Betty Enyonam Kumahor: The power of perseverance and hard work as an IT woman

About Her:

Betty Enyonam Kumahor is Ghanaian. She is an information technology strategist, management consultant and entrepreneur who grew up with computers around her. Betty has an older brother who introduced her to C programming. By the age of 12, she had basic programming skills. She finished from Ghana International School in 1994 and proceeded for a BSc in Chemistry from the University of Virginia in 1997. She graduated with MSc in Medical Informatics from the Medical College of Wisconsin in 1999. In 2008, she graduated with M.A in Accounting and Financial Management from the Keller Graduate School of Management in the United States of America.

Her work:

Betty's work history is as impressive as it is also inspiring. We've had to do some deep digging but we fear we might not have covered the brilliance that this lady is!

•    Between 1997- 1998, she was an Informatics Consultant at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Clinical Informatics, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. While at the Medical College, she interfaced Decision Support System (DSS) with Unified Medical Language System (UMLS); a web-based medical terminology system and refined knowledge base design. She also conducted human–computer interaction and user-acceptance testing.

•  From 1998-1999, she worked as Associate Consultant at the Computer Sciences Corporation in Wisconsin. Part of her responsibility was supporting projects that included data modelling, issue resolution, change & communications managing as well as project training/user acceptance testing.

She also worked as facilitator between technical and business analyst teams on a $2million plus data migration project. The project was much on the migration of an International Business Machines (IBM) mainframe Health Management System Application to ORACLE/UNIX- based CSC Application for Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Wisconsin. She also designed a system to track and effectively manage IT assets of over 250 personnel.

•  Between 1999–2000, she was a Consultant at Zawadi Enterprises in Atlanta Georgia. She developed a Visual Basic (VB)/Crystal Reports Application to efficiently track and monitor HIV/AIDS projects of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). She also facilitated database systems upgrade to SQL Server 7.0.
•  Still in Atlanta, Georgia, Betty was a Financial Systems Analyst II at WorldCom; an American telecommunication firm. She initiated and developed an Access database to process unique Business Markets revenue streams, grossing more than $200 million monthly revenue for commissioning systems.
• Between 2000-2006, she was Senior Systems Analyst at Ernst & Young. She gathered, modelled and communicated project scope and system requirements for tax and Global AABS applications inAmerica.
• While at Ernst & Young, she also attained the position of Global Advisory Service Delivery Technology Leader between 2006 -2009. She initiated and maintained relationships with prime stakeholders to become their primary business services and consultants. She effectively coordinated and managed technology programs for the Advisory Services Practice by working with leadership, sub-service lines, vendors and Global Information Technology.

• She was the Executive Director of Ernst & Young, West Africa from 2009 to 2012. She was responsible for advising clients in both the public and private sector, administering businesses of the firm and managing engagement teams.
• In August 2010, she co-founded Ghana Women in Information Technology (GWIIT), which creates avenues for women in Ghana's IT sector to network, share professional insights, strategies and mentor other budding ICT professionals.

• She was on the team that selected participants in Global NexGen 2010; Ernst & Young’s first global partnership pipeline program. She was also Project director of design future Go-To-Market enablement strategy for Ernst & Young’s firms in America.
• Since January 2012 till date, she has been Board Member of various non-profits, civil liberty organizations and tech related start-ups. Some include TipHub, Tech in Braam, Wired Women, COFA foundation, Right to Dream and Women of West Africa

• Between September 2012-November 2014, she worked as Managing Director of ThoughtWorks Africa.   ThoughtWorks Africa is an organization whose mission is to revolutionize software design, delivery and advocate for positive social impact in Africa. During her time here, ThoughtWorks was nominated best African Company 2013 by African Business Magazine & National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations ( NASDAQ).

• In November 2011, she became Board Chairperson of Women 2.1 Summit; an award winning international summit created to empower women and girls in Africa. This will help to provide platforms for innovating the future with transformational leadership, improve Africa and the entire globe. Betty currently acts as an Ambassador of Woman 2.1 where she is also an Adviser to the CEO on ensuring the achievement organizational goals.
•  In January 2015, she became the CEO of ExplainerDC Ghana; a web development firm. Her responsibilities include administration, overseeing fiscal activities of the firm like budgeting, reporting, auditing and acting as spokesperson of the firm.

• She has been a Managing Partner at Cobalt Partners since November 2014; an organization which she founded alongside five founding partners. The Cobalt Partners is an Advisory firm focused on the growth agenda of African businesses. Betty acts as value leader for the firm and oversee business expansion, merger and acquisition opportunities.

• From March 2015 till date, she has been working as a Young Global Leader of World Economic Forum. The World Economic Forum is an independent organization driven by the passion to shape the globe by engaging leaders and influencers across the world.

Why TechHer Loves Her:

Betty Enyonam is a ‘strategic doer’. Her profile makes us want to jump up and be better! Here's something she said we want to share: “Technology is an exciting world and I am sure you know this otherwise you wouldn’t be in it or consider it. The good news is that being motivated to be in the IT field or to be a tech entrepreneur is the main ingredient you need. Everything else is perseverance and hard work – you can always find a way. I have seen such inspirational stories of students who started a company so they could earn some income for Internet access to study how to code. These are students who were denied admission to IT-training schools and so started their own. So ladies, keep at it. Those who came before us have done it and there is no reason you can’t too. Seek out resources to help and keep the desire going. It will get you farther than you ever imagined. It certainly did for me. See you out there!’’

Information gleaned from the Internet.