Experienced company director. Management consultant. An authority on human resources. It's hard to know where to start when it comes to Iris Irumva. But if there's one thing that stands out, it's that she's a person full of energy, which she loves to share. Her belief, her motto, is that "all leaders are made. No leader is self-made".
An executive consultant with a wealth of experience in managing teams of over 1,000 people in East Africa, Irumva has distinguished itself as an authority on human resources, corporate governance, leadership and career development. With an incomparable sense of humor, as evidenced by her charming and infectious smile, Iris is a much-admired mentor to young people and women seeking to succeed in entrepreneurship. Her background explains it all.
Founder and CEO of Lead Access Ltd since 2021, she has carried out several missions in different countries across the continent. Her mission was to empower leaders at all levels through coaching and mentoring.
She also supported the launch of new entities in West and East Africa by recruiting teams and training in corporate culture. Prior to this, Iris was the Regional General Manager for Itm in Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, Burundi, etc.
In this role she was responsible for business development in the East African market. This responsibility also enabled her to recruit and manage a team of highly ambitious professionals in the region.
"We need to move away from traditional support and embrace technology”
Since arriving in Kigali in 2015, after leaving the UN because of the crisis that was shaking Burundi at the time, Iris has never stopped. For her, living means fighting. With her experience in human resources, she joined a group that works in 7 countries to support talented people. But fate forced her to go to Madagascar for a family reunion. But this change in no way affected her desire to help, to pass on, to coach... "I decided to specialize in personal coaching so that I could continue to help people wherever I was," she says.
And that's what led her to set up Lead Access, with the aim of creating a center for leaders and middle managers to support and help CEOs and others.
But one thing led her to a paradigm shift. After noticing that 98% of applications were from women, she says she realized that women were "afraid to grow, to develop, to take on a leadership role. I've realized that we need to move away from traditional coaching and embrace technology.” A big challenge. The reason, she says, is that although there are 2,700 certified coaches in Africa, the lack of access to digital infrastructure means that coaches and coachees cannot be connected. That's why she decided to build a solution to help business leaders find the right people to coach their teams.
Today, Iris is so effective that several multinational companies trust her to coach their employees.
Iris' rules
An outspoken campaigner for women's issues, Iris is no less an advisor. She loves to share her experience and knowledge with women. For her, there are basic rules that women must follow in order to shine. In her eyes, they are designed to help young women become the best versions of themselves and thrive in their careers and lives. "The first rule is to make a commitment. Young women need to make a commitment to themselves to play big and pursue their dreams," she says. The second rule urges women to "visualize what you want, plan it before you do it". The third rule calls for calmness. "Breathe in, breathe out". The fourth rule is to develop a thicker skin and demand the respect you deserve. As for the fifth rule, "it recommends being an arrogant idiot. That means being more like people who aren't afraid to ask when they want, how they want. There are people who aren't afraid to say what they think, even if what they say isn't right.
The sixth rule is a call to humility. "Don't expect to be congratulated at the beginning," she says. The seventh calls for confidence. The next step is to filter advice, recover and restore, and let other women know how brilliant they are. If she has one belief, it's that "women can break down barriers, shatter stereotypes and reach their full potential by playing big".
It is an experience and expertise she shares in her book “Lead your Way Up.”