Yao Koumagnanou is the Mali office’s Human Resources Coordinator. In July 2019, the husband and father of 2 joined myAgro. Yao’s role as an HR Coordinator is critical to the implementation of all human resource activities. He is in charge of personnel administration, supervision, evaluation, and recruitment.
Yao began as a call center supervisor, motivated by the fact that the call center was newly established. He was critical in the implementation and management of myAgro’s call center.
“In July 2019, myAgro was looking for someone to bring support to its call center here in Mali. Everything had to be redone because this call center was in its early days,” he affirmed. “Given my experience in HR management and having proven myself in a company with a call center, I immediately saw myself as the ideal person to give the call center visibility and importance. “I worked on the call center’s organization, projects on which we could intervene, and the monitoring dashboard to replace the manual system,” he explained.
Yao’s English language skills have improved since joining: “I’ve been fortunate to have managers who have supported and encouraged me in my efforts to improve my English.” “I’ve grown accustomed to learning from all employees, and I’m now pleased to be able to express myself, share my opinions, and read documents with ease.”
He draws his inspiration both internally and from the desire to make an impact on farmers.
“First and foremost, my inspiration is intrinsic, and it is linked to the fact that I demand from myself the duty to be useful to others,” he explained. “It is a burning force within me that drives me to give my best copy.” He added: “Beyond that, serving myAgro’s staff so that we can collectively impact thousands of people in rural areas is the best way for me to make myself more useful.”
He always tells his coworkers that the best reward for a job well done is psychological in nature. “The best reward we get from our work is psychological and the satisfaction we have with our results,” Yao declared. “To achieve our goals, we must first accept that we are doing it for ourselves and that the results we obtain are an identity trait of who we are.”
Yao’s ambition is to build a successful career at myAgro that will enable the organization to make a significant impact.
“In 2019, when I was interviewed for the Call Center, I was asked this question: Where do you see yourself in 5 years with myAgro? My response was that in 2 years I would be an HR Coordinator, and in 5 years I would be a Manager or Associate. With the first goal accomplished, I am now focusing on advancing to a position that will allow me to solve larger-scale problems,” he concluded.
