I know of the Marketing Society of Kenya ( MSK ) which is the national umbrella body for all marketers in Kenya . Its key mandate is to empower and regulate the marketing industry by creating policy that governs the Marketing Industry ( self-regulated ), education and training of professionals , corporates and entrepreneurs , marketing and business mentorship and arbitration through the Advertising Standards Board . Indeed , the Marketing Society does not have a mandate such as KASNEB , whose mandate is derived from the following among others : The Accountants Act , No . 15 of 2008 which empowered and recognized KASNEB as the examining body for the Certified Public Accountants ( CPA ) qualification ; The Certified Public Secretaries of Kenya Act , Cap 534 of 1988 which empowered and recognized KASNEB as the examining body for Certified Secretaries ( CS ) qualification ; and The Investment and Financial Analysts Act , No . 13 of 2015 which empowered and recognized KASNEB as the examining body for the Certified Investment and Financial Analysts ( CIFA ) qualification .
Please note that a qualification awarding body cannot function without KNQA accreditation and recognition of its qualifications . In Kenya , Professional Associations have different powers as set out in the legal instruments establishing them . Some Professional bodies only register their members while others are involved in short term training for Continuous Professional Development ( for which they do not require recognition within the KNQF ), while others are involved in elaborate accreditation , quality assurance and even awarding of qualifications . The latter require accreditation and recognition within the KNQF and must abide by KNQA regulations on Quality assurance , examination and assessment of qualifications .
What is the process of establishing a Marketing Board with a mandate such as KASNEB ' s ?
Establishing such a board is intentional , requires planning and resources especially time and effort . Therefore , Marketers will have to deliberately invest in lobbying for the establishment of the relevant Legislative and Regulatory framework and relevant technical support and advisory . They must also establish strategies for creating public awareness of the marketing standards and qualification
It is important to be a powerful and prolific communicator , as perhaps , the most important aspect of being a leader is communication . You can be incredibly innovative and technically gifted but if you lack effective communication skills to put across your thoughts , your ideas will struggle to get off the ground .
nationally , regionally and globally to attract those who are aspiring to become professionals and contribute to this field . In partnership with other industry players , they need to establish a practitioners ' code of ethics , and provide interactive fora for marketers as they collaborate with relevant institutions in establishing standards , assisting in the continuing education of members and promotion of the role of the profession in society .
In liaison with state and non-state actors , there needs to be a decision on qualifications required for entry into the profession . In conjunction with other relevant bodies , they should come up with the syllabus of formal courses of study that enable persons to obtain these qualifications .
There is need to advocate for establishment of the relevant professional institutes with appropriate governing structures , while liaising with the KNQA and the MOE for technical support and guidance in accrediting prospective training institutions .
What are the benefits of establishing a Marketing Board ?
There are numerous benefits accruing from establishing a Marketing Board with a mandate such as KASNEB . These include ; International recognition of the Marketing Qualifications ; The Board shall have the legal mandate to conduct examinations and issue certificates to candidates who have satisfied the professional examinations requirements ; The board shall be able to prepare syllabuses for the profession and the Board shall also have authority to enforce discipline ; The board shall have powers to investigate and determine cases involving students registered with the “ Marketing ” examination board . Finally , the graduates of the professional examinations will enjoy labor eligibility and mobility across the globe . In short the Board will contribute greatly in formalizing and professionalizing marketing making it a more formal vocation .
Having worked in diverse organizations , is there any that had greater impact on your managerial or leadership style ?
I would say that no one single place has had greater impact than the others . Each of the places where I have worked has nurtured and shaped my skills differently . It is about incremental learning and picking lessons from these places , each building into the other and improving the whole . Therefore my entire tour of duty in the private and public sectors has been experiential and enriching as I have learned something new in all areas of employment . I learned more strategic thinking in BAT , developed more networks while in KIM , programme development in MUA and how government works while here in KASNEB . This has been instrumental in making me a dynamic manager and transformative leader . It has enabled me ensure improvement in customer experience , financial sustainability , institutional capacity and operational efficiency in the organizations I have served in , for the last fifteen years .
On the same note , what did you take away from those whom you worked under , those ‘ whose shoulders you stood on ’ as they say ?
In BAT , I learned about organizational culture change from the former Managing Director , Jeremy Pike . While in KIM , I learned a lot on the power of networking
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