Influential people in Business that you should follow

Influential people in Business that you should follow

As an entrepreneur, you’re always looking up to other entrepreneurs who have succeeded in their field probably to seek out guidance, wisdom and inspiration, especially when you are trying to get through the  tough days.

Today, coworking spaces are changing the whole concept of entrepreneurship, thanks to the diverse network of entrepreneurs you get in the space where you can connect, exchange ideas and thoughts and also through events or even other break out sessions that enable you meet, learn and engage with speakers who are exceptional in their areas of business.

Here is a list of some entrepreneurs, some of whom have been to our space that you can follow and learn a thing or two on entrepreneurship from:

Ken Njoroge

How about a dream actualized from a serviette? Co-founder and Group Co-CEO of Cellulant Ken is a career entrepreneur. He co-founded 3Mice Interactive Media and helped grow it to a leading web development firm in East Africa.

He led the Technology, Strategy and Solution Development teams as Solution Design Director responsible for conceptualizing and executing digital projects covering e-commerce, content management and e-business platforms for more than 50 regional blue chip customers.

In 2000, Africa Online, the largest Pan-African Internet Service Provider at the time, acquired 3Mice. Ken has led Cellulant from a dream of two founders in 2003, with a plan sketched on a serviette, to a reputable mobile commerce firm in Africa.

Ken began his higher education at the University of Nairobi, School of Pharmacy before switching careers to study Management of Information Systems at Strathmore University, in total pursuit of his passion for Connected Computing.

In a previously held After Office Hours session at Nairobi Garage, Ken shared his journey into entrepreneurship

James Mworia

He is one of the renowned Business Leaders in Kenya having risen up the leadership hierarchy from an intern to a CEO. James Mworia is not a new name in the world of business. He is the current Managing Director and Group CEO of Centum Investment Limited the largest publicly traded private capital firm in eastern Africa.

Mr Mworia has excelled at implementing Centum’s earlier decision to invest big in areas such as real estate and fast-moving consumer goods, raising debt, selling some assets and structuring joint ventures to fund the capital-intensive projects.

The ventures have grown in value, allowing the company to book multi-billion-shilling gains and ultimately satisfying the bonus payment criteria of clocking a minimum return of 15 per cent on net assets each year.

He is also a board member of Sidian Bank, UAP Group, UAP Life, General Motors EA, Servair – NAS, Nairobi Bottlers, Amu Power, CIMA Kenya, Lewa Conservancy Two Rivers Lifestyle Centre and CMA Corporate Governance Committee.

In October 2011 Mr Mworia was named Africa Young Business Leader of the Year at All Africa Business Leader Awards (AABLA). This award seeks to recognize business leaders below the age of 40 years who have displayed exemplary character of leadership and innovation in business.

In September 2012 he was named Tutu Fellow 2012, African Leadership Institute in conjunction with Said Business School University of Oxford. Tutu Fellows go through a rigorous program that exposes them to a variety of leadership learning experiences. The 2012 class was made up of 23 high potential emerging leaders between the ages of 25 and 40.

In June 2015 he was named the East African Business Leader of the Year Award, AABLA. He hosted our After Office Hours session in June and shared a few tips on his leadership skills.

Peter Nduati

Peter is the founder and CEO of Resolution Insurance (Formerly Resolution Health). Resolution Insurance is a general insurer that grants insurance covers under Personal Accident, Workmen Compensation, Liability, Medical and Miscellaneous classes of General Insurance Business.

Peter is a chartered insurer with over 20 years experience in the Kenyan Insurance Industry. He is a former CEO of Metropolitan Heath Group, a South African Health insurance group and was the Managing Director of AAR Health Services Tanzania.

Linet Kwamboka

Linet Kwamboka is the founder and CEO of Data Science Ltd, research, and analytics company that builds information systems that help institutions gain insights from data for better strategic planning and resource allocation.

The computer science graduate from The University of Nairobi has previously been a software engineer at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the World Bank and received the World Bank Spot Award recipient. She has been recognized as a top 3 global open data champion by the ODI Bloomberg Awards.

Lorna Rutto

One of Kenya’s eco-preneurs, Lorna Rutto is the founder of EcoPost, a venture that collects plastic waste and turns them into eco-friendly fencing posts that are used all over Kenya.

Hers is the classic, see a need and start a business to meet that need. Lorna has not only provide the country an alternative to timber fencing but has in the process created hundreds of jobs.

Through her venture, she has helped save over 250 acres of forests and found a way of disposing off waste that has been a headache to the Kenyan population

Ali Oumarou

Juggling between industries can be an uphill task to many people. But to Ali Oumarou, Managing Director of KIZA lounge and restaurant,, he is a retired professional football player he was able to shuffle in between his banking profession, in the banking and finance industry and running his business in the hospitality industry, where he set up one of the East Africa’s leading fine dining Afro-fusion restaurant and lounge in Kenya whose core mission is to showcase Africa to the world through sight, sound and taste.

Ali, who hails from Niger, a French Speaking country in West Africa, also chose to set-up his first restaurant in Kenya. And in one of our After Office Hours sessions he shared the challenges he faced as an entrepreneur while trying to set up a business in a foreign country and how he was able to get through. Today, KIZA Lounge is fast growing to becoming one of the largest restaurants in Kenya and Dubai

Terryanne Chebet

Terry Anne Chebet has taken the beauty industry by a storm. She is the founder of Keyara Organics. A company that manufactures skin care brands inspired by the African passion.

Venturing into a market that has been dominated by big brands like Oriflame and the likes, Terryanne wants to grow her company to become one of the leading manufacturers of beauty products in Africa and with her passion and determination, she will surely make it. Apart from business, Terry Anne is currently the General Manager of Metropol TV, Kenya’s first  24-hour business content provider.

Hilda Moraa

Hilda Moraa is the founder of Pezesha, a peer micro-lending marketplace that connects lenders with high quality underserved low-income borrowers.

Apart from Pezesha, Hilda is also the co-founder and former CEO of Weza Tele, a supply chain, distribution and financial mobile solution startup for the emerging markets that was acquired by Jumo (former AFB) for $1.7m.

She is a recipient of the Austrian Leadership Programme (ALP) by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs.

She was featured in Forbes 30 Most Promising Young African Entrepreneurs of 2016 and one of the Top 40 under 40 Women 2015 in Kenya.

Hilda has also been featured in the new book by Eunice Baguma Ball called “Founding Women: African women who are defying the odds to build successful businesses in tech.”

Eugene Mbugua

He is the CEO and Young Rich Television Limited, a media company that has produced several popular television shows in Kenya, among them; Young Rich; Get In The Kitchen; Stori Yangu and Our Perfect Wedding.

He is also the founder of My Yearbook Kenya Limited, a company that produces yearbooks for schools, companies and governmental organizations.

Mbugua was named among 30 most promising entrepreneurs for 2017 by the Forbes Africa list.

Kevin Mulei

Kevin Mulei is the founder of Mo Sound Entertainment and also the founder of the annual Groove Awards. Mo Sounds is a creative and equipment company which offers a wide variety of solutions in production, events management, digital media, brand activation and entertainment equipment.

He has been quoted as saying that he was motivated to start Mo Sound after seeing the bad state of sound equipment in the country as a DJ.  Mo Sound now has a branch in Rwanda and is set to open in Uganda and Tanzania. With over 70 employees, the company contracts the services of up to 40 more casuals when needed.

Despite mostly dealing in entertainment gigs, Mo Sound has grown to be the lead technical organizer for government and corporate events. Some of its best gigs have been organizing the Rwanda Independence Day celebrations, Kenya’s 50th Independence Day celebrations and the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES), graced by President Barack Obama in Nairobi.

Want to explore entrepreneurship beyond this? Check out our space today and sign up for a desk or two and get a chance to interact with other like-minded entrepreneurs.