The view from Hannah Nkhalamba FCCA

I have been privileged to build an extensive international career. I have moved between postings and also positions, giving me career growth and experience of diverse operations. In the process I have honed my leadership skills, which are founded on integrity, an ethical approach and empathy. I have also been privileged to have mentors who exemplify strong leadership qualities.

My late dad was a banker with a strong work ethic. He was a big influence and inspired me to go into finance.

I began my career in Malawi with a parastatal, where I was attached to many different accounts departments. The experience showed me how finance units work and collaborate, and I learned hugely from the corporation’s qualified accountants.

In 2005 I joined the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Malawi, enthusiastically embracing the opportunity to work for the UN’s biggest humanitarian agency. It was my dream to work for an international humanitarian organisation, so I instantly committed to WFP’s mission and values.

I soon worked my way up to senior finance associate. Along the way I acquired my ACCA qualification; a degree in accounting and finance from the University of Derby; an MSc in international management with specialisation in oil and gas from the University of Liverpool; and an MBA, again from the University of Derby.

I moved to WFP Timor-Leste in South-East Asia in 2012 as a finance officer. This role saw me overseeing risk management, compliance, reporting and budgeting, and developing my leadership skills. I was promoted to head of finance and administration. I joined the WFP’s regional office for Southern Africa, based in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2016 before moving to WFP Tanzania in 2021 as head of support services.

There is a dynamism to working as part of a humanitarian response, and meeting our beneficiaries is a profound experience. There are few financial careers where your day-to-day work directly impacts on people and where your skills are applied to crisis response. Seeing WFP field teams’ dedication to getting assistance to the people we serve is very rewarding, and I have made lasting connections with colleagues in all the places where I have been deployed. We must be efficient and effective to maintain our commitment to ending hunger.

The WFP is navigating more challenging times and is faced with ever-increasing needs across the world which it must meet with limited funding. As the head of support services, I see that operational risks are adequately addressed and that appropriate control measures are in place to safeguard WFP resources. In fulfilling my leadership role, I take valuable inspiration from my late dad, maintaining and demonstrating the fundamental values of honesty, fairness, humility and inclusion. These form the bedrock of my everyday leadership practices.

My favourite mantra is: ‘Become fearless to become limitless’. I also like: ‘If the plan doesn’t work, change the plan and never the goal’.

If I had law-making powers, I would want to see the protection of civilians from conflict-induced hunger and climate change. These are some of the worst drivers of the deepening global hunger crisis.

What I enjoy most about my job is that my work helps enable the WFP to deliver on our mandate of a world without hunger. Every day, I know I have contributed to the great humanitarian cause of addressing global hunger and promoting food security. Making an impact is the most enjoyable part of the job, and meeting those we help is a profound experience. I am also acquiring strong financial management skills with continuous professional growth through working on many complex projects. I am committed to being a lifelong student on the subject of leadership and as an ACCA member I have access to numerous resources that can help develop my skills to become an effective and inspiring leader.

When I’m not at work, I enjoy exercising and reading books. As a wife and mother of three, my greatest joy is spending quality time with my family.