For Mulalo Moroe, starting her career as part of the insurance litigation team at Norton Rose Fulbright was her “baptism” into the legal sector, after completing an LLB degree at the University of Pretoria. It was during these formative years that she fell in love with the complexity and nuances of insurance law.

In 2014, eager to make her mark in the corporate realm, she became Regional Counsel: Africa and Company Secretary at Swiss Re. This was where she discovered her passion for leadership and her natural aptitude for seeing people’s potential and helping them realise it. Mulalo identified a need to become a mentor and coach for black women entering the legal and corporate world.

Eight years later, Mulalo moved to Kenya with her family and was appointed as the Group Legal and Compliance Director at Nairobi-based financial services company, Britam. In this position, she managed a team of over 15 lawyers from different African countries – a task that required her hone in on her leadership skills and have a bigger focus on implementing the legal & compliance strategy across the group.

A year ago, she returned to South Africa and started as a manager in Santam’s corporate legal services team, and has recently been promoted to head up the team. Her current role exists at the intersection between her insurance and legal background, and her love for leadership. Mulalo is the kind of leader who walks confidently through an open door but believes steadfastly in holding that door open for others to follow.

In honour of International Women’s Day, this is what she had to share about her personal and professional journey.

Q: Tell us a bit about your role at Santam and what it entails?

In my current role, I oversee the group’s legal function, ensuring that the group is aligned with all the legislative requirements that it is required to comply with, and to ensure that the group is safeguarded against any legal risks.

Q: Women in senior leadership roles within the corporate world often report having imposter syndrome. Do you relate? And if so, how did you overcome it?

I have struggled with imposter syndrome along the way and still do to some extent. When I moved to Kenya to fulfil the role of Group Legal and Compliance Director, I wasn’t familiar with the Kenyan legal system or the region’s corporate culture. I knew, however, that if I didn’t grasp the opportunity, there was a big chance that I would end up regretting it, and so I decided to take the risk.

There were days when it felt like my fear would overcome my drive to succeed, but I did it afraid anyway. I believed strongly that I could achieve anything I put my mind to. Over time, the fact that I kept going despite being afraid helped me to move past those feelings of self-doubt and to grow as a leader. You could say that courage has been and continues to be the antidote to my imposter syndrome.

Q: What would you say are the top 3 traits of an effective leader?

The first one would be integrity – consistently being authentic in who you are, whether people are around to see it or not. It also means doing what you say you will do. This in turn, fosters a sense of trustworthiness.

The second trait is servant leadership. When you become a leader, it stops being about you. You need to be prepared to take the fall when things go wrong and to give away the praise when things go right. To embody this philosophy, you need to be willing to support and grow your team.

The third trait is the personal and professional development of your team. Every person on your team is an individual, with a unique set of needs, circumstances, skills, and abilities. To truly invest in each person’s professional development journey, you need to gain a deep understanding of these unique aspects of who they are and use that as a foundation for helping them become the best versions of themselves. My leadership approach involves taking an inward stance on the search for talent rather than an outward-facing one. When opportunities arise, I look to the talent pool I already have and have helped to nurture. The right people for the job are often there, right in front of you.

Q: Finally, what advice would you give to your younger self?

I would tell her to trust her instincts. I would say: “not everyone is going to understand your journey, but it is just that – your journey. So, listen to your inner voice, because it will guide and serve you well in making the tough decisions.”

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