00:00I think all of us, we joined organically and we all got the privilege to grow.
00:07It was never, it has never been a right for any of us.
00:10How do you convince those who don't know you that you are where you are meant to be?
00:18Well, our work is speaking for itself.
00:20And I think for the ones that we work with, we have proven ourselves.
00:25They all see and feel our impact.
00:28But it's not just us having these rules as hand out.
00:33We earned it.
00:34And we're working very hard to make sure we don't drop the ball.
00:39We all do different things, but we complement each other.
00:42I would say Maria and Fatima, they do more of operations, day-to-day operations.
00:48While I'm transitioning from operations to global strategy, Fatima is in charge of the commercial aspect of energy,
00:57the refinery, fertilizer, and waip, while Maria is in charge of all the consumer products and cement.
01:04So I think we complement each other.
01:06There are times where we do have committees where we sit together and discuss a lot of strategy and share
01:14our experiences.
01:15Since we're just three, right, we can stretch thin, but we all have distinct, you know, but for somehow, somehow
01:23we, and we do complement each other, which is good.
01:26We do learn from each other.
01:27And in February, we all saw that it was announced your roles were expanding.
01:31And specifically, the quote was, your roles will empower a new generation to shape the group's future.
01:39What's happened between then and now?
01:41Has there been anything materially different?
01:44Not really, I would say.
01:46These are roles that we've been in for a while.
01:51I think the announcement came a bit late.
01:54But we've been working on that, on those roles for some time now, really.
02:01Nothing has changed between now and then.
02:03For us, this is our business.
02:07We're just trying to make sure we continue with the legacy that our father has left.
02:13We're trying to make sure that we build a sustainable business that is going to last through generations to come.
02:20What don't people know about your family?
02:24I mean, Dengote, the name is invoked in songs, in pop culture.
02:29Is there a misconception out there that maybe still irks you today?
02:34We're not spoiled.
02:36Can you explain that?
02:39Anytime we meet with our co-peers, like the kids of our dad's kids, or friends, or people that we're
02:48supposed to,
02:49we don't, we, I mean, everyone has his own job.
02:53We are more, we're quiet, in the sense that we don't, we don't say who we are.
03:00It's, I don't know if it's fortunate or unfortunate.
03:03Now people recognize us, but it was easier when we're not recognized.
03:07You know, our results speak for itself.
03:12I mean, some people are really comfortable with the social media, with being known, with being expressive.
03:19I don't think we are, all three of us, we're not expressive of what we have, what we own, or
03:25what we're doing.
03:26I mean, I think, like Fatima and Maya said, the results are just the ones speaking for itself.
03:31The sale of this business, the profit of this, the EBITDA, our growth, us growing to $100 billion.
03:39We are all in those key positions.
03:43And, I mean, numbers don't lie.
03:46So that's what I meant.
03:47As you step into your roles that you've been in now for quite some time, do you ever feel pressure
03:53to prove yourself, so to speak, to people?
03:57Especially, I mean, I'd be remiss to not say, I'm looking at three women.
04:01I mean, what, have there been challenges that come with that?
04:04I would say a lot of challenges.
04:07First, being that we are daughters.
04:10So the first thing anybody would think is because it's a right, and it's never a right, is a privilege.
04:16I think three key things play in our roles.
04:20We are young Muslim women.
04:22We are from the north, which is not the norm to work all the time.
04:27And we look younger.
04:30I think, according to people, we look younger than our ages.
04:33So we have to prove our age, our worth.
04:37You know, people would think, oh, because we're daughters, we don't need to.
04:40We actually, that's when you actually need to prove yourself.
04:42I think I'm right, like three, four times prove ourselves.
04:46In what way?
04:47In every way we have to, in being able to, in terms.
04:52In terms of the capability, because like Halima said, people think this are handout rules, but actually not.
05:02Because we had to prove ourselves, and we're still proving ourselves to our father.
05:06To your father?
05:07To our father, yes.
05:08Because he's somebody that expects excellence in everything that you do.
05:14So for him, he expects the best or nothing.
05:18So yes, we have to prove ourselves extra hard to him, and to also prove to others.
05:24And like Halima said, being a woman, we all know how things are, right?
05:28Yes, for us, we're driving inclusion of women within the organization, being girls.
05:35But at the same time, it's something that we can't share away from.
05:40It's something that women are still trying to prove themselves at work.
05:43So apart from the gender effect, there's also being the daughters of the owner effect.
05:51So you have to prove yourself a lot more.
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