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A MAGAZINE FOR THE CAREER-PERSON AND ENTREPRENEUR
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EDITOR'S NOTE 03
THE GENDER WAGE GAP 04
THE PERFECT RESPONSE 08
GINA DIN-KARIUKI: A GIRL FROM NANYUKI WHO GREW UP TO RUN THE WORLD 12
Contents WOMEN IN STEM 20
WEIGHT REGULATION 25
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Editor’s Note Hello & Welcome to White Collar! The women’s issue is finally here! While looking at famous quotes about women, I stumbled onto comparisons and euphemisms that focused on their beauty and grace, which are qualities that I applaud, however these quotes were more likely to have been written by men and focused on what these men saw and experienced instead of the substance of the woman in question. Oscar Wilde’s words here, underscore the very point that I am trying to make, “Women are made to be loved, not understood.” When women tell their own story we see a drastic change in how they talk about themselves. “Women are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world,” Said Hillary Clinton. There is still a long way to go when it comes to the fight for gender equality. Women have made tremendous strides and are shattering glass ceilings across different industries, all of this, in their own strength. As women band together it’s my personal request that they don’t isolate the men who want to fight for women’s causes. When travelling far, go with a friend.
Contributors:
Michael Kiruthi, Esq Daniel Kathare Ian Macharia Kyama Kivuva
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Kyama Kivuva
ManuKyama
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the gender wage gap in africa Is it really equal pay for equal work??
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ccording to a study done by Odipo Dev (A cutting edge data science firm based in Nairobi), the average working man in Kenya earns about Ksh 32,400 ( about $ 324 ) a month and at the same time the average working woman makes about Ksh 20,925 (about $ 209) a month for the same amount of work. The earnings ratio between men and women in Kenya is about 10:8. Similar trends are being realised through-out the world and we’ve been looking at the reasons why the gender wage gap is persisting despite the active campaigns to solve it. Citi group is the first company to openly publish their earning’s report which reveals that women there earn about 29 per cent less than men.
Gender Roles & their implications:
However wonderful this progressive law was it ended up triggering the beginning if thee gender-pay rift. As men
We have seen that freeing the potential of women is the fastest multiplier that we have
Historically, men have been the breadwinners in their respective households, which means that women had to be the homemakers and nurturers. The 19th Century saw the first mass employment of women, however the quality of work and level of pay were still rather low. World War Two is often falsely identified as the first time that women received mass employment, but by them about a quarter of American women worked outside the home. What changed after world war two was the quality of work and, the now steadily rising, pay. They got office jobs such as secretaries and were hired for a few industrial jobs which were seen as feminine for example sewing. However around 1947, women were allowed to go to university and this changed the playing field for them. The times still caught up to most of them as they had to leave work the moment they had children or even got
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married. As time went on provision were made to give more women time off as a kind of leave to briefly take care of their children however it wasn’t fully implemented in the law until the 1970’s when many European countries set in in the law. It was cited as a provision that is prohealth of both mother and child. During such leaves mothers would tend to their children and ensure that they were well taken care of. As time went on the duration of maternity leaves was extended from a month, to three and in some places to 6 months and now in United Kingdom women can access up to 52 weeks (1 year) of paid leave.
went on working and women were tending to the children men got more chances to learn and improve their skills and by the time the women were resuming work they were not at par anymore with their male colleagues. Resuming work meant playing catch up. Furthermore, as time goes on even after the women resume work a lot more is expected from the women at the home front. The women are expected to deal with their children’s sick days, or attend the school plays and all the while their male counterparts are focusing on work and building a better rapport with the company’s management team and when it’s time to look for staff to promote more often than not they choose the employee that they are more familiar with.
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What others are doing to repair this gap? Two countries Rwanda and Iceland have nearly closed their gender pay gaps. But Rwanda’s story is one of great misfortune. In the early 1990’s there were inter-tribal wars that lasted about 3 months, over the course of which 800,000 people died majority of which were men. This shifted the gender balance of the Rwandese population was about 60 to 70 per cent female. Most of the working men had either passed away or immigrated and the nation felt the employee vacuum across their organizations, enterprises and in their government. In an attempt to ensure their survival and that of their families, women rose to the occasion and filled gaps that were previously unexpected for the average Rwandese woman. They joined the police and military in huge numbers and it wasn’t long before there were female Mayors and Governors.
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Today at least 68% of the seats in Rwanda’s national parliament are held by women, the highest of any national parliament in the world. According to the national labour participation statistics, women have so far have 88 per cent participation, which has beat the 87 per cent participation shown by the men. Because of this Rwanda has successfully narrowed their gender wealth gap, meaning that the average woman’s pay is at about 86 cents to the man’s dollar. “We have seen that freeing the potential of women is the fastest multiplier that we have in terms of our growth.” Said Valentine Rugwabiza, Rwanda’s Ambassador the UN in a documentary covering the wealth gap in Rwanda. “It is
such an accelerator when it comes to eradicating poverty. Rwanda’s unfortunate circumstances coupled with a set of progressive laws have served to narrow the wage gap. For most other countries, the first step would be to pass a set of similar laws that reserve government seats for women and make provisions for equal rights. This would be a huge step but it is only a small part of the bigger puzzle. To truly make an impact, women need to involve men in their fight. Some progressive European governments have set laws that allow for paternity leaves as well and made it a ‘use-it or loseit’ type of case and more men began to opt to take the leave. Men also have to want to be there for some of the school plays and doctor’s visits as well. In countries where this is common practice, for example, Iceland, women earn about 91 cents for every dollar that a man earns.◊
VALENTINE RUGWABIZA
The Rwandese government realised that in order to rebuild Rwanda, they needed the help of women. And so the government passed a new constitution where they instituted an equal rights bill between men and women and went
a step further to pass another bill which states that at least 30% of positions have to be filled by women across all levels of government.
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How to
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pportunity is an unexpected and rare thing. There’s rarely any fair warning before you hear the proverbial ‘knock on the door’ but when it does come, it’s entirely up to you to rise to the occasion. When looking at a seasoned career-person they always seem to say and do the right thing in the face of opportunity. It looks effortless and natural… but is it?
A good case where the perfect responses were used to rise to the occasion came when Sir Bobby Robinson moved to the Sporting Club Portugal. He couldn’t speak Portuguese or Spanish very well and had a great need for an interpreter who could aptly get the point across during the heavily covered press conferences and training sessions. A multilingual young man who also happened to have studied sports science at the Technical University of Lisbon stepped was up for the challenge. But when Jose translated on Sir Robinson’s behalf he would sometimes add on little pieces of information that made a huge
What would it Let’s use the famous ‘elevator be like if you pitch’ as a reference point. This represents the 30 seconds that a paid attention, potential financier is stuck in an elevator with you and has to listen to asked questions, your idea and vision. Someone who intends to walk out of there with a requested to o respond when you’re put on the spot handle projects, gave your two cents on the issues listed on deal probably foresaw an event like difference in the way the players the agenda? this and spent weeks crafting the performed and also how the press
T RESPONSE perfect pitch, repeating the lines over and over again until they felt natural. When the moment finally arrived with the realness, intensity and unexpectedness that they usually do you’re already familiar with each word and have paired it with an almost musical cadence.
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would perceive Sir Robinson’s strategy. It wasn’t long before Sir Robinson caught on, but instead of a harsh reprimand, he ended up taking pointers from this young man who had a seemingly exceptional eye for strategy. And when Sir Bobby moved to FC Porto in 1993, it wasn’t a surprise that Jose moved
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with him and again in 1996, they immigrated together to Barcelona, moves that placed Jose in the perfect place to ascend into a career of team management. One wouldn’t really consider the weekly office meeting in the same respect as the elevator-pitch, but what if you actually did? What would it be like if you paid attention, asked questions, requested to handle projects, gave your two cents on the issues listed on the agenda? This is admittedly easier for the ‘office cool kids’ and/or management but for someone hoping to make a splash for the first time, it can be difficult, especially when your personality and demeanour makes it difficult to be outgoing. However, if the boss points at you and asks ‘You there, what do you think about this?’ It will more often than not catch you off guard. Instead of hoping you’re not put on the spot, prepare. Google’s research on high-performing teams revealed that two things were consistently present in their meetings: broad participation and psychological safety. Calling on people – even if it feels like putting them on the spot – is critical gaining broad participation. This means that when your boss shines a light on you, he isn’t doing so to be a jerk, he genuinely is interested in what you have to say. It usually goes way better if you’re prepared.
Prepare adequately:So what does preparation look like? Remember the notebook that you scribble those little thoughts that you felt were important at the moment? That’s an excellent place to start. Reading
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through what happened in the previous meeting sets you up to understand the direction that the coming meeting might be heading. It’s best to do this, and maybe even make audio notes that you can listen to on your way into the next meeting. This puts you in the right frame of mind. In some companies like Amazon, They have a half hour intro-session in the weekly meetings where everyone reads all the memos and notes in preparation for the meeting. This was set up when management found out that more often than not people pretended to have read the memos and it dulled the productivity of the meetings. After this moment was taken to reflect, listen keenly to the tone that the meeting takes as it kicks off. Listening helps to organize your thoughts. Another part of preparation is having a go-to set of responses that you can retrieve to help you to position yourself better for a response. People usually see past delay tactics so avoid those if possible. The key here is to employ honesty with each statement. ‘Please say a bit more about what you’re asking’ is a decent response for when you need more information about what you’ve been asked about or need a clearer context. It’s important to only use this when you need more information about a certain topic. ‘I’ll get back to you by 1 pm’ if you don’t have the answer you could respond with. It frees you up to learn more about the said topic and is a better go to than rambling or making excuses. ‘This is what I’m getting from the conversation’ is
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an excellent way to re-affirm the ideas that have been floated. It also shows that you’re listening while giving you the freedom to express your understanding of the conversation while allowing others the freedom to help you get on the same page as them on issues where you might have missed a point or two. This validates the contributions of everyone and allows for understanding across the board. ‘While I would have preferred a different approach, I fully support this’ is a good way to show that you stand with the team’s decision despite having a different approach. You won’t always have things your way, and in moments like that, you can let people now that despite your different stance, you still support them. ‘I think I’m clear about the ideas, and I see it differently. May I tell you?’ As far as disagreements go this is a good way to get into it. Disagreements happen from time to time and when they do it’s important to speak in a way that allows you to be heard. Speaking in a way that reduces defensiveness and eliminates the notion of right and wrong makes it easier to navigate conversation and eventually find a point of connection.
Believe that your contribution matters:
Everyone who’s a regular participant in meetings believes that their ideas matter, no matter how wrong or mediocre they might be. You should too. Your ideas and perspective are unique to you and your background. No one else sees things as you do and so your ideas have value. You could dismiss them as ordinary, but to another person, they might be Gold. Making an impression is more about honesty, not about how well polished your thoughts are and if you respect your ideas, others will too.
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Start slow:The surprise that comes with being put on the spot can cause a knee-jerk reaction which spurs people to start talking too fast. You have to fight this urge. The best way to do so is to pause and take a deep breath before you respond. It’s clear to everyone that you’ve been put on the spot and won’t be seen as wrong or inappropriate.
Set up Your responses:
If you have a decent grasp of what your response will be its good to let the group know what to expect. Set up your responses with a statement that summarises your contribution like ‘I have one comment and two questions’ or ‘ Here are three points that I think we could highlight on as we go along.’ This is meant to help you organize your thoughts and reduce the chances your rambling. Sometimes – when put on the spot – it’s okay to ramble, however, it is important that you let them know ahead of time. Justify the ramble with an introductory statement like ‘I have a few points but I’m uncertain about how I’m going to express them, please bear with me’. This gives you the freedom to think out loud.
Politely Decline: If you have been called on to speak and genuinely have nothing to add, then find a way to pass on the opportunity without sounding disinterested or unprepared. You might mean well when you use statements like ‘I’m fine, thank you’ but they have a way of sounding dis-engaged. The better way to go about this is by using statements like ‘Thanks for asking, my thinking has already been expressed by others.’ Or ‘ Thanks for checking in with me, my group can live with what we’ve agreed on.’ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊
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A Girl From Nanyuki Who Grew Up To Run The World 12
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ina suggested that we go with the name ‘Safaricom’ and not ‘Vodafone’ to ensure we entered the market as a Kenyan company,” said Michael Joseph, the former CEO of Safaricom. I had been thinking about this line the past few days leading up to my meeting with Gina. “Don’t call me Gina, you’re far too young, it’s Auntie Gina to you,” she chuckled. Everything, from the parking to her offices, was exactly what you’d imagine from a woman whose career spanned over 20 years and across numerous borders. On the way to the elevators I brushed shoulders with politicians and dignitaries. Their every step was a testament to their power and position; you could instantly pick them out from a crowd. A clean glass door separated the Gina Din Group from the rest of the world and even from the corridor you could tell that the design was intentional. At first glance all you see is the company logo seemingly suspended in midair, followed by a well-lit wall of awards. Inside, the walls are decorated with works of art and quotes that affirm their position in the PR industry. One quote which was underlined, written in large bold letters and positioned at eye level, stood out: “Those who tell stories, rule the world.” Which is funny because Gina is a seasoned story-teller and just might be one of those women who run the world. Her office wall of fame is covered in photos of her with A-list Celebrities, the most passionate Dignitaries, forward thinking Billionaires and Presidents. Just as I arrived and settled into the visitor’s longue, Gina’s meeting with a diplomat had come to an end. She walked him out while she aired two or three points which dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s on the meeting they had just had. In the meantime Wanjiru, Gina’s executive assistant, gave me a tour of the office. The entire place buzzed with activity. It was busy… unsentimental... efficient. As the tour wrapped up we were back at the starting point where we found Gina waiting. She smiled, made direct eye-contact and extended her hand. “Hello… Welcome, have you had a refreshment yet?” She asked as we walked to her office, which had the word “BOSS” written on it in black bold large letters… subtle! We settled in while making smalltalk, the casual ‘we have this person in common… they’re so great’ and the mindful ‘hope your day’s going fine’ which slowly built up into in to this:
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A business personality is a lot of things to a lot of people but how would you describe yourself? I am ambitious, driven, complex, gentle, and gregarious; a bit of a nomad!
What was your childhood like? Did you enjoy it? Who were your role models? My childhood was magical. I had a truly incredible and diverse childhood with loving parents. I grew up in a hotel in Nanyuki and was exposed to people from all walks of life very early on. My dad was a complex man…courageous, a visionary. A man
Were you the model student? What was your relationship like with authority? I was not a model student at all and hated school. My various teachers either thought it was endearing how terrible I was to teach or were not amused at all. I have always questioned the status quo even at a young age. I found so many things at school quite pointless.
Do you feel that education has adequately equipped you for your career and business? If not, what changes would you advise to help improve the quality of education?
I am the sort of person that lives on adrenaline and challenges. I am not good at routine whatsoever
before his time. He always questioned the status quo…never accepting that a solution to anything couldn’t be found. He read widely- probably more widely than most of his peers. He was the wisest man in the village. He taught me a lot about people about business about resilience and grit. My dad had grit. Even when things seemed overwhelming he just buckled down and moved on. I am a bit like that. In my 21 years of owning my own business I have been through so many challenges.
Looking back were there any personality traits in your early life that pointed to a career in communications & business? My dad was a great story teller and so I guess my communications skills were drilled into me quite early. My mother was much quieter but kind. In the late 50’s before I was born she used to cook for the women freedom fighters and secretly take the food to them in the Mount Kenya forest. She taught me a lot about being a woman and supporting women. I learnt so much about nature from her. She loved her garden and I always love to tend to our garden at home.
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I think it’s only after I left school and well into adulthood that I became fully aware of the gaps in education systems. An ability to memorise dates, for instance, did little for my intellectual potential. All it does is prove we can retain information. Having seen my two adult children through school and college, I am more aware than ever that what you learn at school is entirely dependent on where one ends up, how good your teachers are, which examination board you sit and whether your school is well funded or stretched for resources. I found we were being forced to narrow down our options at an age when we really don’t know who we were and what we really wanted.
You grew up in Nanyuki, around your family owned hotel. What impact did this have on how you turned out? As both my parents were entrepreneurs, they taught us business and financial principals from quite young ages. I am the youngest of four girls and all four of us own our
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own businesses - all of us working with people. I guess growing up with parents that were hoteliers gave us people skills very early. As young children we were involved in our parents in some way be it preparing menus, customer service work or helping with the hotel gardens. We realised the importance of hard work. There’s something really powerful watching a parent, the most influential person in your life, treat hard work as just what they did daily. The beauty of working in the hospitality industry was that we were forced to interact with unfamiliar individuals on a regular basis. I know watching my parents solve problems has helped me think creatively.
It’s rumoured that the Hotel in Nanyuki is where you met your husband, Christopher Kariuki. What was it like navigating an interracial relationship in those days? Yes I met my husband in Nanyuki. My childhood sweetheart! I don’t even want to start about inter racial relationships.....it was very difficult from both sides. Sadly I don’t think there’s been that much progress. Of course all these years later everyone loves everyone but I still find it ridiculous there was so much judgment on both sides about people they didn’t even know.
Tribalism and racism stem from the same place. How do we, as a country, rise above these instincts? It’s so strange to think that someone can see the contours of ones face, or hear his accent, or learn from where in the country they are from and almost reflectively know you don’t like them. The “ME” and “US” politics is what divides us as a people. I think politicians use tribalism to support their own agenda and we need to start questioning what they say and being objective. We keep hearing of “community interests” causing fear amongst the masses when in fact it’s purely for the benefit of the politicians. Ultimately the buck stops with us. We must take charge of our destiny. We must question....poke holes into what we
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are being fed.
You started out at Barclays in the early 1980’s. What was it like settling into this institution? What advice would you give to new hires/ interns to help them acclimate? My time at Barclays was incredible. I was very young.... about 22 and in a senior management position. I learnt a lot on the job but had incredible mentors and role models. I immersed myself into everything I could, even those that didn’t really concern my role. I was like a sponge wanting to absorb, everything I chose.
You were at Barclays for about 14 years. What little lessons did you pick up that could help the career-person reading this, on their corporate climb? My 14 years at Barclays were marvelous. I was very young. I had responsibility and big budgets. It was quite intimidating at first. I think I was successful because I wasn’t a banker and my ideas were different to everyone I was surrounded by. I challenged the current thinking. I always found ways to challenge the paradigm. I was always visible, showed initiative and made recommendations. I made sure I was seen as a problem-solver and I was a good team player.
What are the tell-tale signs that it’s time for a change in your career? I am the sort of person that lives on adrenaline and challenges. I am not good at routine whatsoever. Luckily in my business no two days are the same. I love variety and learning about so many different businesses. I want to become an authority in my clients business so I can tell their story well.
Most people move from one employer to another. What motivations drove you to set up your own ‘shop’? I started out on my own mainly because had I left Barclays
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to go to another corporate, the actual work would have remained the same. Barclays treated me well I loved my role. It didn’t make any sense to move for the sake of it. I stayed at Barclays for a good and happy 14 years. I started out on my own when I had two young children and I was restless. Inside me I knew there was something much more I wanted to do. Most people I worked with in Banking were functional people. And so I was very different. I wasn’t functional at all. I look at myself as a vital person. My colleagues would see themselves as competent when they improved processes but i was more about ‘results’. Processes weren’t my thing. I was always the one that asked “why” we did things a certain way and “what” things would look like in the future. For me it was all about creating value and so I never saw my colleagues as competitors but rather as partners.
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Most people in the bank joined at 18 and stayed until retirement. The bank trained them and they were real true bankers. And to be honest it worked for them. They had stability, low interest loans and good pensions. I had that option too. The thought of continuing to do what I had done for 14 years scared me and I was quite happy to trade my stability for the unknown value of my own personal brand.
While starting out is there any challenge that made you think ‘this is it, we can’t possibly move past this’? I can basically sum up my journey as follows: 1. Start-up: Testing the market. I had far less time on my hands and much more stress. 2. Wilderness: struggling ‘solopreneur’ juggling several roles
3. Lifestyle: a team of 3 to 12 people, less hours, more revenue, low profit 4. The Desert: too small to be a big business and too big to be a small business 5. Performance: Steady growth, high valuation, investable, great time, culture, profitable Of course it’s not been a walk in the park. But it’s been more than I ever imagined it would be. I have had an incredible 21 years.
You’re one of Africa’s foremost evangelists. How do you strike a balance between the reality, and vision you have, for the continent? My goal is to shape the African conversation. However i am a realist when it comes to the continent. And whilst a number of African economies are recording encouraging annual growth rates this does not mean the lives of average citizens are necessarily moving at
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the same rate. However, I do believe the world view of the continent must recognise our success stories and shift the current narrative to one that encourages investment and makes us proud to be African.
What kind of leadership do you demonstrate? Has it evolved over the years? If so, in what ways? I want to create more leaders not more followers so i push my team to develop themselves to their full potential. I am so proud of the over 400 people that have either worked or interned for us and watching them in their spaces doing incredible things and adding so much value.
How do you stay centered, focused and motivated? My children ground me. Nothing impresses them! They are both accomplished in their own right and they keep me centered on what’s really important. My team at my office motivates me. They are young, enthusiastic and driven.
You’ve ventured into more than just PR. How do you determine what is worth going into?
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Yes i am an entrepreneur with investments in a number of areas. Not all have been successful but I am not afraid of failure. I have done things that are way out of my comfort zone. I am just really comfortable being uncomfortable
A lot of African businesses barely make it past the first year. Yours celebrated its 21st anniversary. Is there a formula to longevity? I guess I can put it down to grit. I am resilient and have faith. I am really proud of my brand and my team. I am glad we are the most awarded brand on the continent and given the incredible changes in our industry, I fully appreciate we need to move with the times and change as an organization.
You’ve had the privilege of being in close proximity to power. Did you take the chance to evangelise on the policies you’d like to see changed? By nature, I nurture relationships and many of my contacts become close friends. I tend to evangelise to my friends in the areas I feel strongly about in the hope that we can
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collectively change policy where need be. I am passionate about the narrative around the African continent and feel particularly blessed to have so many great friends on the continent that are all so passionate about supporting growth and good governance.
What policies do you advocate for? The areas i feel strongly about are around maternal health and ending early child marriage.
What was it like handing over the reins to your company? Handing over the reins of my company hasn’t been as difficult as I thought. I have had such an incredible journey and so many experiences I never thought possible. I am very grateful for the opportunities my profession has opened up for me. I believe at some point in every business new skill sets are required and whilst I remain active in my business, I am excited to see us expanding our skill set to meet the market demands.
You’ve been quite fortunate and you actively give-back. How did you settle on giving back through your foundation? I was first exposed to philanthropy when I worked for Barclays Bank many years ago. I was in charge with developing the social corporate responsibility program and then assisted Safaricom develop the Safaricom Foundation. I found that part of my work so fulfilling and satisfying. I have also been extremely blessed and find paying it forward is so important. Through my foundation, the Gina
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Din Foundation, we give financially and I give my time. I also spend time with the Kenya Red Cross where i am the Goodwill Ambassador and UNFPA where I am the Honorary Ambassador. Giving is really important as it strengthens communities and I believe can create a nation that is emotionally aware.
Have your career and entrepreneurship made you a better person? If so, How? I have had a lot of life lessons on my journey as an entrepreneur. I learn every day. And whilst I have been in my industry for a long time, experience alone is no guarantee for growth. What I have tried to do is regularly transform my experiences into new lessons. I have a real openness to experience and I am willing to make my contribution bigger than my reward. I am so grateful for the life I have had and the people in my circle.
What would you tell 20 year old Gina if you met her today? I say to my 20 year old self not to fret so much. That things change quickly. It’s so easy to get caught up and stressed over what’s happening now when actually in five years’ time you won’t even remember this stress. Compete with your intelligence and your kindness and not your looks. Be careful whose giving you advice.... Take time on deciding who you bestow BFF status. You don’t know someone until you have experienced enough of life with them. Say yes more. Say thank you more. No matter how much it hurts, handle yourself with grace and dignity. No one can take those away from you.
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One would argue that you’re at your prime. You currently have a powerful network and quite a bit of wisdom. So what’s next for Gina? I have had a very full, busy and hectic life. I worked at a senior level in the corporate world, raised two children whilst establishing my brand, grew my business to being the most awarded communications agency on the continent....and being a typical Type A personality, I am constantly doing something. One thing that I’ve been laying the ground work for is a program that helps brilliant young women in high-school and college find their footing careerwise. This is one of the best ways to give back, with a bit of guidance- who knows how high these girls could go. On a more personal note though I love to travel, and travel widely! I want to see as many new places as I possibly can. I am lucky to have a wide network but my actual circle is quite small. I really enjoy spending time with those that are in my circle and I have to say as I get older, I am excited by new opportunities and making more dreams come true. There’s so much I want to do, both on a personal and on a corporate level. I have my goals list but this year I intend to prioritise ruthlessly and do a couple of the things on my list and do them really well.
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the world needs more
Amazon, Apple, Google, and Facebook; STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) powers all these giants. These four interdisciplinary subjects are more important today than at any point in human history. The increased momentum in growth, integration, and competition of the global economy has only served to fan the flame around the debate on the increasing importance of, and competitiveness in, STEM-related fields. STEM professionals form the backbone of every modern industry. These people built telescopes that allow us to peer into hidden worlds, invented machines that dragged the world into the Industrial Age, develop vaccines to fight highly infectious diseases, created the Internet, and construct the impressive skylines that define our cities today. Several industry insights confirm that careers in such fields remain the most lucrative and sought after in the world. This isn’t simply because they out-earn all other non-STEM fields by up to 30 percent. Today, many countries are in the midst of acute shortages of STEM professionals.
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According to the Smithsonian Science Education Centre, an upwards of 2.4 million STEM jobs went unfilled in 2018 alone. Between 2000 and 2010, STEM jobs tripled the growth rate of non-STEM jobs. This is quite impressive considering the fact that the rate of growth of STEM jobs between the Industrial Revolution and the turn of the new millennium only doubled. There seems to be an exponential growth in demand for STEM-related jobs. Between 2017 and 2027, the ‘Education Commission of the United States’ estimates STEM jobs will grow at 13 percent compared to other jobs at 9 percent. However in the middle of all this growth, in a particularly vibrant and disruptive field, women only make up about 24% in the UK, in the US 1 in 7 engineers is a woman, and in Kenya STEM participation shows a clear gender disparity ranging from 30%-35%. All these statistics beg the question: if there is so much room in STEM, why are women so severely underrepresented?
How We Got Here Women have had the short end of the stick when it came to conventional employment since the beginning of recorded history. To make matters worse STEM jobs have been predominantly male-dominated. This does not mean that women have deliberately
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avoided STEM fields. In fact, it’s quite the opposite; women have been actively involved in STEM and made significant contributions. You will be forgiven if you’ve never heard of the following women before: • Donna Strickland – 2018 recipient of Nobel Prize in Physics. • Margaret Hamilton – pioneer developer of NASA’s Apollo 11 flight software. • Nettie Stevens – discovered sex chromosomes in 1905. • Henrietta Leavitt – astronomer whose efforts helped scientists understand the nature of stars today. • Marie Curie – pioneering research in radioactivity earned her a Nobel Prize in 1903. • Maria Goeppert-Mayer – earned a Nobel Prize for proposing the nuclear shell model of the atomic nucleus. • Ada Lovelace – developed the first machine algorithm While this list is a testament to the accomplishments of women in STEM, hundreds more go without any recognition for their hard-earned achievements.
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This is the peril that faces women working in male-dominated STEM fields, that they risk being undercredited or outright cheated off their accomplishments. The Austrian physicist Lisa Meitner wasn’t recognized despite co-discovering nuclear fission; Cecilia Payne discovered the composition of stars but it was her supervisor who got the recognition, and Vera Rubin wasn’t recognized for co-discovering dark matter. This is a common theme in all STEM fields, especially prior to the 21st century. We can only assume that, despite the noted achievements of women in STEM, such egregious lack of recognition makes other women doubt their place in STEMrelated fields. Microsoft conducted a study across Europe in 2017 and discovered that girls become interested in STEM at 11 years but lose this interest by age 15. The reasons ranged from the lack of female role models in STEM to little hands-on approach for girls in STEM subjects. Sixty percent said it would help their confidence if there were equal employment for men and women in STEM-related jobs. Of course, this isn’t the case. Additionally, young girls are often actively discouraged from pursuing STEM subjects because they are ‘for boys’.
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Such engendered societal stereotypes and implicit biases already make them lose interest from the onset, and even undermines their performance in STEM careers in case they choose to pursue them later on. Other stereotypes about STEM-related jobs, that they isolate people or lead to a very poor work-life balance for professionals, may also have contributed to the low numbers of women in STEM. Other women claim to be unaware of opportunities in STEM of them. Regardless of the reasons, countless studies have established that the attitude of girls and women towards STEM is generally negative.
The Solutions UNESCO’s Institute of Statistics shows that female researchers account for less than 30 percent worldwide. In order to improve female representation in STEM-related careers, the solutions must begin at the root of the problem: the education and socialization of young girls. The first step to remedy this is to debunk the myth that girls and women dislike STEM-related subjects and careers. Teach girls that their intellectual skills are just as important as their soft skills: sustained effort should be put into helping them realize their career-relevant skills. In order to inspire these girls, the achievements of women in STEM should be widely broadcasted, just like their male counterparts.
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In college, institutions should actively encourage girls to select STEM majors. They should be able to understand the real world applications of STEM courses. More support, whether financial, material or socially, should be afforded to girls who choose to pursue STEM courses. These include mentorship programs and career events, grants and fellowships, and other forms of targeted outreach to encourage the women to complete the courses and transition to STEM-related careers. In the industry, companies should develop new performance appraisal systems to eliminate the toxic competition atmosphere between colleagues. Additionally, employers should support women in childbearing instead of forcing them to sacrifice either their careers or personal life. The City Park Foundation started Green Girls in 2002, a science program whose aim is to instill confidence in
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girls during their early education. This has helped increase the number of women in environmental science careers. In Kenya, UNESCO runs the annual Scientific Camps of Excellence for Mentoring Girls in STEM to increase high school girls’ enrolment in STEM. Business Daily reports that the number of women in STEM increased by 10.88 percent from 2016 to 21,400 in 2017, indicating a steady tightening of the gender gap.
A Paradox A number of countries have managed to implement various solutions to reduce the gender gap in STEM. However, the results weren’t as expected. Research by Psychological Science in 2018 showed that gender equality allowed women to avoid pursuing careers in science if they weren’t interested. The study suggested that the gender gap still existed and actually increased because girls go for other
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alternatives to STEM. It concluded that the data painted the “different inherent abilities” between men and women. This is the gender equality paradox; that the higher the level of gender equality in the country, the lower the fewer women go into STEM.
Which Way Forward? Paradoxes aside, the need for more women in STEM isn’t just a question of diversity, it’s a matter of the quality of innovation too. Women form half of the human population and have insights based on what they’ve experienced. In the 1960’s, the team at IBM didn’t know how to get a magnetic strip on the credit card until an engineer’s wife suggested that they just iron it to the card.
The UN set the 11th of February as the International Day for Women and Girls in Science. This is an important annual reminder that women should also be at the forefront of building an inclusive future. The jobs of the future are going to be produced by innovations in STEM and the input of women is crucial in shaping a world that is reflective of the society we live in. If the huge gender gap in STEM persists, it is highly likely that it will widen, leading to consequences that the world will no longer have the luxury of ignoring. “We know that just freeing the potential of women is the biggest multiplier we have seen in terms of our growth.” Valentine Rugwabiza, Rwandan Ambassador to the UN.
We are also on the cusp of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It is untenable that women still occupy just a paltry 28 percent of STEM-related jobs.
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WEIGHT REGULATION How do we effectively lose weight?
The agricultural revolution happened about 10,000 years ago, and it was when we discovered we could farm certain crops in order to feed the growing villages. The success of the revolution transformed villages into cities. However, there were a lot of issues surrounding the logistics of transportation and storage of food, meaning a large portion of the harvest was lost before it got to be eaten. And a lack of mechanisation meant that that food had to be processed by manual labour. An incredible amount of labour went
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into creating relatively small amounts of food, that were barely enough for the growing cities and kingdoms. Food was a sign of wealth and so was obesity, and in some places in remote Africa and Asia, this fact still stands true. Throughout most of human history, food and water were scarce. In fact, if you wanted to get the
population’s attention you would do it through stories of abundant food and this is a tool that those in power and storytellers often used to their advantage. Places with abundant food were constantly depicted throughout sacred texts, and children’s stories as a ‘mystical lands’. Those with a Judeo-Christian world view are familiar with the tale of the Promised Land overflowing with ‘milk and honey’ and in Scandinavia, the cautionary tale of Hansel and Gretel spoke of a secret house in the woods build entirely out of candy, confectionery and pastries.
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Food scarcity has always been a hot topic and was among the grievances that led to the French revolution in the late 1700s. It was also a major problem during the ‘dust bowl’ that coincided with the great depression. Looking at this trend, it shouldn’t surprise us that throughout most of history, a majority of the population were trim in stature. We see this in the paintings, sculptures and photographs that preceded the Second World War. However, after World War 2 there was a dramatic change in America. The government encouraged large scale farming which made food cheaper and more available. They streamlined food transportation with specialised vehicles that could keep perishable food cool as it was being moved. Breakthroughs in science allowed for food to be processed with preservatives which gave it a longer shelf-life and further still refrigeration allowed people to store perishable food for longer in their homes. Constant availability of cheap food that started in America in the mid to late 1940s signalled that a majority of the human population was finally living in the ‘promised land’, located not in a secret place but a different time; the 20th Century. Cheaper, more accessible food meant that people would be enjoying a lot
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more of it at their discretion. Around this period is when we see a slow uptick in the Uptick in American citizen’s Body Mass Index (BMI, is an attempt to quantify the amount of tissue mass - muscle, fat, and bone in an individual, and then categorize that person as underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obese based on that value) For an individual to move across the BMI index from normal weight to overweight, they have to be consuming an average of about 500 calories, on top of the usual breakfast, lunch and dinner meals. This 500 calorie surplus usually takes the form of snacks in between meals. As time went on, the rest the world started to eat more like Americans and adopted diets
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rich in carbs and fats. Fast food restaurant chains expanded throughout the developed world and this scale of operation allowed them to drop prices even further. Low prices, coupled with the convenience of getting a meal 7 minutes after you’ve ordered it and an amazing taste made fast food an easier choice as compared to
healthier, more bland-tasting options. A majority of the working population in the developed world preferred the convenience and cost of fast food. This food, coupled with a sedentary lifestyle, and office type work may have contributed to the higher number of overweight and obese cases of the working population which represents the middle and lower class of the society. In 2016, 39 per cent of the adults worldwide were classified as overweight and about 13 per cent were classified as obese. In Africa any headlines around food seem to revolve around the drought, scarcity or corruption, however, the rates of obesity seem to be going up alarmingly across the continent as well. In the past 36 years, the prevalence of adult obesity has jumped 1400 per cent in Burkina Faso and more than 500 per cent in Ghana, Benin, Ethiopia and Togo. This isn’t to say that there isn’t widespread hunger as a result of conflict, corruption and poverty, but that on top of
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this, there is also an overweight population that is putting pressure on an already overwhelmed healthcare system. Surges in obesity are more often than not followed by a rise in ‘fitness culture’. Gyms seem to be popping up left right and centre offering an outlet for physical exertion. The truth is however that, over 90 per cent of the energy that
comes from food goes into bodily processes like, sustaining a heartbeat, generating warmth, keeping your hair and fingernails growing. Very little energy from food actually goes into workouts and as a result, you end up being more prone to increases in appetite. A higher appetite means you consume more calories. And this creates a sort of a catch 22 for the person who intends to work out in order to lose weight and so these fitness centres began to offer dietary advice to accompany a workout often emphasising that weight regulation has more to do with one’s diet rather than work out schedule. So we began to watch what we eat, and this caution over food has fuelled a $ 66 billion dieting and weight loss industry in America alone, with the rest of the world quickly catching up. These diets have been marketed as easy, quick and
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effective, with attractive well-toned models being used as the face of the campaign. But the reality of the situation is that diets are very difficult to follow, and misleading commercials drive people to think they are the problem and not the diet, which couldn’t be further from the truth. The shame from having failed at a diet drives people to comfort food, and after binge eating the guilt drives them back to the diet. And these brands have this cycle built into their business model, which is why they market the way they do. Despite diets being marketed as effective, science is yet to confirm this. The first step should be openness: which means walking into a routine knowing full well that it won’t be pleasant. Starting there you are in a better position to handle yourself in case of any lapses, and it gives a sense of accomplishment when you’re able to tighten the metaphorical belt over long periods of time. It’s been very difficult to properly monitor people but shows like Citizen TVs ‘slimpossible’ have made it easier to study what it would be like and what it would take to lose a lot of weight at once. Following up on the show's participants we see a fair number of them gain about 20 per cent of their weight back. Take Norah Odundo, the season 4 slim possible winner who lost 39.8 Kgs on the show. In a follow-up piece by the Daily Nation she openly spoke about her weight gain, “Two years ago, I had returned to 130kgs and I decided that was it. I began changing my eating habits slowly. I first changed my breakfast, then lunch and then dinner. Then I began taking walks and doing home workouts.” So, are there diets that work? Over time the debate on diets has settled around cutting sugars or cutting carbs from the everyday diet.
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It’s difficult to monitor which one has the highest impact because the number of variables between individuals is too many; Ranging from genetics to blood groups, personal rates of metabolism and so much more. So how do we pick a diet that works? In an effort to settle this debate Dr Christopher Gardener carried out a study to compare how either diet affects weight loss. Participants were selected at random for either diet, from a mixed pool of participants. The point of the diet was to exclude either fat or carbs from the diet while still eating enough to avoid being hungry all the time. The results of both were nearly identical and this means that it’s pretty much down to the individual to find what works for them. And when the pressure was off and the participants were able to settle into a diet that worked for them, they began to report about a 500 calorie deficit in their everyday meals without knowing and this is perfect for losing weight or even consistently maintaining a certain weight. The findings from the study are that it’s down to the individual to experiment and find out whether cutting sugar works for them or they are more comfortable cutting carbohydrates from their diet. As said by ….. “Just find a diet that works for you, lay off junk & fast food as much as you can, drink a reasonable amount of water & work out as regularly and comfortably as you can… you’ll be okay”
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