When Sylvia Mbama graduated from Ashesi in 2006, she arrived at her first job with the enthusiasm her alma mater had instilled in her, laptop and network cables in tow. She was going to be working as a human resources administrator. To her surprise, there was no workstation waiting for her. She instead found herself hopping from desk to desk, completing a range of tasks in support of her new colleagues, including administrative work and running errands. It seemed she was starting her career on the wrong foot, but Ashesi had taught her how to identify opportunities amidst the challenges.
These early experiences helped Sylvia absorb broad knowledge across the human resources team. This knowledge, and being able to apply it, saw her advance steadily until she became a part of the senior leadership team. Nearly two decades into a prolific career in human resources, Sylvia now works as the regional Human Resource Business Partner/Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Lead for Ghana, Tanzania, and Guinea at AngloGold Ashanti.
It is the lessons from this journey that Sylvia hopes to bring to her address to the Class of 2024 when she joins this year’s Commencement ceremony as a Guest Speaker.
Ashesi’s “Greatest” Class
As a member of the Class of 2006, which referred to itself as “Ashesi’s Greatest Class,” Sylvia remembers herself being “all over the place” as a student. She founded a Junior Achievement Club and was her class’s representative for the Ashesi Judicial Committee (AJC).
“The most effective leaders in the history of humanity are those who took the time, first, to educate themselves about their world,” Patrick Awuah shared with her class during his Commencement address in December 2006.
As she participates in Commencement this year—a member of Ashesi’s second graduating class, the first alum to serve as Commencement Guest Speaker, and speaking to the twentieth graduating class — Sylvia believes that the lessons shared with her class still ring true.
“In the working world expectations of Ashesi students are high, but we all also go through experiences that can be humbling,” she shares. “I hope to convince the class that you have to be humble so you can rise.”
About Sylvia Mbama ‘06
Sylvia Mbama is a Human Resources professional with nearly two decades of experience helping organisations develop recruitment, retention, and professional development strategies. She is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and is a Neurolinguistic Programming Professional Coach.
She serves as Regional Human Resources Business Partner, and Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Lead for Anglogold Ashanti’s Africa Business (Ghana, Tanzania, and Guinea). Before this, she served as a Senior Human Resources Generalist at Absa Bank Ghana.
Sylvia holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree from Ashesi University and a Master in Business Administration degree from Australia Institute of Business.
