In this episode, Group Executive Director at Equity Group Holdings PLC and Angaza Awards Finalist Mary Wangari Wamae talks about the importance of coordinated effort to encourage more women to occupy top management positions. She reflects her transition from law to banking, spearheading the group's listing in various countries in the region and growing the bank's balance sheet from Ksh 4 billion in 2004 to Ksh 1.1 trillion in 2021. Finally, we wrap the episode with a discussion on what it takes to scale the career ladder, the importance of integrity creating networks, and how receiving accolades and recognition inspires others. 

This episode features:

Ally Mwakaneno Gakweli – Business Writer & Host, Hisa Technologies

In this episode, Leadwood Energy Founder and Managing Director, Elsie Mbugua explains the shift in the energy trading industry over her 15 year career spanning stints in Goldman Sachs, J.P Morgan and in different continents from US to London and now Africa. She further talks about the shift in investments from fossil fuels to renewable energy and the increasing need for environmental, social and corporate governance in companies. We then wrap up the discussion with some of the innovations to look forward to in the energy sector in Kenya and Africa at large.

This episode features:

Elsie Mbugua – Founder and Managing Director, Leadwood Energy

Eric Jackson – Co-Founder & CTO, Hisa Technologies

Audio Production by Ally Mwakaneno Gakweli 

Episode Artwork by Muteti Munyambu – Hisa Technologies

In this episode, Quantainsure and Quantarisk co-founder and Angaza Awards Finalist Pooja Bhatt highlights the importance of reflecting and documenting achievements, making her mark in the insurance industry and mentoring young people. She also talks about how recognizing the accomplishments of women gives younger women a chance to aspire for greatness and mentions women that inspire her. 

This episode features:

Pooja Bhatt – Co-founder and CEO, Quantarisk and Quantainsure

A nanny search, a random pitch, and a cleaning service platform. SweepSouth Co-founder Aisha Pandor tells the story of how her nanny's holiday break and a convoluted journey of finding a short-term replacement inspired her to build a platform that connects homeowners with home service providers offering cleaning, among other services. Aisha chats with Mwakaneno Gakweli on the early days of scaling the startup, how Aisha and her husband and SweepSouth CTO Alen Ribic bootstrapped their way through their savings, pensions, and selling personal items, meeting their first investor in an unexpected pitch, and scaling the business across Africa.

SweepSouth bridges the trust and convenience gap for homeowners while solving the unemployment and underemployment problem in the informal sector.

This episode features:

Aisha Pandor – Co-founder and CEO, SweepSouth Ally Mwakaneno Gakweli – Business Writer & Host, Hisa Technologies Audio Production by Ally Mwakaneno Gakweli Episode Artwork by Muteti Munyambu – Hisa Technologies

Last week, the All-share index dropped by 3.12%, 5.3 basis points likely backed by the decline of Safaricom, a market mover whose price fell by 3.43% week on week, closing at Ksh 39.40 on Friday. Banks accounted for 60.92% of the market activity while Safaricom did 32%. NBV and Crown Paints topped the gainers list, moving 12.1% and 8.89%, respectively. On the losers side, Scangroup dropped by 8.85% because of the statement announcing delays on their financial statement.

Some of the matters moving markets this week include the mounting clashes between Israel and Palestine, which could pull in other countries like Iran, affecting things like oil prices. The involvement of countries like the US could affect local markets, as foreigners dominate the NSE. 

NCBA Bank Rwanda Chief Executive Office and Angaza Awards Finalist Lina Higiro chats with Ally Mwakaneno Gakweli on her career journey, the challenges she faced, and her milestones. In the podcast, Lina highlights the different forms of acknowledging the contributions of women in companies and how highlighting the achievements in public inspires other capable women. Lina closes the episode by discussing initiatives she has co-led to create a pipeline for leadership and institutions that women would love to work for by focusing on mental health, career development and sexual harassment.

Highlights:

• Organisations need to revise interview processes to define attributes of job in favour of gender inclusivity.
• Encouraging women in public, both internally and in more prominent forums, develops a pipeline of capable women who can pursue achievements and opportunities at the workspace.
• Competence and expertise do not automatically generate recognition and advancement. It is essential to speak up for yourself, cultivate a sponsor or a supporter who will advocate for your ideas at work, be vigilant for new opportunities, and give people a good reason to remember.

4G Capital CEO Wayne Hennessy-Barrett discusses the Neobank's experiences in extending working capital credit to small businesses during COVID-19 and how partnerships with Citi and Mastercard provided the necessary raft for small businesses. Wayne says it is essential for the government to offer a protective framework for creditors and a favourable tax policy for businesses. Finally, he highlights the company's milestones for the year, including recent funding round and a Series C on the horizon.

In this episode, Peter Ndegwa talks about the transition to a fully fledged technological company and how it will impact its employees. He also reflects on his one year at the CEO seat and talks about moving the company beyond connectivity. Safaricom Chief Customer Officer Sylvia Mulinge talks of Integrating M-PESA into Amazon and a possible content partnership with the e-commerce giant.

In this episode, Angaza Awards Finalist Dr Millicent Omukaga, an Advisor-Women Empowerment and Financial Inclusion at African Development Bank Group, talks to Ally Mwakaneno on the importance of highlighting the achievements of women and how to bring to the surface women who are changing industries in the background. Millicent also shares how her career experiences brought the conscious need to interrogate the gender gap in management and how it inspired her to venture into mentorship for women and girls to draw attention to opportunities. Millicent shares the gaps in policy, including the need for better workplaces practices and policies addressing succession and pay and benefits management. 

Read more on Dr Millicent's work on bringing gender equality on boards on her PhD Thesis: Women on Corporate Boards: Navigating Gender Hurdles to Access Corporate Boards in Kenya.

In this episode, the Hisa Team discusses implications of higher interests in US markets on companies and investors. They also share their insights on the need for regulation in cryptocurrency, and how regulation could promote use cases for crypto as large corporations venture into the space. Finally, the team shares their sentiments on the two sides of Safaricom's entry into the Ethiopia market, including the market potential and the risks awaiting the consortium, should they secure the licence for Ethiopia.