MiWay's Mologadi Kekana on the importance of financial independence

Mologadi Kekana, head: alternative distribution, MiWay Insurance

After 15 years in the automotive industry and after completing her MBA, Kekana transitioned into the insurance industry. "Financial services has been on my radar for quite some time, and there’s an obvious connection between automotive and short-term insurance.

"Daily, I monitor sales. Collaboration with various stakeholders, both internally and externally, is part of our daily work. We would, therefore generally have multiple meetings to review and adjust our tactics.

"I have found it very fulfilling to work with the people in my team and others outside my department. Our ability to learn from others is enhanced when we collaborate with them. Our environment is also very dynamic. Because of this, we are constantly required to be creative, which can prove exciting - or frustrating."

Covid has stressed the importance of finding alternative methods to engage with clients, Kekana says. "Creating digital systems that are user-friendly and meet clients' needs are key to success in sales and after-sales. Therefore, I would say that digitisation is the current buzzword in the industry."

Kekana was born in Tembisa, where she spent the first 15 years of her life. "We moved to what was then called Verwoerdburgstad, now Centurion, after our first democratic elections in 1995. Those two radically different worlds shaped who I am today."

What did you want to be growing up?
As a child, I believed I would work in advertising. My fascination stemmed from watching a soapie, Generations, back in the early 1990s. The characters were young, hip, and African, and the portrayal of the industry was inspiring to me.

What advice would you give your younger self?
The younger version of me could teach the older version of myself to remain bold.

What are the top three things on your bucket list and why?

1. Travel more - I enjoy learning about other cultures and seeing how other people live.
2. Learn French - I feel it would be useful during my travels and I will benefit from knowing the language. I am also interested in exploring learning opportunities beyond my normal academic sphere.
3. Be debt free. I don’t like the idea of debt and paying bills. My mind is playing with the idea of living a minimalist lifestyle. My next task will be to convince myself—that could be the hard part

How do you achieve a work/life balance?
I'm working on getting closer to an ideal work/life balance. However, at this time, this is still a myth.

What is the most valuable lesson you have learnt?
I love the quote by Oscar Wilde - “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” It would be a disservice to myself and the world if I were anything other than me.