According to a study dubbed McKinsey’s Women in the Workplace, women make up 48% of entry-level employees, but only 38% of managers, 34% of senior managers or directors, 29% of VPs, 23% of SVPs, and just 22% of C-suite executives.
In Kenya, women have risen in ranks to lead some of the biggest industry companies in different sectors. In this list we have identifies 11 women who have torn down gender bias in the workplace by taking up SHE-EO (CEO), founders, head officers, and managerial seats in some of the continent’s leading organizations.
1. Pauline Masese – Group PR Associate and PR Kenya at Jumia Group
Named among the Top 25 Women in Digital, Pauline has made major strides in the marketing sector with giant e-commerce store Jumia as Group PR Associate and PR Kenya at Jumia Group since March 2020. She was previously the PR and Communications Manager at Jumia Kenya. She is a young female corporate dignitary, setting her mark by overseeing a PR associates team spanning 12 African countries.
Prior to joining Jumia, she was in senior positions as the PR manager at MIH Internet Africa and Senior Account Manager at Nuturn Ltd.
2. Kendi Ntwiga – Country Manager, Microsoft
Kendi is responsible for delivering the organization’s mission in Kenya and supporting the wider East Africa operations at Microsoft. Kendi has demonstrated her expertise in the tech realm as a woman in the corporate world.
3. Carolyne Kendi – Head Of Brand Marketing, Safaricom PLC
Carolyne’s 13 plus years of experience in multiple African Markets representing key industry players such as Unilever and East African Breweries Limited (EABL) landed her a position as Head Of Brand Marketing at Kenya’s largest Telco Safaricom PLC in 2018. She is an expert in Marketing Strategy Development & Implementation, Communication mix development, Social marketing, Brand & Product Management.
4. Gloria Michelle Otieno – Founder, Recours Four Kenya
Gloria is the founder of Recours Four Kenya, a human resource consultancy firm. Over 10 years experience in the sector has armed Gloria with HR Consultancy, Talent Acquisition, Workplace Diversity, and Corporate Governance expertise.
She earned the Business Excellence Award Certificate from the World Confederation of Business in the USA and was mentioned in Forbes Africa among Top 30 Entrepreneurs under 35 to look out for in Africa.
5. Phylis Wakiaga – CEO, Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM)
In 2007, she began her career at Kenya Airways (KQ) as a Customer Relations Executive, a position she held for three years. She was then appointed coordinator of government and industry affairs at KQ. Later, she became the manager of the Government and Industry Affairs Division at the airline.
In 2013, she left KQ and joined the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) as the head of policy in charge of research and advocacy. In 2015, she was appointed as Chief Executive Officer at KAM.
6. Jennifer Riria – CEO, Kenyan Women Holding Group
Jennifer is the champion leader of women as the CEO of Kenya Women Holding Group. Kenya’s largest micro-finance provider works with over 900,00 women, as well as many leading civil rights organizations. She has served on the boards of Kenyan and international organizations, including at the Nairobi Stock Exchange (NSE), being the first female to serve in that capacity.
7. Flora Mutahi – Founder, CEO Melvins Tea
Flora Mutahi is the founder of Melvin Marsh International, the brand under which she launched Kenya’s first flavoured tea. Founded on a passion for the finest tea, Flora Mutahi has focused primarily on building a world-class company with several strong Melvin’s brands.
8. Jane Karuku – Group Managing Director and CEO, East African Breweries Limited
From the managing director’s role at Kenya Breweries Limited (EABL) since 2015, Jane took over as CEO at East African Breweries Limited (EABL) in December 2020. However, Jane was no stranger to EABL, having been a board member since 2013.
9. Rita Kavashe – CEO, Isuzu Motors East Africa Limited
Rita is the Managing director and CEO of the largest automotive assembler in East Africa, Isuzu Motors East Africa Limited. She oversees the business operations of Isuzu Motors since 2017. She previously held the title of Managing Director and Sub-Saharan Africa Export Director in South Africa.
She is currently the Chairperson of the Kenya Roads Board and the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA). She serves as a Member of the Kenya Vision 2030 Delivery Board and Bamburi Cement, a listed firm on the Nairobi Securities Exchange.
10. Agnes Gathaiya – Country Director East Africa, Google
Agnes is a business transformation leader with over 24 years of experience in commercial leadership. She was appointed Country Director East Africa at Google in August 2020. Agnes bears previous professional experience from Safaricom as the Head of Enterprise sales SME, Channel and Regional Operations and General Manager at Chase Bank Limited.
At Google, She is responsible for managing regional Google operations, developing and executing growth and innovation, and building and managing strategic partnerships.
11. Carole Karuga – CEO, Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA)
Carole is a member of several professional bodies and boards such as the Growth-Oriented Women Enterprises Kenya Program (GOWE) and Harvard University Center for African Studies, Africa Advisory Board, USA.
She was announced as one of the Top 100 Women CEOs in Africa, by Reset Global People in 2019 and Global Female Leadership Impact Award and Induction into the Global Women Leaders Hall of Fame (GWLHOF).
