Celebrating Growth – Abduraghiem Henry

Our Celebrating Growth series is all about recognising the wide range of talent we have within Sigma Connected, and especially focusing on how they are progressing their careers with us.

With that in mind, next up in the feature is Cape Town-based, Abduraghiem Henry.

Based at our busy offices in Diep River, Abduraghiem joined us just over one year ago.

The 24-year-old became a team leader in our Customer Services department following a promotion in January 2023. Supporting our client Vanquis Bank Group, and associated campaigns, Abduraghiem has a team of 10 reporting directly to him as part of his new role.

Abduraghiem picks up his story.

“When I first joined Sigma Connected thirteen months ago I started off as an agent. This was essentially dealing with customer calls relating to credit card queries, helping them find the best possible products which would help boost their credit rating. It was a role which was all about giving the customer a personalised experience, whether that was on a proactive or reactive basis. I wanted people to know they were in safe hands and we were here to help support and guide them in an empathetic and friendly manner.”

“During my time as an agent, a position came up as a “floor walker”, supporting colleagues with any queries or issues they had, which I really enjoyed and did this whilst still working as an agent. It gave me extra responsibility and a chance to showcase my leadership and problem-solving skills. It was all about proving myself and setting myself apart, which would hopefully one day help towards moving into a leadership role.”

Abduraghiem’s next opportunity came in August 2022 when a position for a Customer Champion role was advertised. It was a job he secured and thrived in. It wasn’t too long after that he decided to apply for a team leader position but due to his lack of experience in collections he was initially unsuccessful. He did, however, take onboard the feedback and realised he needed to gain more experience along with bolstering his leadership skills.

He said: “Whilst it was a setback, I used the productive feedback to help push myself forward by taking on extra responsibilities and building my credentials further.”

“I also decided at the same time to take on additional independent studies to get myself ready for the position. The company were so accommodating and allowed me to take time off when I needed it and even move my shifts around so I could study. I also spent time talking to other team leaders to learn from them – they were so generous with their time, despite their busy schedules.”

“I was delighted to be selected, along with 23 other colleagues, to the Siggy School of Success, which is a programme designed to give ongoing opportunities to Sigma staff in South Africa who are looking to move into more senior roles.”

The programme, which is over an intense nine-weeks, covers a range of topics, including an introduction to leadership, managing emotions, moving from peer to leader, coaching and HR fundamentals. Each person is allocated a mentor who not only helps them during the course, but also acts as a central point of contact.

Abduraghiem’s hard work and dedication finally paid off when he was promoted into his current role, as a team leader working on our Vanquis Bank account.

He added: “To secure the team leader role was a big moment for me. But I want to continue that learning and develop further, and a big part of that comes from Sigma Connected’s culture.

“Sigma Connected is such a people-centric business and I really feel they want everyone to grow and succeed, which is something I want to be a part of.

“When you walk around our offices the Sigma values, such as “Always Adapting” and “Always Learning” are placed on many of the walls. It’s so easy for any business to say it lives by its values but honestly, here at Sigma Connected we really do. They hold themselves accountable to deliver on their values which is so refreshing as I have never worked in an organisation where values are so embraced. I love the culture, it’s like nowhere else.”

You can connect with Abduraghiem on LinkedIn.