Who are you?
I am indeed a trained lawyer. I have been practicing for 15 years already in legal and fiscal matters, I am what we can call in short a tax lawyer.
What is your background?
I was trained mainly in France, where I passed my bar exam to become a lawyer. I started practicing in France, then I arrived in the DRC five years ago.
What made you decide to leave France for the DRC?
The desire to return to Africa, to be able to serve the country indirectly, even if we are in the private sector, to grow my children here and the living environment in Lubumbashi is rather formidable.
It is this peace of mind that mainly pushed me to return here. Could you tell us about PWC?
PWC is what is known as the «BIG 4», i.e. a consulting, insurance, auditing and also legal and tax firm. We are present in 150 countries. My role in Lubumbashi is really that of a leader in legal and tax activities.
Our mission is really to help all companies, private or public, to pay the right tax, to help them understand the tax texts, how to interpret them, apply them, also to assist them in fulfilling their reporting obligations correctly by writing memos to explain the law.
This is mainly my role here.
Do you have an anecdote related to your job?
There are many. In fact, I would say that beyond an anecdote, one thing that has marked me is our satisfaction when we manage to assist a client in the best way possible, that is to say, to guide him well in order to allow him to pay his taxes properly.
Finally, to contribute indirectly to the development of the country and its economic progress. You have been with PWC for five years.
How has the inclusion of women in leadership positions evolved in your sector?
PWC has always been at the forefront of the position of women. There is training within the company. The issue of inclusion is not just a women’s issue, it’s an issue for everyone.
So it’s about emphasizing that men have to help us to finally promote this inclusion, to enable us to get this equality.
What can be improved in the next five years so that we no longer have to worry about inclusion, so that everyone has a place?
It is up to women to understand that everything is possible for them. In the next ten, fifteen years, I hope that the girl will be a leader in her field of activity.
We must educate her by showing her that there is no difference between her and the young boy. I think that when you believe that everything is possible, you succeed.
Your last word.
This is an opportunity for me to be highlighted, but I am just a small link in a big chain. I would like to say to all women that everything is possible if you believe in it, if you work for it.
Interview by Iragi Elisha for M&B – January 2023
