COUTURE CONVERSES WITH SOME GREAT MEN

As we rally behind the strength and success of a woman, we realise that we cannot do it by ourselves, and we do need the men in our society. ANNE KABICHO and the COUTURE Africa Team caught up with some of these great men - across various fields to talk about work, happiness, purpose and country.

JIMI KARIUKI

Managing Director, Sarova Hotels

If I was not in the hospitality industry, I would probably be a lawyer. My father’s business partner was a practising lawyer and I liked his style. I guess over time my career path changed and I studied Marketing, graduated and joined the hospitality industry in 1992. Nonetheless, I am happy in the hospitality industry so I imagine if I was in the Legal fraternity I would be just as happy. This is simply because I would make it work for me.

What are you most passionate about?

When it comes to work, standards are very important to me. Maintaining high standards in areas of maintenance, hygiene, personal grooming, Customer service and treating colleagues respectfully are vital. These are areas that are non-negotiable. Outside the office, my wife and I love entertaining. It is important to keep in touch with friends and meet new people. So we regularly host guests at home.

How would you describe your job to a child?

That is an interesting one. I would probably say that I work in an office, with many other people. We have hotels where we have visitors who come to swim, see animals, enjoy the beach and eat good food. My job is to make sure that those visitors are happy.

It is said that there is no better time to be a young African woman, do you agree?

I do not think I can agree or disagree. I prefer to address the youth rather than just one gender. Whereas there are more opportunities available for the youth today, especially around technology, I think there are still more challenges than there are opportunities. More and more younger people are being brought into senior corporate positions, but they are still not enough, and especially not enough women.