Halima Dangote, Group Executive Director at Dangote Family Office and International Offices, has explained why she and her sisters, Mariya and Fatima, have maintained a low-key lifestyle despite growing up in one of Nigeria’s wealthiest families.
Speaking during a Bloomberg Next Africa interview with her sisters, Halima said the trio deliberately avoided drawing attention to their family background, possessions or privileged upbringing, preferring to let their professional achievements speak for them, reports Arise TV.
She said the sisters were particularly reserved when interacting with the children of their father’s friends, many of whom were also pursuing their own careers.
“Anytime we meet with our co-peers, like the kids of our dad’s friends…I mean everyone has his own job… we’re quiet in the sense that we don’t say who we are,” she said.
According to Halima, maintaining a private profile was easier before the sisters became widely recognised.
“I don’t know if it’s fortunate or unfortunate now people recognise us, but it was easier when we’re not recognised, you know, our results speak for itself,” she said.
She contrasted their approach with people who are more comfortable with social media and public attention, saying the three sisters had never been particularly expressive about their wealth, possessions or activities.
“Some people are really comfortable with the social media, with being known, with being expressive,” Halima said.
“I don’t think we are, all three of us were not expressive of what we have, what we own, what we’re doing.”
Halima said the sisters instead judged their contribution by the performance and growth of the businesses they oversee.
She cited business sales, profits, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA), as well as overall growth, as the indicators that mattered to them.
“The sale of this business, the profit of this, the EBITDA, our growth, us growing 200 billion dollars, we are all in those key positions and I mean numbers don’t lie,” she said.
Halima, Mariya and Fatima currently occupy senior positions within the wider Dangote business group, with their responsibilities covering different areas of the family’s business interests.
The sisters have also discussed the expectations associated with working in a family-owned business and the importance of establishing themselves through their individual responsibilities and professional performance.
Their Bloomberg interview focused on their careers, public profiles and the future of the family business.
