Christelle Mombo-Zigah, a global leader impacting and transforming businesses globally, was born and raised in France to Congolese parents from Congo DRC. Christelle is a change-agent and trend-setter, and one with an exceptionally impressive educational background. Having graduated from La Sorbonne University with her masters in international business, she recently graduated from Stanford Graduate School of Business through the lead executive MBA program. Christelle is very passionate about impacting the younger generation, and strives to achieve this by exuding excellence and ambition in her work.
She reveals how being limited and discriminated against in France led to her immigrating to the U.S 12 years ago for career advancement. Christelle speaks on the importance of understanding the languages of others as an important way of connecting with them on a personal and professional level. She speaks about 5 languages, three fluently – French, Spanish, and English, and two (Portuguese and Arabic) not as fluently. Being a mom of two kids under five, she relates to the demanding complexities of juggling between marriage, motherhood, and career.
Nonetheless, she encourages others to believe in themselves, and in the possibility of their dreams. Being an immigrant woman, Christelle seeks to advance herself in ways that provide her with the necessary tools to function in her role effectively as an ambidextrous leader within her workspace. She shares how the “ambidextrous leader” came about, and how she was forced to learn to write with her right hand after her parents discovered she was left-handed in the 80s. Thus, her ambidexterity can be traced to her early childhood, and this also influences how she views life.
Moreover, Christelle also emphasizes the importance of looking back on history to gain insights of the future. As a futurist, she believes in staying the course on the journey towards transformation since this guarantees one’s success in navigating through the changing tides of time. History, as Christelle believes, helps us view life through the eyes of those before us, and those who have gone ahead of us. However, for history to be understood correctly and wholistically, it should be viewed through the lenses of both the conquerors and the nations of those conquered. Christelle speaks proudly on the rich heritage of Congo DRC, and of her people’s creativity and resilience in the face of opposition and challenges.
Lastly, Christelle invites others to engage in conversations with her as her purpose is to “inspire the next generation leaders and give a voice to the voiceless”.
Connect with Christelle : LinkedIn