a pro-entrepreneurial culture, and also by giving employees the opportunity to bring ideas to the fore, assess the value added, and take the necessary risks to implement and see those ideas through.
What idea does Mimi hope to realise in the near future? She reveals that she sees herself embarking on a venture that will allow her to return to her creative roots and also showcase her Ghanaian heritage. In fact, she has recently launched an art investment collective which seeks to purchase contemporary African art pieces. Describing it as still in its embryonic stage, she relishes the opportunity it provides to delve deeper into her creative side. “We recently completed our first purchase,” she says, “and I’m on the hunt for our next piece.” With her flair for the creative and her skills and experience as a Project Manager, one imagines that this venture is sure to be a success.
Apart from Project Management, what drives you?
Art. I have a love and appreciation of art. I recently started an art investment collective amongst a few friends where we aim to purchase pieces of contemporary African art. We recently completed our first purchase and I’m on the hunt for our next piece. The collective’s vision is still in its embryonic stage but it gives me the opportunity to delve deeper into the creative side of myself.