This Uber leader is building community and driving positive social impact across SSA
December 14, 2023 / GlobalMarjorie Saint-Lot joined Uber in 2019 to support our launch in Cote d’Ivoire as a Country and General Manager, but after 2 years, her scope was expanded to the West Africa region. “Uber has been a leading force in transforming the way people move in many of the cities across Africa… It’s been really empowering to be able to tie my values and my work together.”
Tell us about yourself.
“I am a creator at heart and I love building from scratch. Over my career, and particularly, in the last 10 years, I have specialized myself in building, creating and adapting new business models. It’s been an amazing 17 years journey of discovering myself, my strength, and I am able to spread my creative wings at Uber.
I started my career in financial services as a trader, but early on in my career, I shifted to internal audit, controls and governance. I entered the tech and digital sector in Haiti in 2007 and decided to focus on leveraging tech to enable development and have impact. Finally, 10 years ago, I made the decision to shift my career in innovation by leveraging market intelligence and business modeling. I also decided to move back to Ivory Coast, where I was born, after living and working abroad in Canada, the US, Caribbean, Europe & Indian Ocean, for my whole life.
Outside of work, I am a mother of 4, a son and 3 daughters. I love traveling and discovering new cultures and foods. I consider myself as a citizen of the world and an activist for diversity and inclusion.”
Tell us about your role at Uber.
“I joined Uber in November 2019 to support the launch of Cote d’Ivoire as a Country and General Manager. After 2 years, my scope was expanded to cover both Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, forming the West Africa region. My role is to define the strategy and operations in the region, drive the execution on the grounds as well as represent our brand with local stakeholders. In addition, I am glad to serve the Uber community as SSA Women at Uber Co-chair as well as lead the Women driver program in MEA.”
What specific goals or objectives does your team have for making a positive impact on the local community, and how does Uber empower you in the process of achieving those goals?
“Uber has been a leading force in transforming the way people move in many of the cities across Africa. I am proud to work for an organization whose key purpose is to not only provide convenient and affordable mobility for all, but also particularly in SSA, to positively impact the communities, both in terms of providing them with access to transport and empowering them economically. We have the capability to harness this insight to help cities achieve their strategic goals.
As a leader at Uber, I have been empowered to create and build specific initiatives including deploying specific products that help to improve gender inclusivity both within the company, on the platform and in the community I serve. It’s been really empowering to be able to tie my values and my work together.”
How does Uber support diversity and female leadership, and can you provide some examples of initiatives or projects that demonstrate this?
“I had the opportunity to support the creation of #Gigsister, a supportive network and community of women that operate on the platform, who understand the unique challenges and experiences faced by women in the gig economy. Through networking and training opportunities, women driver and couriers can connect with others in their region, gain valuable insights, and build relationships that can further enhance their growth. In addition, we have recently launched women rider preferred across multiple markets in EMEA, and I led the launch in the SSA markets.
To serve our internal Women at Uber community, we launched a specific IamRemarkable training powered by Google, invited multiple inspiring leaders to share with our colleagues, and launched a coaches corner in our region. Women at Uber, more broadly, offers skill-building workshops, professional development programs, and mentorship as well as networking opportunities. By joining Women at Uber, you can become part of a collective voice advocating for gender equality, inclusivity, and fair treatment. Through various types of initiatives, you have the opportunity to contribute to creating a more diverse and inclusive work environment for all employees.
I am also very proud of how we can extend what we do internally to serve the communities we live in. I was able to organize a women in tech event that gathered the top 100 women in tech in Ghana as an example to share insights on the intersection of Culture and Technology, as it relates to equity in the African economic landscape.”
Looking to the future, how do you plan to sustain and expand your impact in the local community, and what are your priorities for future initiatives and partnerships?
“I believe when it comes to diversity and inclusion we ought and should seize the responsibility to lead the conversation to further equity in tech and in our communities. I will continue to emulate and raise my hand to take part in these conversations and initiatives in Africa and beyond.
In the future, we will focus on highlighting the talents that exist amongst women in Africa and in tech, and how the gig economy can be an enabler for many women. I am keen to partner with the other tech companies that are operating in the region and for which diversity is a strategic pillar.”
Why join Uber today?
“It’s amazing to work for a company where you can just be you. Bring your creativity and passion to build the future of mobility. If you want to have more impact, leverage on the opportunity to join one of our 12 ERGs, like I joined Women at Uber.
Posted by Uber
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