Women’s Day: Meeting with Lyse Honorine UMUTONI, Head of Operations at FINBANK

As the world celebrated International Women’s Day, women at FINBANK were honored. We took advantage of this unique opportunity to meet Ms. Lyse Honorine UMUTONI, an executive at FINBANK who symbolizes very well the rise of a woman in a financial institution. She tells us about her career, the keys to success, the importance of women in a company and the place of women in FINBANK!

Happy Women’s day! Do you mind introducing yourself?

Thank you! My name is Lyse Honorine UMUTONI, I am the president of AFEFIN, the Association of Girls and Women of FINBANK. I am also the operations manager of all FINBANK agencies.

How long have you been in FinBank?

It’s been exactly 10 years since I joined this bank. Before I was working for a telecommunication company.

So you went from telecom to banking?

Yes, because I wanted to be a banker. It is a dream that I had. I remember that when I came to apply, I was told that I would need to be very lucky to get hired in this bank. I thought to myself, “I’ll go anyway.” I then applied and I got the job.

How far does your passion for banking trace back?

I think it was when I graduated from university. I saw how bankers behaved and I said to myself “I want to be like that”.

A l’extrême gauche , Mme Lyse Honorine pose avec des collègues

Since joining FINBANK, what have you learned?

During the 10 years that I have spent in this bank, I went through different departments. I used to be shy. I could not express myself in front of people, I could not hold a conversation easily. Today, I am no longer ashamed, I can stand in front of a large crowd of people and express myself, I can make a presentation in front of experts with no problem.

What I also really like is the team spirit. The way we work together, the way we help each other like brothers and sisters and the spirit of “Team Work”

Photo de famille avec ses collègues de la FINBANK le 8 Mars 2018

What is the value added of women in a company like this?

The first contribution of women is love! Women are blessed. Women are honest. I am telling you this from experience. We have cashiers, treasurers, I see what they do.

There is a Burundian proverb that says “Uwuhusha itunga ahusha umugore” (He who gets the wrong wife messes up his future). This shows how much women are the pillars of the world in all sectors.

t-à-dire qu’il y a quelque chose que la femme peut apporter à la société que certainement l’homme n’a pas.