Howard has more than 25 years of experience in communications and joins Ogilvy Africa from Edelman UK, one of the most successful offices of the world’s largest PR firm. At Edelman, he’s held various leadership roles in strategy and business development.

“We are excited to have Howard joining as Managing Partner in Kenya.  I look forward to working with him across the EMEA region to continue growing our PR and Influence business in Sub-Saharan Africa.  I know that his appointment will help to bolster our strategic capability and our overall value to our clients.” Says Joanna Oosthuizen, CEO of PR&I for Ogilvy EMEA.

“World-class talent is a primary ingredient in creating a world-class service. Modern-day PR needs skill sets beyond ‘whom you know’ and more of, ‘what you know’. Howard brings with him the right pedigree and experience to help our clients in Kenya, and the region, to experience a world-class PR&I offering from Ogilvy Africa. We are delighted to have him on board and I look forward to working with him to rapidly evolve our PR&I practice in the region”, says Vikas Mehta, CEO. Ogilvy Africa.

This appointment is part of Ogilvy Africa’s strategic investments to strengthen its leadership position on the continent. Ogilvy Africa’s PR&I offering is widely regarded as one of the best in the region, where the Kenya office serves as its hub for East Africa.

After working in diverse roles at Diageo, General Electric and the top communications agencies, Howard has won accolades at Cannes and other notable global award shows.

“This is such an exciting time to join the team,” says Howard.  “The time for Africa and the region culturally and commercially is now!  The chance to contribute to the growth of businesses, brands and cultures, elevating themselves on the global stage, is truly a thrilling opportunity.

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Kipchoge won the recognition after his world record-breaking 2:01:09 run at the Berlin Marathon on September 25.

That performance saw him lower his own world record mark by 30 seconds and capture a fourth Berlin Marathon title, equaling Ethiopian great Haile Gebrselassie’s number of victories achieved in the German capital.

To honour this achievement, Kipchoge was awarded an LG refrigerator which doubles up as a top mount freezer and water dispenser worth Ksh.150, 000 and a personalized trophy.

Speaking at the LG Eldoret showroom, Kipchoge hailed SJAK and LG for constantly recognizing sportsmen and women for their efforts and glory brought to the country through their exemplary performances.

“I am happy and honoured to receive this special recognition from SJAK and LG. Winning this award once again is also a testament that we should always strive for more, there are no limits but rather everything is achieved through belief and determination. Breaking the world record in Berlin was crucial for me as I wanted to inspire the human race,” Kipchoge said.

He added. “I would also like to thank my family, my training mates and also my coach who have supported me and whom without them I would not have achieved all these in my career.”

William Kimore, the Content manager LG East Africa, said Kipchoge was a living legend whose achievements over the years have inspired not only athletes but also the entire human race as well.

“We at LG are very proud to associate with the accomplishments of Eliud who has demonstrated that hard work and persistence pays with his record-breaking heroics. His mantra ‘No Human is Limited’ is a further inspiration to all of us that if we just push ourselves, we can achieve more than we have previously. We are thus happy today to award him this product as a token of appreciation and encourage him to continue pursuing his goals.

To win the award, Kipchoge beat other nominees including track stars Beatrice Chebet (5000m) and Emmanuel Korir (800m) both of whom claimed Diamond League trophies in the 2022 season finale held in Zurich, Switzerland and Hellen Obiri who successfully defended her Great North Run title in the same month.

Others nominees included; Malkia Strikers opposite attacker Sharon Chepchumba who emerged top scorer for Kenya at the World Championships in the Netherlands, Karan Patel who won the ARC Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally in Kigali and former Hit Squad captain Nick Okoth who bagged silver at the African Championships in Maputo, Mozambique.

Kipchoge joins a growing list of sportsmen and women who have won the award this year including junior WRC3 contender McRae Kimathi (February), Japan’s Nagoya Marathon winner Ruth Chepng’etich (March), Boston Marathon men’s winner Evans Chebet (April), national women’s volleyball team star Sharon Chepchumba (May), WRC3 Safari Rally winner Maxine Wahome (June), Wimbledon Open Doubles Junior Champion Angela Okutoyi (July) and Commonwealth Games 100m champion Ferdinand Omanyala (August).

SJAK organizing Secretary Wanjiku Mwenda reiterated that the monthly award seeks to reward excellence and has equally continued to whip up the enthusiasm of sportsmen and women across the country.

“We have walked this journey with LG and we thank them for their huge contribution towards sports in this country. I also congratulate Eliud for winning this award. This initiative expresses the will of sports journalists to continually recognize and honour our sportsmen and women.” Wanjiku observed.

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George joins Ogilvy Africa from running his consultancy practice advising MSMEs and Development Partners on their marketing and communication needs. He has extensive marketing experience having held various positions and roles in Media Planning, Account Management, Business Development, Strategy and Management.

He has worked with leading global agency networks such as Ogilvy & Mather, McCann Worldwide, Redhouse/TBWA Advertising and local powerhouses such as Scanad Kenya & Oxygene Marketing.

“We are delighted to welcome George to the Ogilvy Africa family. He brings on board strong knowledge and insights on local, regional and Pan African markets having worked with multiple diverse sectors such as FMCG, Manufacturing, Telcos, Financial & Healthcare Services, and Public and Private entities,” said Vikas Mehta – CEO Ogilvy Africa, as he welcomed him to the company.

Commenting on his appointment, George said, “I am excited to be joining a company that has such a strong record of creativity. I am a firm and ardent believer that any individual in marketing and communications should fully live and embrace the spirit of creativity irrespective of the specific roles they hold. I hope that my people-first approach to leadership and passion for moulding the next generation of marketers will enable us to deliver exciting and impactful campaigns for our clients.”

This appointment is aligned to Ogilvy Africa’s unique operating model, One Ogilvy, which allows clients and brands to cut the complexity of agency structures and create a seamless omnichannel experience for their consumers, across touchpoints.

George holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Design from the University of Nairobi and is an alumnus of Strathmore Business School. He plunged into the world of Advertising and Communications as a Graphic Designer over 20 years ago.

Ogilvy Africa is the largest network agency on the continent catering to 40 countries with a team of ~900 people across Central, East and West Africa. Headquartered in Nairobi – Kenya, Ogilvy Africa manages a portfolio of over 100 brands for clients such as AB InBev, Airtel, Africa CDC, Coca-Cola, Diageo, Distell, Equity Bank, Exxon Mobil, Kenya Airways, Mondelez, NCBA, Nestle, Philips, PWC, SAB Miller, Sanlam, Total, UNICEF, Unilever, and WWF amongst others.

Ogilvy Africa is also the region’s most awarded agency having won the highest number of regional and global awards including Cannes Lions, Clio Awards, Dubai Lynx Festival, SABRE Awards (Global and Africa), and WARC Effectiveness; to name a few.

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Sethna has more than 20 years of experience in the creative and marketing space. She comes to Ogilvy from Red Fuse Communications, also part of the WPP group.

“We are really excited to welcome Delna as our new chief creative officer for Africa,” says Ogilvy EMEA CCO Stephan Vogel. “She has led dozens of innovative, exciting campaigns, and been recognised with a slew of industry-leading awards. We look forward to working with Delna, learning from her across clients and across our business.”

The role of Chief Creative Officer is a newly created position at Ogilvy Africa, as the agency gears towards further strengthening its position in the region.

“Delna’s cross-functional experiences as a creative leader make her a rare breed of ambidextrous creatives who’s created successes playing at the intersections of marketing disciplines. She’s a valuable addition to our leadership team as we continue building world-class solutions, which are made in Africa. Delighted to welcome her as my creative partner in this journey,” Says Vikas Mehta Ogilvy Africa CEO.

Sethna served as executive creative director at WPP/Redfuse, where – among her other successes – she helped successfully relaunch the Palmolive brand to the Indian market.

After working as a filmmaker in the early part of her career, Sethna entered the marketing sphere, where she rose rapidly through the ranks at several leading agencies, including Lowe, JWT & Burnett and Saatchi & Saatchi.

Among the creative accolades she has received have been at Cannes, D&AD, the #FemvertisingAwards, Spikes, Kyoorius and the Effies. She has also served on many industry awards juries and has been listed among the Women Who’ve Changed the Face of Media. She was named among India’s 50 Most Influential Women two years in a row.

“I am thrilled to be embarking on this new challenge at Ogilvy Africa,” says Sethna. “I am passionate about finding creative solutions to help clients achieve their strategic objectives. Being able to do that in a region as dynamic as Africa is a dream come true.”

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“I would like to bring to your attention the retirement of our long serving Exco member and a dear colleague to us all…Over the last 2 years, I have had the pleasure of working closely with Joe and I have come to rely on his advice, candid feedback, and support,” said Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa in a staff memo.

Joe has held several roles since joining Safaricom in May 2005 as Chief Corporate Affairs Officer. In 2008 he was appointed to serve as Chief Human Resource Officer before taking on the role of Director – Resources, following a reorganization in March 2011.

In October 2012, he was appointed Director – Strategy & Innovation, where he worked closely with the CEO in formulating the strategic direction of the business with a focus on developing Safaricom’s position as an industry leader in driving innovation in products and services.

In his current role as Chief Special Projects and Acting Chief Business Development Officer, he was part of the team that coordinated the company’s successful bid for the second telecommunications license in Ethiopia.

He also effectively steered the company alongside our former CFO, Sateesh Kamath, when the late Bob Collymore was on medical leave, and has been the Chairman of Safaricom Foundation since 2012.

Joe’s experience in the communications industry spans more than 35 years of which the last 20 have been at the Executive Committee level. He is accredited with, among many other achievements, being actively involved in the reforming of the telecommunications sector and establishing the institutional framework for the Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System (EASSy).

Throughout his career, and indeed the 17 years he has been at Safaricom, Joe has built a reputation as an outstanding business leader, mentor and coach to many; qualities that we at Safaricom have benefitted greatly from.

The hallmark of Joe’s career and contribution to the success of Safaricom was his absolute willingness to step into an unexpected role whenever requested, even if it meant stretching his workload tremendously. All the CEOs of Safaricom, from Michael, to Bob through to myself, relied on Joe in many situations and he never failed to live up to our expectations.

– Peter Ndegwa, CEO Safaricom

Joe will continue to serve as the Chairman of Safaricom Foundation where he has been instrumental in driving partnerships that transform the lives of millions of people and enable communities to be self-sufficient.

Safaricom has at the same time announced the appointment of a new Chief Corporate Affairs Officer.  Stephen Kiptinness will join the Waiyakiway Outfit from 1st May 2022.

Stephen joins Safaricom from Kiptinness & Odhiambo Associates LLP where he was a Senior Partner heading the Technology and Intellectual Property practice for the last 10 years. Before starting his practice, Stephen worked at Telkom Kenya Orange, heading Regulatory Affairs for 3 years, from 2009 to 2012.

Prior to his role at Telkom Orange, he held various legal roles including Legal Officer and subsequently Senior Legal Officer at the Communications Authority of Kenya, and Legal Manager at the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation, having commenced his legal career as a Trainee Advocate at Oraro & Co. Advocates. Stephen also teaches at the University of Nairobi School of Law.

Stephen will be responsible for the organisation’s reputation management, public policy, legal and regulatory affairs. He will also steer the development and implementation of Safaricom’s corporate investment strategy as well as oversee our internal and external communications. He will also lead the development of a roadmap that will embed purpose in everything we do at Safaricom and among our stakeholders.

Peter Ndegwa, CEO Safaricom

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She also holds a number of board positions at organisations such as ABSA Bank Kenya PLC, TradeMark East Africa
Ltd, Jambojet Ltd, and British Chamber of Commerce and Industry is a Trustee on the boards of Vodafone Foundation UK and M-Pesa Foundation, and was previously a non-executive director on the board of WPP Scangroup from 2017 to 2020.

Patricia is passionate about creating opportunities that improve people’s lives and is currently Re

gional Director at the Stanford Institute for Innovation in Development Economies – Seed, a Stanford Graduate School of Business initiative that builds a network of globally-engaged leaders from Silicon Valley to sub-Saharan Africa.
Stanford Seed aims to tackle global poverty by supporting the scale-up of small and medium-sized businesses in developing economies and has led to revenue growth, regional expansion and job creation for more than 200 companies.

In 2020, Ms. Ithau was awarded a Kenyan Head of State Commendation (HSC) – Civilian Division for her work in supporting enterprise development in the country. She holds an MBA in Strategic Management from the United States International University – Africa, and a B Com from the University of Nairobi.

She also completed an Advanced Management Program at Strathmore Business School/IESE Business School, Barcelona, a General Management Program at INSEAD – CEDEP, and a Certificate Program in Scenario Planning at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.

Patricia is an accredited executive coach and a certified emotional intelligence practitioner, working with business leaders to encourage a holistic approach to leadership and organisational change.

Patricia Ithau said: “WPP Scangroup is Kenya’s foremost marketing and communications network. I’m so excited by the opportunity to lead a company that prides itself on delivering outstanding work and creative innovation for clients. The company provides brands not only with unparalleled access to regional expertise, consumer insight and talent, but also the global reach they need to grow via the wider WPP network.”

Richard Omwela, Chairman of WPP Scangroup, said: “Patricia is an inspirational business leader in Kenya and beyond, and I’m delighted to welcome her to WPP Scangroup. She has extensive experience of transformational change that delivers sustainable business growth, and an inclusive leadership approach that will support
our people as they create extraordinary work for our clients.”

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Mary was recognised for her efforts in demonstrating purpose, authenticity, resilience, innovation, and sustainable contribution in economic and social-impact initiatives that create and champion gender inclusion and women empowerment within Equity Group.

Speaking while accepting the award, Mary encouraged women, corporate leaders, to promote mentorship, impactful leadership, and authenticity in their places of work. “I have dedicated my life to serving a cause. I personally believe that I only get stronger if I uplift somebody else. You should create a legacy as you go up the career ladder. As leaders in this room and elsewhere, we need to be authentic; we need to be ourselves and should do things to the best of our ability. There are a lot of challenges and obstacles women face in their career journey, but regardless of these challenges, we need to remain focused on our goals,” she added.

Mary is involved in mentorship programmes for young ladies, career mentorship for professionals, sponsorships for bright but needy students and environmental conservation, among other interests.

In March 2020, she pioneered the launch of a staff empowerment program, Equity Inspire Programme (EQUIP) that aims to empower and mentor staff at Equity Group to advance in their careers, practice work-life balance and generally expose them to industry leaders and content that will help them network and grow in their careers.

While congratulating Mary on the recognition, the Chief Guest, Principal Secretary of State Department for Correctional Services, Ministry of Interior and Coordination, Zeinab A. Hussein urged and challenged the private sector to stay true to diversity. “The government currently has over 30% of women in its boards. This is a positive indicator that we are headed in the right way in the public sector. I urge the Private sector to emulate and embrace what is currently happening in the government by appointing more women to their boards to equal or surpass government efforts,” said PS Zeinab.

“The Journey towards gender diversity and inclusion will only be successful if women work with their male counterparts to unlock more opportunities for themselves. We need men to be part of this journey and walk with us to realize it. Even as we continue to nurture the next generation of women on boards, we must make sure that such women bring their full value and make serious impact and influence,” added the PS.

According to WOBN, the network is committed to ensuring that the next generation of board members is more diverse and better balanced. This can only be achieved by creating a pipeline of board-ready women and facilitating those already in serving capacities in various board appointments to carry out their roles and responsibilities.

In 2012, gender representation in publicly listed companies was 12%, 18% in 2015, 21% in 2017 and now 36% in 2021 as per the data from the Kenya Institute Management Board Diversity and Inclusion Report 2021 that tracks Board diversity and inclusion progress over the last 9 years.

Before her current role, Mary served as the Group Company Secretary and Director of Corporate Strategy of Equity Group Holdings Plc. She has more than 28 years of experience in legal practice, strategy and banking and has led many impactful business transactions since beginning her service at the then Equity Building Society in 2004.

Equity Group Foundation was also recognized as the organization of the year scooping the 2nd runners up position during the event. The Foundation was recognized for its efforts in supporting the vulnerable people by transforming their lives and livelihoods socially and economically by availing modern, inclusive financial services that maximize their opportunities.

The Women On Board Network Awards are mainly geared to celebrating the milestones achieved in attaining equity, equality as well as parity in the social-economic status of women and youth.

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COVID-19 has been a huge setback for the progress on poverty eradication in Kenya. Job losses, food insecurity and impact on social lifestyles has also seen a spike in mental health cases. While many companies were shutting down or down-scaling, there are some companies that always remained fully operational and open. A good example is the Group of Companies founded and chaired by Jayesh Saini, one of the top entrepreneurs in the country.

During the height of COVID-19, Jayesh Saini vowed not to add to the challenges afflicting Kenyans by down-scaling or closing shop, despite the macroeconomic pressures to do so. This single act to keep his over 3,000 employees employed throughout the pandemic period in his various establishments has been key in ensuring their food security, healthcare and housing for the past one and a half years.

The efforts towards supporting his staff during this difficult time have had a big effect on his companies in terms of the personal toll it has taken to keep them afloat. However, this strain is nothing compared to the far reaching impact this has had on his staff e.g. continuation of education for staff children, effective support in the event of illness through the Bliss Healthcare network and fostering strong relationships at home leading to better mental health. This ultimately leads to better work performance.

We are not out of the woods yet as regards COVID-19, even with the lifting of the curfew recently. However, with emphasis on getting more Kenyans vaccinated and having more affordable health set ups offering quality healthcare like Bliss Healthcare, we shall make it out of this pandemic stronger and better than ever!

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She is part of the 50 African women who qualified from an initial list of a total of 526 women who run 355 companies as either CEO of publicly listed African corporations, division heads of publicly listed African corporations, or the Africa-region heads or Africa country heads of global corporations.

Africa.com undertook a rigorous, data-driven research project that identified not just high-profile personalities, but the women who run the largest, most complex businesses on the African continent.

This included reviewing all publicly listed companies on all of the twenty-one stock exchanges in Africa – a list of over 1400 companies.

Ms Karuku is amongst the most senior women leaders in East Africa, steering East and Central Africa’s largest alcohol beverage business to greater heights.

At the helm of the EABL business, she has been instrumental in driving innovations in the business.

“The women in the Definitive list today indeed show that Africa has made great progress in gender inclusion in the corporate space and I hope that we get to inspire young women all over the continent to arise, step forward and go for their dreams, whatever they may be.

“At East African Breweries PLC, we are passionate about mainstreaming inclusion and diversity both at the workplace and in our communities. We have put in place necessary policies and programs and have set ambitious targets towards having women making up 50% of our workforce and leaders by 2030, “Jane Karuku remarked.

In addition to revealing the names on The Africa.com Definitive List of Women CEOs, Africa.com has provided observations and trends that emerged from the research project, including key enablers that must be put in place to empower women towards successful careers.

“Part of success is choosing the right employer. Research by Harvard Business School shows that the company that a black woman works plays a very important role in determining the course and trajectory of her career,” Anthony Mayo, MBA professor at Harvard Business School shared during his presentation.

This observation was agreed on unanimously by the African women CEOs who shared their journeys after the revealing of the Definitive List.

Ms Karuku said, “My journey and success started back in my 20s when my boss believed in me and put me in charge of a big team of men in the factory. I have also greatly benefitted from working with an organization that is deliberate about attracting, retaining and developing the most diverse talent as we believe that every unique individual brings a unique talent that we can leverage as a business. At EABL, inclusion and diversity are one of our must-dos and we have set ambitious goals in our ten-years action plan, the 2030 Sustainability Strategy.”

Other Kenyan women CEOs named in the list are KenGen CEO, Rebecca Miano and Diamond Trust Bank (DTB) Group CEO, Naseem Devji.

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