Video Clips

Vimal Shah

Vimal Shah

Building Brands

Vimal Shah, Co-Founder and Chairman of Bidco Africa, discusses the group’s strategic approach to marketing soap products in Kenya, targeting the bottom of the pyramid market with multiple brands at different price points to compete with large multinationals such as Unilever.

Francis Okomo-Okello

Francis Okomo-Okello

Corporate Social Responsibility

Francis Okomo-Okello, chair of a leading Kenyan luxury hotel group and of the subsidiary of a major foreign bank, discusses his approach to corporate social responsibility programs based on full understanding of the needs of the local community.

James Mwangi

James Mwangi

Corruption

James Mwangi, CEO of Kenya’s Equity Bank, which has one of the largest customer bases of any bank in Africa, argues that the lack of financial literacy posed a far bigger challenge to the bank in Kenya than problems of corruption.

Francis Okomo-Okello

Francis Okomo-Okello

Corruption

Francis Okomo-Okello, Chair of a leading Kenyan luxury hotel group and of the subsidiary of a major foreign bank, observes the eco-system of corruption in Africa, which adds greatly to the cost of doing business, but argues that businesses can still thrive without engaging in it, if they manifest determination and consistency, and they can enhance their reputations as a result.

Vimal Shah

Vimal Shah

Diversification

Vimal Shah, Co-Founder and Chairman of Kenya-based Bidco Africa, outlines his focus on fast-moving consumer goods, emphasizing the importance of adapting to consumer demands and a growing population, while leveraging technologies such as fintech to support sustainable economic growth throughout Africa.

Manu Chandaria

Manu Chandaria

Ethnicity and Race

Manu Chandaria, Chair of the Comcraft Group in Kenya, describes the racial discrimination he experienced as an ethnic Asian in colonial Kenya, and more recent ethnic tensions in the country.

Mohamed Jaffer

Mohamed Jaffer

Ethnicity and Race

Mohamed Jaffer, Chairman of MJ Group, which is Kenya’s largest provider of cargo handling services, recalls the long struggle of locally-born Asians to be considered truly local. In 2017 the Kenya government finally recognized Asians as Kenya’s 44th tribe.

Dr. Manu Chandaria

Dr. Manu Chandaria

Family Business

Manu Chandaria, Chair of the Comcraft Group based in Kenya,describes the challenge of managing his far-flung enterprise with family members doing in business in a number of different locations, including Nairobi, London, Geneva, and elsewhere.

Dr. Manu Chandaria

Dr. Manu Chandaria

Family Business

Manu Chandaria, Chair of the Comcraft Group in Kenya, explains the importance of maintaining consistency in one’s core values and that, in family businesses, these values extend both to company- and family-related matters alike.

Dr. Elizabeth Mary Okelo

Dr. Elizabeth Mary Okelo

Gender

Mary Okelo, who pursued a successful career as an executive of British-owned Barclays Bank In Kenya before founding the only women’s bank in Africa and the Makini schools system, explains how she was regarded as a “troublemaker” when, while a manager at Barclays Bank, she advocated for women employees to have greater professional participation at the bank.

Dr. Elizabeth Mary Okelo

Dr. Elizabeth Mary Okelo

Gender

Mary Okelo, who pursued a successful career as an executive of Barclays Bank In Kenya before founding the only women’s bank in Africa and the Makini schools system, describes how, while a manager at Barclays, she encouraged women, who lacked contractual rights, to make use of the bank's services by opening children’s accounts.

James Mwangi

James Mwangi

Global Expansion

James Mwangi, CEO of Kenya’s Equity Bank, which has one of the largest customer bases of any bank in Africa, explains the challenges faced by his bank as it expanded into neighboring countries, especially lack of infrastructure, security and politics