As You Rise
Mindful and Purposeful Leadership
- 27 September 2025
An enriching and thought-provoking event dedicated to women shaping the future of board leadership through mindfulness, purpose, and impact.
The event begins with a dynamic fireside chat featuring Venus Hampinda, Chief Financial Officer and Regional Head of Strategic Tax Solutions at ABSA Bank Zambia Plc, in conversation with Judith Chinkumbi. In this intimate dialogue, Venus reflects on her journey, sharing lessons from her career. This session provides rare personal insights into how she navigated her journey as a servant leader.
After a short networking break, the program continues with a masterclass by globally renowned governance expert Prof. Mervyn King, facilitated by Dr. Sybil Seoka, Board Chairman of PPS Holdings Trust. The session on Mindful and Purposeful Leadership highlights the mindset, frameworks, and practices that enable boards to act with clarity, ethical foresight, and strategic intent. Drawing on decades of boardroom leadership and thought leadership in governance, Prof. King equips participants with practical perspectives for embedding mindfulness and
purpose into decision-making.
Fireside chat with Venus Hampinda
Brief
Short Explainer Video
Podcast-Style Summary
Full Recording
Key Questions Answered
Venus Hampinda is a distinguished finance executive with a formidable track record in the African banking sector. Her professional profile is a testament to her expertise, dedication, and influence.
- Current Role: She currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer of Absa Bank Zambia, where she leads financial strategy and drives sustainable growth.
- Extensive Experience: With over 20 years of experience, her career spans senior leadership roles in banking, finance, risk management, and corporate strategy across prestigious institutions like Standard Chartered Bank, PwC (Zambia and UK), and Zanako Bank.
- Professional Standing: She is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), a globally recognized mark of professional excellence.
- Board Service: Ms. Hampinda contributes her governance expertise to several influential boards, including the Zambia Revenue Authority and the Ministry of Health Audit Committee.
- Leadership Philosophy: She is passionate about advancing financial excellence and actively mentoring the next generation of leaders across the continent.
Her impressive career provides the backdrop for a more personal exploration of the journey and values that have defined her success.
Venus Hampinda grew up as a middle child in a large family of seven, with one brother surrounded by sisters. She described a home environment where traditional gender roles were intentionally disregarded. The girls were required to perform tasks typically reserved for boys, such as washing the car, changing lightbulbs, and performing manual labor on the family farm. This upbringing instilled a profound sense of versatility, a strong work ethic, and the foundational belief that she was capable of tackling any challenge, regardless of expectations or stereotypes.
Ms. Hampinda’s leadership philosophy is anchored in core values that guide her decisions and actions.
- Integrity: She defines integrity as the ability to “sleep at night” with every decision she makes. It is also measured by what people say about her character and principles when she is not in the room. This commitment to ethical consistency is the bedrock of her professional conduct.
- Humility and Servant Leadership: Ms. Hampinda views these two values as inextricably linked. For her, humility is about being a servant leader—one who others can relate to on a personal level. She believes that to be a great leader, you must be able to serve others. She shared a powerful example of this in action: during the intense budget season, she moves from the comfort of her corner office to work alongside her finance team, “getting her hands dirty” and sharing in the long hours. This principle is best captured in her own words: “If you are rising alone, that is ambition. But if you decide to carry along the others with you… that is leadership.”
These values do not just define her leadership style in ideal conditions; they are the tools she uses to navigate professional and personal challenges.
Ms. Hampinda shared a powerful story from a pivotal moment when her personal and professional worlds collided with immense force. While serving as an Acting CFO, she was simultaneously navigating a high-stakes pregnancy and a divorce. This personal turmoil was compounded by professional pressure when a male colleague told her directly, “You’ll never get this role.”
Instead of buckling, she made a strategic decision to fortify her support system, moving in with her mother to create a stable foundation that allowed her to channel her full energy into her work. This resilience was her armor. The outcome was a testament to her focus and determination: at eight months pregnant, she delivered a flawless annual report presentation to the board. On the very day she delivered her son, she received her permanent appointment letter.
Today, she acknowledges that work-life balance is a “tough act.” She manages it by being intentional—offsetting long work hours with dedicated, protected time for her son. This includes school runs, attending parent-teacher conferences, and ensuring weekends and holidays are reserved for family.
Ms. Hampinda addressed the phenomenon she referred to as the “PhD” or “Pull Her Down” syndrome, a tendency she has observed where some women compete with or undermine one another rather than collaborating.
She strongly contrasts this with her own belief in mutual support, highlighting the founders of Women on Boards as a prime example of what can be achieved when women work together. She also shared a personal anecdote of being warned against working under a female CEO at the “red bank,” with skeptics claiming women couldn’t work together. She took the role specifically to prove them wrong and thrived, demonstrating that collaborative female leadership is not only possible but powerful.
Serving on the boards of the Zambia Revenue Authority and the Ministry of Health has provided Ms. Hampinda with unique insights into public sector governance. Her key lessons include:
- Motivation: She views her public service not as a means for personal reward but as a duty to her country and to future generations.
- Approach: Her strategy is to bring private sector best practices and a strategic, advisory mindset to the public sector, helping to bridge gaps in efficiency and planning.
- Integrity in Action: She recounted an instance where a board meeting was unnecessarily prolonged over two days simply to allow members to claim additional sitting allowances. Standing on principle, she declined the allowances. To drive her point home, she used a fact-based argument, computing the opportunity cost of the wasted funds (e.g., the number of surgical gloves that could have been purchased for a hospital). While the move made her unpopular, it underscored her unwavering commitment to ethical governance over personal gain.
Her experiences in overcoming these challenges inform the proactive and practical advice she offers to other rising leaders.
Ms. Hampinda credited her CEO at Absa Bank Zambia, Mizinga Melu, and her book As You Rise, for providing foundational principles that resonate with her own journey. She highlighted several key pointers from the book:
- Your “why” has to be audacious—dream big.
- Build your own toolbox and personal brand.
- Strengthen your support system and lead by example.
- Be interested in people, not just roles and titles.
- Recognize that not everyone will like you; choose your battles wisely.
- Be self-aware, practice critical self-assessment, and prioritize performance.
- Approach every day with gratitude.
Building on these principles, Ms. Hampinda presented her personal framework for leadership using the memorable acronym A.R.I.S.E., which encapsulates the key attributes every leader should cultivate:
- A: Be Authentic and Adaptable
- R: Be Resilient and Reflective
- I: Be Integrity-driven and Inspiring
- S: Have a Strong support system and be Strategic
- E: Be Emotionally intelligent, Embracing, and an Effective communicator
She emphasized the importance of having both female and male mentors. In particular, she explained her reason for seeking a male mentor: to gain a more objective and less emotional perspective on difficult professional situations. She noted that when facing a challenge where the immediate impulse might be to quit, a male mentor can offer a pragmatic viewpoint that helps ground her decision-making process.
Masterclass with Prof. Mervyn King
Brief
Short Explainer Video
Podcast-Style Summary
Full Recording
Key Questions Answered
Before a board can navigate complex modern challenges, it must master the foundational principles that form the bedrock of its authority and responsibility.
Prof. King defines mindful leadership by contrasting it with its opposite: mindlessness.
- Mindfulness is the application of “original intellectual thinking to an issue and adding value.” It requires leaders to move beyond simple compliance and engage deeply with the substance of their decisions, ensuring they contribute meaningfully to the organization’s long-term health.
- Mindlessness, in contrast, is simply complying with rules without critical thought—”ticking the box”—which adds no real value and fosters a culture of conformance rather than true performance. Prof. King identifies this as a primary reason for failures in public sector governance, where legislation like the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) encourages a culture of “conformance instead of performance.”
According to Prof. King, directors are the guardians of the company. He describes the limited liability company as an “incapacitated person”—a legal fiction with no heart, mind, or conscience of its own. It is therefore entirely dependent on its directors to act on its behalf.
The fundamental duty of a director is to serve as the conscience of the company and to make decisions that are in the “best long-term interest of the health of that company.” When directors fulfill this guardianship obligation correctly, their decisions will, by extension, be in the best long-term interest of all stakeholders.
Good governance is not merely a set of processes; it is measured by its results. Prof. King identifies four key outcomes that demonstrate whether an organization is being governed effectively:
- Sustainable Value Creation: The organization creates value in a manner that is sustainable over the long term, avoiding short-term gains that compromise future viability.
- Ethical and Effective Conduct: The organization operates in an ethical, effective, and efficient manner, upholding high standards of integrity in all its affairs.
- Adequate and Effective Systems: The organization has proper systems of control in place to manage risk, ensure compliance, and support its strategic objectives.
- Stakeholder Trust and Confidence: External stakeholders view the organization as a responsible corporate citizen in which they have trust and confidence.
While these four outcomes define the destination of good governance, the map for getting there is being redrawn by the urgent realities of the 21st century. The next section examines how sustainability is no longer a peripheral concern but the central navigating principle for the modern board.
The 20th-century governance model is obsolete. Its narrow focus on financial return created profits subsidized by society and the environment, an unsustainable bargain.
The traditional 20th-century model, which prioritized shareholder profit above all else, has proven to be unsustainable. Prof. King argues that this model of profit was effectively “subsidized by society and the environment,” as companies often generated financial returns without accounting for the negative externalities they created.
A significant shift occurred at the turn of the century when research, expedited by the computer age, revealed that 80% of a company’s market capitalization was derived from non-financial aspects. These “non-financials” have since morphed into what we now know as ESG factors, making them central to understanding and creating true enterprise value.
Modern boards must recognize that business operates at the junction of the economy, society, and the environment. A focus on sustainability is essential for two key reasons:
- Moral Duty: Directors have a profound moral duty to future generations. As transient caretakers of the planet, they are obligated to make decisions that leave behind a world where future generations can sustain themselves.
- Practical Necessity: The market has evolved. Providers of capital now conduct rigorous due diligence on a company’s handling of ESG factors. A company that fails to operate in a sustainable manner not only harms society and the environment but also threatens its own longevity and ability to raise capital.
Prof. King shared a powerful example from his time as chairman of the Frame Group, a textile company. Alarmed to discover that it took 1,780 liters of water to produce the fabric for a single pair of jeans, he initiated a two-pronged strategy to reduce this consumption by tackling both industrial technology and agricultural practices:
- Engaging the Supply Chain: He first approached the company’s machine suppliers in Zurich, persuading them to develop new technology that used less water. This effort successfully reduced consumption to 700 liters per length of fabric.
- Influencing Agricultural Practices: Not stopping there, he went to the cotton farmers who supplied the company. At the time, they were using pivot spraying, an inefficient irrigation method. He convinced them to switch to drip irrigation, a technique that delivers water directly to the plant’s roots.
This initiative, which brought together technology providers, agricultural producers, and the company, ultimately reduced water consumption to approximately 400 liters. It serves as a clear demonstration of mindful, purposeful leadership that creates a more sustainable outcome by thinking systemically across the entire value chain.
This systemic approach to sustainability highlights that a board’s vision is only as strong as its ability to execute with integrity. The next section moves from external impact to internal dynamics, addressing the practical challenges of upholding diligence and honesty within the boardroom itself.
Principles of governance are meaningless until they are tested by the high-stakes reality of boardroom decision-making. This section moves from theory to practice, providing concrete techniques for maintaining integrity, ensuring director diligence, and clarifying the crucial, and often misunderstood, relationship between the board and management.
Both Prof. King and Dr. Seoka advocate for a swift and decisive approach to intellectual dishonesty or corruption.
Prof. King recommends an assertive, zero-tolerance policy. When individuals are found to have acted improperly, for example, by creating extra meetings solely to claim additional allowances, the response should be unambiguous. He advises that leaders should:
- Discharge the individuals involved immediately.
- Demand full repayment of any improperly gained funds.
- Be willing to pursue legal action, including sequestration, to recover the funds and send a clear message throughout the organization that such behavior will not be tolerated.
Dr. Seoka reinforces this, emphasizing the importance of “nipping it in the bud” the moment the first sign of trouble appears. She highlights the critical role of a principled company secretary in upholding standards. She specifically noted the value of a company secretary who “has no gray area. It’s black or white,” ensuring that issues are confronted directly and without ambiguity.
To combat a lack of preparation and ensure every director is adding value, Prof. King employs a powerful technique when chairing a board. After a full discussion on a significant agenda item where the board has reached a consensus, he will single out a director and ask them to “explain to me in great detail why you voted in favor of ABC.”
A director who has not read the board pack, understood the issues, or followed the 45-minute discussion will be unable to answer, leading to “great embarrassment.” The knowledge that they could be put on the spot at any time ensures that directors do their homework, read their packs thoroughly, and pay close attention. This simple but effective practice significantly improves the diligence of individual directors and the overall quality of the board’s decision-making.
Prof. King offers a clear and concise distinction to define this critical relationship: “boards think and management does.”
The board’s role is to make the final decision. To do this effectively, it must be informed by management and has a duty to rigorously interrogate the information, data, and recommendations that management provides. However, the ultimate decision-making authority rests with the board.
This distinction is critical for executive directors sitting on the board. They must metaphorically take off their “management cap” and put on their “director cap,” ensuring their primary duty in that forum is to the long-term health of the company, not to their specific executive function or department.
With these practical techniques for fostering diligence and integrity established, the focus shifts to how these universal principles are applied—and often challenged—within specific high-stakes environments, from the unique pressures of public sector governance to the transformative power of board diversity.
Effective governance is not a monolithic concept; its principles must be stress-tested and adapted to meet the unique challenges of different sectors and the evolving composition of the boardroom. This section examines the specific governance hurdles facing the public sector and analyzes the profound and positive impact of board diversity, with a particular focus on the crucial role of women in strengthening boardroom effectiveness.
Prof. King offers a critical assessment of public sector governance, stating that legislation like the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) has largely failed. In his view, its highly prescriptive, line-item nature has forced a focus on “conformance instead of performance.” Public officials spend an inordinate amount of time on compliance and box-ticking, detracting from their primary function of service delivery.
The solution, he argues, is not more legislation but a fundamental mindset shift. Public officials and councillors must be instilled with the understanding that they are “guardians for the citizens.” Their duty is to ensure the effective delivery of essential services like water and electricity, not to use their positions for self-enrichment.
Prof. King makes a compelling, multi-faceted case for the inclusion of women on boards, citing improvements in dynamics, capabilities, and stakeholder relations.
- Improved Board Dynamics: “The males on the board behave better,” and the “old boys club falls away,” leading to a more professional and effective environment.
- Enhanced Curiosity: Research shows women are more curious, which is a “great attribute for a director to ask questions,” challenge assumptions, and drive deeper inquiry.
- Greater Adaptability: Research also indicates that women are “able to adapt to changes more quickly than men,” a vital skill in today’s volatile business landscape.
- Meritocracy: With more women than men now qualifying in key professions like accounting, law, and pharmacy, appointing them is not a matter of quotas but of merit. To ignore this talent pool is a strategic failure.
- Effective Stakeholder Engagement: Women often seem better able to “reach out to stakeholders,” particularly customers, who are a critical component of any successful business.
The principles of good governance, adapted for sector-specific challenges and strengthened by diversity, provide a robust foundation. However, boards must now look beyond current structures to navigate a horizon defined by unprecedented geopolitical risk and technological disruption.
Prof. King highlights several interconnected challenges that are fundamentally reshaping the context in which boards operate. Directors today must grapple with:
- Significant Geopolitical Risks: Global instability, evidenced by conflicts in Ukraine and Sudan, creates profound uncertainty and requires boards to be far more attuned to external political and economic shifts.
- Compliance Panic and Uncertainty: There is growing uncertainty around sustainability reporting standards. This “compliance panic” requires boards to navigate a complex and evolving regulatory landscape without clear global consensus.
- The Impact of Generative AI: The rapid rise of generative artificial intelligence presents both immense opportunities and significant risks. Boards must develop the literacy to oversee the ethical and strategic implementation of this transformative technology.
