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Value your worth and negotiate- Kwesiga

Brian Mushana Kwesiga

What you need to know:

  • Brian Mushana Kwesiga is an aviation and aerospace professional with more than 15 years experience in software development, flight testing, systems engineering, and programme management. Kwesiga is also a 2024/25 Africa Policy Accelerator fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies pursuing a master’s in Global Business Administration from Tufts University

How do your friends describe you?

Traditional, tenacious, passionate, driven, loyal, honest and decisive. Other times they say I am kind, thoughtful, daring and stubborn. To quote one, “You are a good person, good with people and yet there is a part of you that you keep safely tucked away.”


How have you gotten to where you are today?

My journey has been deeply shaped by my family’s values of service, honesty and discipline imparted on me from a relatively young age. My parents believed in the transformative power of education and service.

One day at school, a teacher had served us a corporal punishment, I must have been around five years, and I remember telling my mother that I hated school, and I wanted to stop going. 

I can still see her crestfallen face before she calmly told me that if I quit school, I would become a vagabond. She proceeded to tell me that there used to be a woman who was not educated, and her husband who worked far away would write her letters and send her money, and that this woman’s educated friend and neighbour would read the letters but not give her the money. 

It stuck with me. I moved to the US at 15, driven by the same principles of dedication and a desire to excel. I have also been shaped by my extended family members, mentors, my faith, and my belief in hard work.


What is your average day at work like?

It involves balancing technical and leadership responsibilities - managing budgets, programme schedules, and technical risks while leading cross-functional teams. My role also requires a lot of problem-solving and close collaboration with engineers, suppliers, and programme stakeholders.


Why is your job important to you?

My role enables me to drive innovation and contribute to a safer world through responsible engineering. Knowing that the projects I work on, say helping design an aircraft that will move millions of lives over the course of service life is immensely rewarding.


What has it taken for you to succeed at your job?

A combination of hard work, technical skill, adaptability, and a commitment to lifelong learning. The ability to lead with resilience and determination has helped me achieve goals larger than myself. Above everything else, I give God all the glory.

When has mentorship proved relevant to your career path?

Throughout my journey. It has shaped my confidence and career. I am grateful to the mentors who guided me, shared their knowledge, and encouraged me to push beyond limitations.

Today, I strive to offer similar guidance to emerging professionals, especially those from the diaspora. When I flew to Maryland from Texas for a job interview, the hiring manager after the interview said to me, “Brian, Maryland is relatively more expensive than Texas, so whatever offer that Human Resources gives you, please counteroffer”. 

So, when HR gave me the first offer, I counter offered, and they increased the offer. I still counter offered, and they came back with a new counteroffer, and I think they were kind of pissed, and said it was their final and best offer.

This was helpful advice from the manager because it gave me the confidence to know that I can negotiate my salary with the job offer while still being safe because I was the candidate that they wanted. 


How has your career benefitted those in your professional space?

I have recommended several African diaspora friends to the companies that I have had the opportunity to work for, as well as helped younger professionals with working on their resumes and interviewing skills, and it has been gratifying to see them succeed. As UNAA President, my contributions included starting the Professional Interest Networks.


Which stage in your career has been most rewarding?

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others”. This quote has been true for me because the stage of my career that has been most rewarding was when I have been away from my professional career, and out in the community serving, and it was rewarding because of what was accomplished despite the obstacles and challenges faced along the way.

As the first native Ugandan to serve as General Manager of the Uganda Lacrosse Men’s National Team in 2023, I helped spearhead the fundraising efforts that raised $160,000 in just four months, enabling Uganda to be the sole African nation represented at the World Lacrosse Championships in San Diego, California.

Leading the Ugandan North American Association (UNAA) as its youngest president and CEO was a deeply rewarding experience as well.


How have you handled your biggest career setback?

During setbacks, I turn to my faith and values, seeing each challenge as an opportunity to grow. My mantra has always been that I am not a prisoner to my past, but its diligent student, and that every challenge is a step towards resilience.

My favourite scripture in these times is Ecclesiastes 3; there is a time and season for everything under the sun. The wisdom that you prayed to God for, the challenges you face is his way of transmitting that wisdom to you.


In what way have you lived up to your career mantra?

Not being a prisoner to my past by exhibiting sheer resilience and tenacity - from losing my parents at a young age, to navigating life in a new country, and seizing the opportunities that have presented themselves while exhibiting integrity and having impact.

What keeps you awake at this point in your career?

My late grandfather’s words about returning home to serve Uganda stay with me, reminding me of my purpose and the importance of giving back. In January 2022, while visiting Uganda, I travelled upcountry to see my grandfather, Yeremia Buhe. 

He was not feeling well, and I had not been in Uganda for six years. He was about 101 years old, but still very alert. We had a long conversation. On Friday, January 7, 2022, the day my original flight was scheduled, Mzee Buhe passed away at 102 years at his home surrounded by his family.

His last words about giving back to my country of birth keep me awake at night, as I try to figure out the next steps in my career.

Who or what fills your cup of professional aspiration?

The achievements of my parents, grandparents, and mentors. In the words of Sir Isaac Newton, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants”

Each of them modelled resilience, incredible courage, and service -qualities that guided my career and inspired me to achieve not just for myself but for those whose paths I can help pave.

What is on your to-do list, and why?

Top is contributing to African development through policy, innovation, and impactful ventures and especially, how we can mobilise the African diaspora to play a more prominent role in Africa’s development by passing national diaspora policies. In a way, my grandfather’s words keep me awake.