BYP: Tell us about your personal and professional background.

Siamevi: I am originally from Togo, and I grew up across several African countries, including Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Benin, Ghana, etc. I lived in Paris, France, for 15 years before moving to the UK in 2016. I have a Financial controller background, and I changed my career after my first four years of employment to become a transfer pricing specialist, having discovered and enjoyed this field. I worked for seven years in-house, mainly in a French banking group, and have been a consultant for over seven years. I am now a Director at KPMG, advising multinational groups within the Financial Services. I am passionate about promoting an equitable culture in the workplace and society for ethnic minorities.

BYP: What has been your favourite country to work in and why?

Siamevi: I did enjoy my time in Paris, especially since it was the inception of my career, but my favourite country to work in is the UK. From a professional culture perspective in the UK, I had more opportunities and a quicker career progression here than I experienced in France.

BYP: Can you share significant milestones in your career?

Siamevi: One has been taking a leap of faith to change my career path at an early stage in my career. I started as a financial controller, and three years in, I became a transfer pricing adviser. It was through internal mobility, so it wasn't difficult to get, but training myself on a new topic effectively was challenging. The second one would be moving to the UK. It's a significant cultural change. And finally, becoming a director.

BYP: With everything you've accomplished, how do you process them and set new goals?

Siamevi: The first thing I do is thank God. I also share it with my family because we are very close-knit and support each other. I take myself to the spa. I am often mistaken as an extrovert, but I am an introvert, so I like to celebrate myself, reflect, and replenish my energy in my quiet space.

BYP: Can you elaborate on why having Black role models is essential and share insights on some that have impacted your career?

Siamevi: Having Black role models is undeniably significantly impactful in how it inspires people. Beyond the visibility, it's also about the influence that Black role models can have, especially in leadership. Because if you sit at the decision-making table as a Black leader, your decisions will impact other Black colleagues.

I've always had role models in my family, especially women. I had life role models. From a career perspective, that was a different ball game. I did have one mentor - an Asian lady who was my first manager and who talked me into taking my first leap of faith, and it's someone who saw in me something at an early age that I didn't see. But I never had a mentor who looked like me. That's why I take it upon myself to be that for other people, because I know what it is like never to have someone who entirely looks like you at the top.

BYP: Do you have any actions or side hustles that you do to help change the Black narrative?

Siamevi: I think changing the Black narrative doesn't only fall on Black people. Everyone should be involved. It's unfair for any minority to be tasked with single-handedly fixing the discrimination they face. That being said, I have a considerable part to play in being the change I want to see. At KPMG, we have the Black Lives Action Plan, which includes initiatives around educating our people on issues facing Black colleagues, and how they can support and change the culture, mentoring, and allyship.

If you want to learn more about KPMG, Siamevi, and more about their diverse team, head over to their employee profile or kpmgcareers.co.uk.