Profiles: The graduate who re-defined work
While Monica Rubombora’s diverse career has traversed several industries including banking, insurance, government, management consulting and technology, it has all been experiential.
BY SHAMILLA KARA
While Monica Rubombora’s diverse career has traversed several industries including banking, insurance, government, management consulting and technology, it has all been experiential.
“I never had academic qualifications in any of these fields,†says the Johannesburg-based partner and director with Accenture, a global technology and out-sourcing company present in over 120 countries.
Rubombora has spent the bulk of her career in different roles at technology and outsourcing companies and yet, it is the story of how she started off that is the most remarkable.
When she decided to follow her husband to South Africa 19 years ago, she could not find a decent job from the beginning.
So a few days later, she enrolled for a one-week sewing course, and a week later, armed with basic sewing knowledge and two clothing designs, she started churning out clothes.
“I suspect people were paying more for my enthusiasm than for my ‘wonderful’ designs,†she says. Rubombora started by selling to nurses at a nearby hospital.
When she mastered the skill, she got a succession of offers in government, then a bank and an insurance company. Rubombora’s story of hardwork is testament to the ability to cut through perceived limitations of one’s past and making the most of opportunities.
And for a graduate, its an inspiration for the many who do not find work after university to get innovative.
Rubombora’s work
Rubombora assists government and private sector organisations to envision, design, build and run their organisations through the integration of technologies, processes and people.
“I like the varied roles and projects and mostly enjoy working with my clients to simplify and resolve their problems and help them succeed as individuals and as organisations,†she says.
“I also like the people I work with mainly because they are highly driven individuals and teams.†Prior to her appointment as a partner in 2008, Rubombora was a management consultant at the same firm for over six years.
She has also worked as a general manager in charge of procurement for the Gauteng Shared Services Centre from 2006 up until 2008. The firm offers back-office transactional support services to government services.
In addition, she has also been a business analyst for Electronic Data Systems, a firm in South Africa. On her education
When I ask about her qualifications, Rubombora says she has not allowed her education to define her.
“My three university degrees are now hard, concrete evidence that I can read and write,†says the mother of two who has a BA with honours degree in Social Work and Social administration from Makerere University and another one, an honours degree in human resources development from Rands Afrikaans University in Johannesburg.
She also has an MA in Business Administration from the University of South Africa. She also has a post graduate diploma in computer programming, which she got from the Priyadarshini Institute for Computer Aided Knowledge in New Delhi, India.
Something she worked towards?
Rubombora says she has definitely worked towards what she has achieved, but believes she has not yet reached where she wants to be.
“I have had a number of defining moments along my chosen path, which is still under construction,†she says.
What drives her
“I want to win most times. Many times, it is against myself. I am quite self-propelled and usually want results pretty fast and may come across as impatient and a bit of in a hurry,†says Rubombora of her dichotomy of traits.
The self-confessed believer in old fashioned ideals also values hard work, family and a desire to help others become successful.
On plans to bring expertise back home
“I am a firm believer in the saying that goes, “Bloom where you have been planted,†Rubombora says.
On success
“Success means different things to different people and may include both tangible and intangible facets to it,†she says.
Rubombora advises anyone trying to succeed to first define what success means for them as individuals and then pursue it relentlessly.
During her free time, Rubombora, an avid reader, immerses herself in non-fiction books such as autobiographies, political satire, war books, business books and electronic news.
“I am grateful to the inventor of the Kindle and the iPhone. I read New Vision online daily on my iPhone,†she says.
skara@newvision.co.ug
www.representinguganda
abroad.webs.com
While Monica Rubombora’s diverse career has traversed several industries including banking, insurance, government, management consulting and technology, it has all been experiential.
“I never had academic qualifications in any of these fields,†says the Johannesburg-based partner and director with Accenture, a global technology and out-sourcing company present in over 120 countries.
Rubombora has spent the bulk of her career in different roles at technology and outsourcing companies and yet, it is the story of how she started off that is the most remarkable.
When she decided to follow her husband to South Africa 19 years ago, she could not find a decent job from the beginning.
So a few days later, she enrolled for a one-week sewing course, and a week later, armed with basic sewing knowledge and two clothing designs, she started churning out clothes.
“I suspect people were paying more for my enthusiasm than for my ‘wonderful’ designs,†she says. Rubombora started by selling to nurses at a nearby hospital.
When she mastered the skill, she got a succession of offers in government, then a bank and an insurance company. Rubombora’s story of hardwork is testament to the ability to cut through perceived limitations of one’s past and making the most of opportunities.
And for a graduate, its an inspiration for the many who do not find work after university to get innovative.
Rubombora’s work
Rubombora assists government and private sector organisations to envision, design, build and run their organisations through the integration of technologies, processes and people.
“I like the varied roles and projects and mostly enjoy working with my clients to simplify and resolve their problems and help them succeed as individuals and as organisations,†she says.
“I also like the people I work with mainly because they are highly driven individuals and teams.†Prior to her appointment as a partner in 2008, Rubombora was a management consultant at the same firm for over six years.
She has also worked as a general manager in charge of procurement for the Gauteng Shared Services Centre from 2006 up until 2008. The firm offers back-office transactional support services to government services.
In addition, she has also been a business analyst for Electronic Data Systems, a firm in South Africa. On her education
When I ask about her qualifications, Rubombora says she has not allowed her education to define her.
“My three university degrees are now hard, concrete evidence that I can read and write,†says the mother of two who has a BA with honours degree in Social Work and Social administration from Makerere University and another one, an honours degree in human resources development from Rands Afrikaans University in Johannesburg.
She also has an MA in Business Administration from the University of South Africa. She also has a post graduate diploma in computer programming, which she got from the Priyadarshini Institute for Computer Aided Knowledge in New Delhi, India.
Something she worked towards?
Rubombora says she has definitely worked towards what she has achieved, but believes she has not yet reached where she wants to be.
“I have had a number of defining moments along my chosen path, which is still under construction,†she says.
What drives her
“I want to win most times. Many times, it is against myself. I am quite self-propelled and usually want results pretty fast and may come across as impatient and a bit of in a hurry,†says Rubombora of her dichotomy of traits.
The self-confessed believer in old fashioned ideals also values hard work, family and a desire to help others become successful.
On plans to bring expertise back home
“I am a firm believer in the saying that goes, “Bloom where you have been planted,†Rubombora says.
On success
“Success means different things to different people and may include both tangible and intangible facets to it,†she says.
Rubombora advises anyone trying to succeed to first define what success means for them as individuals and then pursue it relentlessly.
During her free time, Rubombora, an avid reader, immerses herself in non-fiction books such as autobiographies, political satire, war books, business books and electronic news.
“I am grateful to the inventor of the Kindle and the iPhone. I read New Vision online daily on my iPhone,†she says.
skara@newvision.co.ug
www.representinguganda
abroad.webs.com