Woman Crush Wednesday

Satisfashion UG’s Woman Crush Today Is Jacklene Arinda

By Isa King | July 27, 2022

Meet Jacklene Arinda, our Woman Crush This Wednesday. Jacklene has a bachelor’s degree in Social Work and Social Administration from Bishop Stuart University.

In 2019, Arinda was named as CEO of Smart 24 TV, the only 24/7 business Television in Uganda she was also a Chief Operations Officer and COO at Record TV Ug and now she is currently the Chief Executive Officer at Jada Coffee Uganda.

Jada Coffee is a fully registered company and regulated by UCDA which sells coffee beans and grind ready for drinking. The goal is to improve lives of Farmers.

Jada Coffee is purely online and focuses on selling Ugandan based roasted and brewed coffee directly sourced from local farmers in Masaka, Mbale and Kapchorwa so far. By supporting farmers, Ms. Arinda said, they can continue to prosper for the hard work that they do.

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A post shared by Jacklene Arinda (@jacklenearinda)

Satisfashion Ug was fortunate enough to sit down with Jacklene and talk all things business and what motivates her as a female CEO, below are some excerpts from the interview:

When asked about using fashion to her advantage as a young female CEO Jacklene said:

“Fashion is part and parcel of my life. Being a woman with lots of work on my desk every day, it is very possible to get carried away by the hustles and challenges of the job. I use fashion to soothe myself because clothes make me feel good. Often times, young women who are business executives are compelled to ‘look like their grandmothers’, because it is believed that if you are a follower of fashion trends, no one takes you seriously. I’m a rebel of this school of thought. I love colors, prints and camel coats. I however tend to wear lots of solid colors, these don’t shout a lot when I’m out in the field.”

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A post shared by Jacklene Arinda (@jacklenearinda)

What keeps you motivated?

When I see my team winning, that keeps me motivated. Every time I jump from one level to another, it motivates me too. People always say you don’t have to prove to anyone but when it comes to our kind of business, you have to fight to even get listened to.

You’re thriving in a male dominated space, how do you manage to stay on top of your game?

The world has created transparent space for women. You choose where you want to be and the kind of woman you want to be. It’s a bit challenging, but it’s so worth it and I enjoy every bit of it! Why? Because when I’m up here and do my job well, doors will be opened for other ambitious young women with exciting ideas. Secondly, my story is not unique. So many companies are putting young women in top management positions, it’s becoming easier because you identify with so many other women. We just need to earn our stripes.

My biggest motivation is knowing that I’m making the right decisions. If it means delivering as per set targets, I do it and even surpass them. There’s no room to complain because I’m a woman. In this male-dominated world, you have to fight. If men are walking, you just have to run

As a female CEO in a male dominated sector Jacklene continues to show that hard work and determination and resilience can yield fruitful results thus making her the perfect WCW this week.