Blog

about 2 months ago

An African woman CEO is still a rare and unique find, even in 2018. And the numbers back it up: only five percent of all CEOs on the continent are women. And only 12 percent of all board positions belong to women, according to the 2016 McKinsey report “Women Matter Africa“. Further, 18 percent of businesses on the continent have no women in senior roles while only 29 percent of senior roles overall are held by women. Yet the positive impact of female leaders on a company is beyond doubt. Here are the unique benefits of the African woman CEO and women in leadership: Companies Under Women Leadership Are More Profitable. Studies find that businesses on the continent with the most women on their boards have an operating profit over 20% higher, according to the African CEO forum. The numbers are further backed by a massive study by the Peterson Institute for International Economics and the accounting firm EY, which looked at nearly 22,000 publicly traded companies in 91 countries and found a correlation between the number of women in executive positions and a company’s profitability. “The research demonstrates that while increasing the number of women directors and CEOs is important, growing the percentage of female leaders in the C-suite would likely benefit the bottom line even more,” said Stephen Howe, EY’s U.S. Chairman. Women See And Pursue Entrepreneurial Opportunities. With the pipeline to C-suite leadership often non-existent, African women are side-stepping this problem through entrepreneurialism. In East Africa, many women CEOs are actually founders or co-founders of their own companies. From Gina Din Kariuki of Gina Din Communications and Hilda Moraa of Weza Tele Limited to Flora Mutahi of Melvin’s Tea and Suzie Wokabi of Suzie Beauty Ltd., these women automatically bring their unique entrepreneurial mindset involving business skills, determination, resilience, networking, and social impact to the boardroom. Within companies, women overall also show more effectiveness at the executive levels of organizations where seeing opportunities for growth is most significant, according to Zenger Folkman’s extensive study of more than 16,000 leaders’ 360 feedback reports. Women Build Inclusive Work Environments Because of their own uphill climb to the top, women leaders are also more predisposed to create an inclusive work environment. This inclusivity goes beyond gender diversity, but also allows for diversity in age, religion, sexual orientation, race, and ethnicity. Setting the tone for increased diversity and inclusiveness in an organization requires both individual diversity awareness skills and effective organizational systems. Women often hold the skills, like communication, teamwork, emotional literacy, mentorship, and interpersonal skills, to implement such company-wide changes. Finally, by the time an African woman has made it to the top position of a company, she has proved her worth tenfold and intends to prove it further. And that determination and grit is a win for any company's top or bottom line.

2 months ago

WHY DOES THE INFORMAL ECONOMY OF THE SIDE-HUSTLE THRIVE IN KENYA? To ask a Kenyan, “what do you do?” is a singular question that can lead to many other questions: “Do you mean what I do as my full-time job from 9 a.m. or 5 p.m.?” “Or what I do from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. after work?” “Or maybe you are asking what I do on weekends to make money?” These follow-up questions showcase the Kenyan side-hustle, the ability to create income outside formal employment -- and it continues to be a thriving economy. The Kenyan side-hustle is in many ways representative of a highly ambitious people trying to better their lives within the limits of the (delete) their country’s economy and job opportunities. Sometimes these hustles, which range from real estate broking, to producing music, to tech support and most often farming, start off as passion projects, but their goal is always to create another form of income at the end of the month. According to an anecdotal survey, the money earned goes towards paying for basic needs, housing, school fees and to assist family members. It’s no surprise to meet Kenyans withthree or four of these hustles. A true testament to their entrepreneurial DNA and determination to improve their quality of life. As it stands, the most popular side hustle among millennials is farming, a labor that this generation initially shied away from. A 2017 GeoPoll Rapid Survey found that 23 percent of millennials invest in agriculture, 18 percent in online businesses, and 17 percent invest in ICT as side hustles. Indeed, the growing strength of the Kenyan side-hustle is an indicative product of East Africa’s strongest economy holding the highest unemployment rate, according to a 2017 United Nations report. The country’s growing unemployment over the last decade highlights national policies that do not include substantive job creation opportunities. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report says that about 39 percent of working age Kenyans are unemployed compared to 24 percent in Tanzania, 21.6 percent in Ethiopia, 18.1 percent in Uganda and 17.1 percent in Rwanda. The situation is especially dire for the youth population (ages 15-24), who have seen their unemployment rate rise to 22.2 percent, according to the same UN study. World Bank’s chief economist for Africa Shantayanan Devarajan says that in many African countries, the youth are left to do (delete) with informal employment where it is available. The challenge of youth employment in Africa, he says, “is not just to create more wage and salary jobs — important as this may be — but to increase the productivity, and hence earnings, of the majority of young people…” But it is not just the young nor unemployed who have side-hustles. Among the senior candidates that we have profiled in our Kenyans Come Home newsletter, some have side-hustle businesses such as owning farms, managing family businesses, offering consulting services, even while being gainfully employed. And despite burnout and time management issues being major side effects of juggling multiple gigs, the increased earning potential is worth it to many. And who knows, maybe that side-hustle or passion project will one day become the main hustle.

2 months ago

To retain top talent, companies have to reconsider how they manage new mothers returning to work. Having a baby is a huge milestone in any couple’s life. But how does one navigate a newborn while also continuing to pursue career ambitions? For mothers, it is an especially tall order and a tough adjustment. But studies show that companies that invest in stronger maternity benefits are able to retain the top talent and save money at the same time. In East Africa, the laws on maternity leave vary by country. For example, in Uganda, female employees are entitled to 60 working days maternity leave; while in Tanzania, a woman has to have been an employee for at least six months to qualify for the 84 days of paid maternity leave. Last year in Kenya, there was a legislative proposal to double the maternity leave from three to six months with the goal of boosting the health of mothers and babies, as per World Health Organization recommendations. But nothing became of the proposal. For many new mothers, however, the difficulty does not come from actual maternity leave, but how companies adjust to their needs once they treturn to work - including the need to breastfeed and provide basic childcare. a recent Kenyan Come Home placement candidate and new mother, the difficulty does not come from actual maternity leave, but how companies adjust to new mothers once they return to work. One company that has become a pillar example for its maternity benefits is Safaricom, which is consistently considered one of the top places to work in East Africa. The International Finance Corporation (IFC) recently lauded Safaricom's childcare program for working mothers as a best practice that promotes career grwoth. The business impact has included improved punctuality as well as reduced absenteeism and stress. Vodafone, which owns 40 percent of Safaricom, reviewed its maternity leave policy in 2015 after commissioning an audit that found the cost of recruiting and training new employees to replace women exiting the workforce after childbirth costs up to $47 billion each year. In comparison, the cost of offering working mothers 16 weeks of fully paid maternity leave would cost an additional $28 billion. As a result, Safaricom's maternity leave policy now includes a 16-week fully paid leave and a 30-hour week on full pay for the first six months. They also offer on site creches and a strong 'bring your child to work' policy, overall creating one of the best maternity and post-maternity leave portfolios in East Africa. Another African company that is doing this right is Pick n Pay, which is one of the few South African companies that offers 11 months of maternity leave instead of the usual four months required by law. Pick n Pay Head of Corporate and Group Strategy, David North, says that good maternity benefits help to build trust and loyalty between employer and employee. “Pick n Pay has always sought to provide good employee benefits," he says. 'A majority of our employees are women, and we know that maternity benefits are important to them.”

3 months ago

How Entrepreneurs frame their thinking in order to maximize their chances for success. Making the decision to start your own business can be an exhilarating move. By the time you make the leap, you have probably thought through the pros and cons of entering the entrepreneurial life. From bulking up your savings to perfecting your business plan, certain key items need to be done to prepare yourself for the rollercoaster journey. But more than the practical items, it is also about how you think. A big part of the preparation process for an entrepreneur involves re-framing their thinking in order to maximize their chances for success. This means tapping into the entrepreneurial mindset. According to Entrepreneur, this mindset is characterized by "the critical, analytical, and fundamentally disruptive perspective that it brings to the world.” It is the ability to navigate within a disruption that is innate in starting your own business. It is generally agreed that an entrepreneurial mindset stands alone in terms of its importance. Yet it is not a mindset that comes naturally for most. However, it can be learned. Donna M. De Carolis, the founding dean of the Charles D. Close School of Entrepreneurship at Drexel University, also describes the entrepreneur’s mindset as a survivor’s mindset. “Being entrepreneurial is essentially about thinking and doing something that we have not done before, in order to achieve a desirable goal or outcome. It is about assessing a situation, designing alternatives, and choosing a new way -- or perhaps a combination of ways -- that we hope will lead us to something better." Here are some of the characteristics of an entrepreneurial mindset: Navigating Failure. One thing each entrepreneur quickly learns is that failure is part of the journey. But if you have the right mindset, you will never see anything you do as a loss because you are learning from your defeat. Another word for this is grit, a characteristic that we, at Kenyans Come Home, greatly champion. In our previous book club recommendation "Grit" by Angela Lee Duckworth, the author defines grit as passion and perseverance for long-term and meaningful goals. Research indicates that the ability to stick with things that are important to you and to bounce back from failure creates better leaders and team players. Learning Never Stops. Entrepreneurs are constantly learning. Whether picking up self-improvement skills or keeping up with their industry trends, the best of them understand that knowledge is a key part of their success. A hunger for this knowledge,— and a continued pursuit of it— will always serve you well. Understand Your Personality. When you constantly work on yourself, you begin to develop a greater understanding of and belief in yourself. This information then translates into valuing and championing for yourself—and your business. An Eye For Talent. Seasoned entrepreneurs have learned to train their eye for talent, the people that will help them grow and perfect their business. At Kenyans Come Home, we have placed a number of successful candidates within startups and we look for candidates who can bring passion, perseverance, and smarts to the disruptive environment of those spaces. Entrepreneurs do the same thing in building their teams. Sole responsibility. Finally, the level of personal responsibility among entrepreneurs is especially high because they remove all attempts to blame others for personal or business circumstances. Each trial is seen as a way to improve and have better control of their lives.

3 months ago

This week, we are recommending the book "Born A Crime" by Trevor Noah. In this fantastic read, Noah reflects on growing up with a white father and black mother in post-apartheid South Africa. With each moment that he shares, you will not know if you want to laugh or cry. However, this book is relevant to our work at Kenyans Come Home because it reflects on the power of language and communication. “Language, even more than color, defines who we are as people,” Noah writes. “Maybe I didn't look like you, but if I spoke like you, I was you.” We often find our candidates lack strong verbal and written communication skills. It is by far the area that candidates require the most support from us, whether it is crafting their CV, completing assessments, or interviewing with clients. Invest the time and effort to make sure you (and your children) improve their communication skills above all else. It will serve you well at every stage of your career.

4 months ago

Our attention was recently caught by a Quartz Africa graph that shows how mobile money is changing the game in Africa. With more people using it over banks, it will be fascinating to see how mobile money continues to evolve in the region.

4 months ago

When Jeddidah Thotho was laid off in 2017, she did not let the bad news keep her down. She had done good work in her six years as the Group Retail Director at Deacons PLC (previously Deacons Kenya Limited), having helped build a solid team and grow the brand as it entered the Kenyan stock exchange. But a number of macro economic changes and unforced strategy errors drove the company to downsize. As a senior employee, Jeddidah was one of the few that were let go. “I’m a go-getter, and I am all about making the numbers. But they didn’t come through and that was demoralizing,” she says of that time. “But it is important to believe in yourself and your skills despite what happens externally.” She is very clear that though layoffs are something that many here in Kenya look down on, she chooses to talk about it because it’s important for people to know that downsizing does happen. “They now happen more here [in Kenya] because of the economic environment. But in first world countries it happens now and again depending on the economic performance of the company and the macroeconomic experiences.” Jeddidah has taken that same dynamo attitude to her new role as the Commercial Director at Liberty Eagle Holdings, a major player in Kenya's retail sector. Because the company is a startup, she has had to stretch herself and use all her 20 years of retail experience from the U.S. and Kenya. Having come from larger, established companies like Sears Holdings Corporation in the U.S., Jeddidah has had to adjust to the fast-moving, indefinite world of startups. As the marketing strategy director for Sears, for example, she led a department of about 5,000 people alone. “Moving to a startup, you really have to widen your knowledge-base,” she says of the role she found through Kenyans Come Home. “Your skill-base becomes very flexible and adaptable to the point of stretching yourself beyond your experience, and you have to learn on-the-job things you haven’t done.” And as more international brands continue to enter the East African market, Jeddidah believes the market is ripe for diasporans who can localize these companies’ international strategies. “These companies already have the skills and expertise in their own countries. So what they are really looking for is the local know-how of the consumer and the ways of doing business here with a first-class mindset.” She had that expertise in 2010 when she first moved back to Kenya from America. And now eight years later, she is glad she chose to come back “without a doubt." “When you work in a smaller market like this and you have a specialized skill set, you can make more of an impact than you do in an organization that has thousands of people.”

4 months ago

This week, we are recommending the book "Essentialism" by Greg McKeown. Life is always crazy busy! But have you ever taken the time to think about what is really important? Have you considered what you can say yes to, but more importantly, what you can say no to? As we continually try, and fail, to manage all the things on our list, Greg says that “there’s a word for trying to do everything all the time. Madness!” “I truly feel like it’s this perverse disease of thinking and it has an absolute monopoly right now,” he continues. “Do more. Do more. Get more. Fit in more. More more more.” The most successful candidates we know are those that have reflected deeply about what is important to them. Such thinking has allowed them to focus, and to find exactly what they want in life and in their careers. They have developed an essentialist mindset that views the world differently, and this book provides awesome tools to help you “know when to say no”. “Our whole society has become consumed by the undisciplined pursuit of more,” Greg says. “The only way to overcome this problem is to change the way we think—adopt the mindset of only doing the things that are essential—and do it now.”

4 months ago

Sheena Raikundalia never thought she would live in Kenya again. Though born and raised here, she left at a young age for England. Most of her family had also relocated to Britain, and a fast-moving job at a top London law firm kept her sights in the U.K. So when she visited Kenya years ago for a wedding, a chance meeting with her high school boyfriend completely changed the course of her life. “If you asked me five years ago, where I’d see my life today, I’d be a partner [at a law firm] in London,” she says. “No single part of me ever thought I would come back to Kenya. I didn’t even want to get married!” But she did marry her high school sweetheart. And though she was happily in love, she knew she had to quickly figure out how to translate her high-powered career in London to her new life in Nairobi. After meeting with many top law firms and companies in Nairobi, she instead decided to start Kamandizi, an insurance comparison business. But she had to shut it down just over six months later after going separate ways with her business partner. Sheena doesn’t consider shutting down the business a failure. Instead, she says that "failing fast" allowed her to quickly figure out her next career chapter. “I always celebrate it because I learned so much from that experience,” she says. “And although I say that it was a failure, I think I learned more in those 6 months than I did in my law career.” These are the indicators of a candidate with real Grit. She uses many of those lessons today as the senior advisor for Intellecap Kenya, an India-based company that offers innovative business solutions that help build and scale profitable and sustainable enterprises dedicated to social and environmental change. Kenyans Come Home helped place Sheena there almost three years ago as one of the company's first four employees. Today, Intellecap Kenya has grown to include 15 people. Working in social entrepreneurship and impact investing was completely outside Sheena’s wheelhouse. But helping to grow the company not only feeds her entrepreneurship bug, but also offers a vision and purpose that melds well with this highly-motivated self-starter. “I thought that you work hard, get paid well and give your bit to charity—but this is completely different, “ she says. “Instead, you are working and you are getting paid, but you are actually doing good at the same time.”

4 months ago

This week we'd like to recommend the book "Grit" by Angela Lee Duckworth. Angela defines grit as passion and perseverance for long-term and meaningful goals. Research indicates that the ability to stick with things that are important to you, and to bounce back from failure, is an essential component of success — independent of talent and intelligence. We have found that candidates who demonstrate grit through their careers are better leaders, team players, and more likely to be retained in your company. We ensure that when we assess candidates, we look for grit, as well as other core assets needed to be impactful and effective professionals.

5 months ago

When Margaret Githinji realized she was pregnant in 2016, she knew that she needed a change. As a successful advertising executive, her career was on the fast track. But long days that ran until 3 a.m. (only to return for 8 a.m. meetings) would not cut it with a baby on the way --and especially with a husband in the same industry. “Having both of us completely zombied would not work for the baby,” she says. Margaret knew that her next employer would have to be one that understood work-life balance. And having previously worked for four years in Sweden -- a country famous for its social benefits -- Margaret knew exactly what she was looking for by the time she connected with Kenyans Come Home. “When you work outside of Kenya, companies tend to have a really good work-life balance,” she said. “Especially in sweden, where the benefits are really good.” Today, she is the marketing and public relations manager at Azuri Technologies, a commercial provider of solar technology. She has helped build the company's marketing department in Kenya from scratch. Margaret says that her new employer has been pretty good at recognizing that she is a new mother. A prime example is when her boss allowed her to work from home when she had issues locating a nanny. But such allowances are not normal among Kenyan companies, she says. And for returnees used to receiving great benefits abroad, it can be frustrating navigating that balance once they move home. The maternity leave period for new mothers, Margaret points out as an example, is often too short. Although she is content with her decision to move back, Margaret does wonder how she will manage when she decides to have a second child. “I am happy about my decision because home will always be home,” she says. “But the question remains what is changing in this country that would make people stay after they’ve come back?”

5 months ago

Before Adedana Ashebir moved to Kenya in 2014, she had been living the life of a nomad. China, South Korea, Ethiopia —with a stint of grad school in the U.S. somewhere in between— were all places she had called home in the last decade. So when she was offered a job at the African Leadership Network in Kenya, she jumped at the chance to work in a new country while also being close to her roots in Ethiopia. “It was supposed to be a three-month gig. I told myself ‘if you hate it, you can go back [to the U.S.].If you don’t hate it, you stay.' Those three months have become three years and almost 6 months,” she laughs. But for Adedana to have stayed in Kenya this long, it must mean she loves the country, right? Not necessarily, she says. “It’s not that I love it or hate it...It’s just that Nairobi is the place I became me. When I landed here, I was 26. I am now 30, and a lot of life, lessons, and experiences have been lived in that time,” she says. “So I say it’s the place where I grew up. Not in a childhood sense, but in a maturity and adulthood sense. That’s why I am still here." And it looks like her new role as Africa Lead for Village Capital, a position which Kenyans Come Home placed her in 2017, could keep her in Kenya for much longer. “I am excited to see where this goes.” When she is not toiling away at her new job, Adedana spends her free time co-hosting and producing the popular “Afracanah” podcast. The show —which explores the thoughts and experiences of two women who were raised in African families in North America and decided to move back to the continent as adults— feeds Adedana's love for comedy. “It's been incredibly fulfilling. It's great to have an outlet that has nothing to do with work,” she says. “I love laughter and I love making people laugh.”

5 months ago

In 2012, Grace Muchiri was content in her job as the director of food and beverage at the Trump National Golf Club in New Jersey. Her career was going strong, she was highly stimulated and her work gave her access to the best and brightest people in the hospitality industry. But a trip home to Kenya for her niece’s wedding that same year changed everything. She was able to spend time with family, reconnect with old friends, and see the country’s progression firsthand. Suddenly, everything that was once right felt wrong. She decided to quit her job and return home. "It is not something I had planned, and my family in the U.S. just thought I was going nuts,” she says. Like for most returnees, the adjustment was not easy after the initial excitement wore off. Grace struggled to find a role in which her 15-years-experience and passion for luxury hospitality could thrive. “I was not prepared for the adjustment I had to make in terms of the work culture here. It is very, very different,” she explains. “You are an outsider…[locals] are not going to be your friend automatically. You have to humble yourself and actually win them over in terms of ‘I’m one of you.’” Her first role in Kenya was with the well-known Karen Country Club, which acclimatized her to working in the country. She also founded the Club Managers Association of East Africa to give back and connect with others in the industry. Recently, Kenyans Come Home placed her as the new Chief Operating Officer at Future Hotels Limited --which owns and runs the award-winning safari lodge Finch Hattons in Tsavo West National Park. Finally she feels, after being home for 5 years, that her role “has met my expectations,” she says. She is now married to one of the friends she reconnected with during that trip in 2012, and they have one child. “When it comes to the quality of life and that balance, especially in the position I am in now, I am happy.”

6 months ago

One thing that doesn't seem to winding down is the array of investment opportunities in Kenya. According to a recent Quartz Africa graph, Kenya remains one of the top investment destinations on the continent. "In line with previous years, South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria continue to dominate as investment destinations accounting for 76% of total funding this year, slightly lower than the 81% of last year's total."

6 months ago

Happy Furahiday! We hope you've had a good week and (those of you in Nairobi) we hope you are enjoying this glorious weather! It seems Nairobi's sunshine is just one of the many reasons Kenyan diaspora and ambitious expats are making the move to our "cosmopolitan hub." A recent BBC article by Harriet Constable highlights some of the reasons that millennials are making the move to Kenya. With the most developed tech scene in East Africa rivalling hubs like Cape Town, Lagos and Cairo, Nairobi has become a hub for innovators, entrepreneurs and dreamers. Factors such as "high-speed internet, globally-renowned innovation, major funding and the presence of incubators and hubs" present low barriers for new companies to set up. So what are you waiting for? Check out our exciting opportunities right here at home.