Perusing through your CV , one quickly discerns the width and depth of your academic and career life . Kindly walk us through your career and academic journey , highlighting the key milestones and lessons picked along the way .
I will begin with my academic qualifications then delve into my career life . I am a Kapsabet boys alumni . I hold a Ph . D and a Masters of Business Administration ( both in Strategic Management ) from the University of Nairobi . In addition , I hold a Bachelor of Commerce ( Marketing Option ) degree also from the same institution . As I pursued my academic qualifications , I simultaneously undertook professional qualifications namely : Certified Public Accountants ( CPA ), Certified Public Secretaries ( CPS ) and Certified Investment and Financial Analysts ( CIFA ). In addition I have attended numerous refresher courses and trainings in different disciplines including the Strategic Leadership Development Programme ( SLDP ) at the Kenya School of Government .
I started my career as an Untrained Teacher before joining the University and continued teaching during the long holiday breaks . My first job after University was at British American Tobacco ( BAT ) Kenya where I stayed for eight years . Thereafter , I Joined the Kenya Institute of Management ( KIM ) which offers Diploma in Business Management and is also famed for the Company of the Year Awards ( COYA ).
To provide access to those wishing to pursue graduate and post graduate studies in Management , KIM launched the Management University of Africa ( MUA ). I was seconded to MUA where I rose to the rank of the Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer . It is from here that I got an opportunity to join the Kenya Accountants and Secretaries National Examinations Board ( KASNEB ) as the Secretary / Chief Executive Officer in May 2019 where I have been serving to-date .
The Private Sector and Academia have been complementary providing me with many invaluable lessons in my professional life . Working in different sectors with different professionals , under different managers and leaders and in diverse locations has been very useful not only in providing depth and breadth necessary for my career growth but also in moulding my character .
In short from my career journey ; I have learnt the importance of ensuring adequate institutional capacity , having the right people on the bus , the spirit of team work , the critical need to improve operational efficiency , putting in place policies and systems that ensure service delivery , and ultimately profitability .
Take us through your working life in more detail from where you picked the above lessons .
I will begin with BAT which was my first formal employer . Here , I came face to face with how a company that is focused on satisfying a number of diverse stakeholders is run and organized . Throughout my stay at BAT , I worked in several departments where I interacted with different professionals and worked under different managers . I worked in the Leaf Operations , Finance , and Human Resource Management departments . This rotation led me to appreciate how each department contributed to the whole organization . To add to my experience , I was posted to different locations such as Kuria ( Migori County ), Thika ( Kiambu County ) and Nairobi . Working in diverse locations exposed me to different cultures which proved invaluable as my career progressed . I would say BAT to a large extent shaped my managerial skills as well as the beginning of my journey to leadership .
In 2006 , I shifted my career trajectory , moving to the academic sector when I joined the Kenya Institute of Management ( KIM ) as Deputy Chief Executive Officer in charge of Strategic Business Units . At that time , KIM was in the process of establishing a University to offer under - and post-graduate courses in Management . Given my position , I was deeply involved in driving the process . We were successful and duly granted a Letter of Interim Authority , which resulted in what is today the Management University of Africa ( MUA ).
Concurrently I was pursuing and eventually earned my Doctor of Philosophy ( Ph . D ) degree from the University of Nairobi as well as the other professional qualifications outlined above . KIM seconded me to MUA in the teaching faculty and was later appointed the second Vice Chancellor where I served for six years . In May 2019 I felt it was time to make another career move . I joined the Kenya Accountants and Secretaries National Examinations Board ( KASNEB ) as the Secretary / CEO from May 2019 to-date .
In addition to serving in the corporate and academic world , I have been privileged in the last twenty years to have been appointed to serve on various boards of secondary schools , technical training institutes , professional bodies , and state corporations in Kenya . Serving in these Boards has added to my experience in strategy and governance both necessary in guiding the organizations which I have humbly served and continue to serve
How have your academic achievements helped you to become a better manager and leader ?
My academic achievements have without doubt enhanced my value proposition contributing immensely in making me a better manager and leader . Formal education has the advantage of helping polish ones prowess by expanding their perspective and broadening their horizons .
My experience in academics has helped me acquire and improve on the skills necessary for decision making . Anchored on this , three distinct areas come to mind : The first is that of Vision for the organizations I have led . A leader must create a Vision of the future and ensure this becomes a reality . This calls for the leader to build a team that not only buys into the vision but is also motivated and focused on delivery of the Vision . Second is in the area of setting clear goals and having a strategy to achieve the same calling for putting in place processes and workflows geared towards meeting the same . Lastly is the area of balancing the expectations of direct reports ( what work is to be done ) and the c-suite ( what realistic outcomes are possible for a particular initiative ). This is a delicate balance as the latter may have unrealistic expectations which the former , who are in the trenches , may struggle to deliver .
To achieve the above as a leader , it is