Elizabeth Uwaifo, a partner at the International Law firm, Fasken Martineau, received the Women4Africa Judges’ Choice for Recognition award last week for her outstanding career to date.
Originally a finalist for the ‘Career Woman of the Year’ award, however, on reviewing her submission, she was elevated to a Judges’ Choice for Recognition award – the highest Women4Africa commendation possible. Such awards are only given to the most exceptional finalist in each of the award categories. Mary Ogedengbe looks at a fulfilling career…
Elizabeth Uwaifo
Elizabeth Uwaifo deserves her award. |She packs a punch and is quite a lot of things rolled into one. She is a dutiful wife, caring mother and a corporate lawyer in a high-powered international Law firm.
How on earth does she cope? For a start, it is discernable that she is very organised. Rolling various functions together is “quite” tough. She very presciently made a decision to pursue a career “while ensuring that I remained actively involved in bringing up my son and shaping his life.’’ Mercifully, he is 19 years and now at university; “so it is not as hard as it once was”.
It hasn’t always been so. “In the early days, it meant finishing my office job and immersing myself in housework and attending to his needs without getting time to myself. There were times that I struggled with competing priorities, barely managing to keep both balls in the air. I was glad to have the support of my husband who has been very understanding. I never felt poor me. If at all, I was just happy to survive each day.”
Elizabeth arrived in England in the early 1980s to study for an undergraduate Law degree. She left behind her nine siblings in Benin and arrived in London eager to get started with her quest for a law degree.
“Nothing had prepared me for the feeling of isolation that threatened to overwhelm me. For the first time in my life, I felt disconnected from those around me – like a fish out of water – and there were cultural rules of engagement in my new environment that I was not aware of.
“Nigeria suddenly became very dear to me. I longed for the familiarity of home, but could not go back. My family was counting on me to succeed in England. I could not let them down and had no choice but to face the challenges day by day.”
Nostalgic blues
Homesickness was inevitable in a process of re-adjustment.
“I had never doubted my command of the English language. However, when I spoke, I could tell that I was not understood – I was often asked to repeat my words. I may be talking to someone and he or she would look away or I observed a deliberate attempt to avoid me. I became reticent, petrified of getting any attention and unable to articulate my thoughts. Was the solution to adopt an English accent? The mere thought of that was anathema to me. It would be a betrayal of my heritage to even think of dropping my Nigerian accent.
“Nevertheless, I was in England to succeed among the English and had to communicate effectively with those around me. I began to experiment with slowing down my speech, pronouncing my words distinctly, listening intently and watching body language for signs that I may be losing my audience. It got better over the years. I also learnt that you never stop learning to improve your communication skills.”
She also learnt that communication was also about cultural nuances, unspoken methods of communication that were embedded in the culture of a community.
“I needed to learn the English rules if I were to operate effectively in England. I will give you some examples. Back home in Nigeria, we readily touch the next person as an expression of friendliness. I realised that in England, touching the person you are talking to was an invasion of the person’s personal space and may be considered offensive. It came as a surprise to me to learn that you were expected to say ‘sorry’ only where you had accepted responsibility for the unfortunate predicament of the next person. In Nigeria, saying sorry was an expression of sympathy. I also learnt that the Nigerian tendency to show deference to those older than us could be misinterpreted for lack of confidence.”
It was a period of trials and tribulations which did not deter her from getting a first class Law degree from University College, London. From there, she went to Merton College, Oxford for post-graduate Law degree.
“My period in Oxford woke up a consciousness in me. I was part of a small African community that was made up of many brilliant minds that were quite knowledgeable about African history, the challenges faced by Africans and the struggles of notable African leaders.”
At Oxford, Elizabeth was not just a studious student and a beautiful face. Far more than that, she showed an activist streak. She developed her consciousness of power as an individual able to shape her community.
“I organised events to free Nelson Mandela, and together with my friends, safely away from the vagaries of the real world, we discussed at length our solutions to Africa’s problems. Looking back, I must have developed an inner strength during this period that would facilitate my success in years to come.”
Climbing the slippery rope
She qualified as a barrister of the Middle Temple in 1989, and it became clear to her that she could not survive financially as a self-employed barrister. It was more realistic to get a salary-paying job. She decided to find a job in a firm of solicitors with a view to re-qualifying as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales.
From here, the gravitational pull leading to international law practice began. She started with an international law firm that is now called Cameron McKenna. As a black woman, this was a triumph in itself.
She said: “Many of my white male and female contemporaries struggled to get jobs. I was grateful to get my chance. I started in the banking department, working for various banks in London on a variety of banking transactions. In 1994, I joined Clifford Chance and began my involvement in structured finance. I got involved in advising banks and financial institutions in hedging risks on their balance sheets and in structuring deals that addressed their unique needs and concerns. I soon became one of a handful of specialists in the derivatives area. In 1996, I joined Union Bank of Switzerland as Global Head of Derivatives Negotiators and Director of UBS Limited. Thereafter, I returned to law practice at Sidley Austin where I was made a partner in 2000.”
At this time, the notion of women as partners in major law firms in the city of London was a rarity, and even more of a rarity was a black man or woman in a highly specialist derivatives and structured finance area of law.
“I had the privilege of working for major international investment banks on high profile transactions that minimised risk for my clients and maximised their recovery from their assets. I entrenched myself in this area of law, and for over 10 years was acknowledged by the major legal directories as one of the leading lawyers in my field. Last year, I made the decision to turn my attention to using my skills in contributing to development in the country and continent of my birth, my formative years and my cultural heritage,” she added.
Worthwhile and fulfilling
She is emphatic that her career to date has been fulfilling. “I have always had a goal to strive for – to be recognised as a valuable lawyer in my team, to be made a partner, to win the trust and loyalty of my clients and to be a guide to other lawyers. At each stage, the journey has been rocky, overcoming the challenge has built my confidence and given me a sense of satisfaction.”
Elizabeth has never felt held back by a glass ceiling. “Over the years, I have come to realise that we are often held back by our fears. If we want others to believe in us, we must start by believing in ourselves. I deliberately choose not to pay attention to statistics when setting goals for myself. The fact that others may have had a negative experience does not mean that I will suffer the same fate. I have so far not had a reason to complain.”
Fasken Martineau
Today, she is at Fasken Martineau, a leading international business law and litigation firm. The firm’s roots go back to the mid-1800s formed through the merger of three regional Canadian icons in 2000. Today, the firm has nine offices with more than 770 lawyers across Canada and in the UK, France and South Africa. There, she is now focused on assisting financial institutions and corporate institutions on structuring and documenting their financial transactions, including devising strategies for addressing their risk management issues.
“I am passionate about facilitating the growth of our infrastructure and agriculture, so I will be looking for opportunities to participate in those sectors.”
This passion is now overriding. “I have had the opportunity to apply my structured finance techniques in devising creative solutions to challenges faced in financing transactions on African deals and I hope to do more of that. I am particularly passionate about facilitating transactions in the infrastructure and agricultural sectors, as those sectors have the potential to transform African
