Elizabeth Costabir: CEO by day, Korean movies lover by night​

Acutely aware of the pyramids of power, she knows the power play and where her power lies. It’s for the same reason she keeps her private life private, retaining her anonymity and protecting her confidants.

Regrets? She’s had a few. One of them is wondering if she should have had a family of her own. But you don’t know what you don’t know, and what she knows is that there is nothing better, at least presently, than winding down the day with your mother, and picking up that remote and finding a good Korean movie.

What makes you, you?

I am strong, ambitious, and adventurous. I am an outdoors person, I love to destress by walking in Karura Forest, and I love travelling, especially to the Maasai Mara. It’s when the world stands still and the noise in your head quietens and you appreciate the vastness of the land and the beauty of the country that I was born and bred in. The serenity of it and just being in nature is something I appreciate.

I am leaning on God in my work and trying to find that balance. I think a good exercise one can do every day is walking and breathing. I am also a music lover—from Jazz, R&B to rock. I am an outgoing person.

What did you dream of in your childhood?

I grew up in Nairobi and studied at Loreto Convent for my primary and secondary education, and later Strathmore for my A-levels. Back then, we were told when you leave school, find a job, which then were office jobs like personal assistants, which is how I started my career, as a personal assistant at the British Council.

I evolved to doing a lot more of the programmes between Kenya and the UK. I always dreamed of joining the aviation industry—there was just something about the uniform that was so cool.

I joined Israel Airlines and worked across departments, learning marketing, ground operations, and in the lost and found section. That was my 20s.

I enjoyed the world of advertising; I ended up working for Access Leo Burnett as an account manager. I also had a stint working for my father, who was running a music agency that brought in original CDs and made cassettes in Kenya for local and international music. Then I got the call to come to BuyRentKenya as a marketing manager, then became the CEO in 2017. 11 years later, here I stand.

But you are also the CEO of PigiaMe…

Yes, for the last two years.

What part of your childhood prepared you most for leadership?

School. Having a good grounding disciplined education. You are a student at a religious catholic setup, which was Loreto Convent. Taking the courses at Strathmore University prepared my journey in management and strategic thinking. All my jobs were the stepping stones…as CEO, you need to be a jack of all trades and really get into the DNA of it—these were the foundations of where I am today.

Have you always been ambitious?

My dad was a policeman during the colonial era, so he was very disciplined, and that got ingrained in me. Go-getter, be better—not just for yourself but for everyone around you, your community. What are you contributing?

What do you know about power now that you didn’t know when you became a CEO?

Getting to the top is much harder than when you think of it as a child. Climbing the ladder is not as easy as it seems, but I have always kept trying and being resilient, and failure is success turned inside out.

And now you are at the peak of two mountains…

For now. I always think you can grow more and venture out into doing different things.

Already running one company must be taxing…

You have to learn how to multitask. When I was asked to support two of our businesses, what it takes is that you need to have a clear vision for each because we might be two separate entities, but at the end of the day, we are connecting people efficiently to products, services and opportunities that our users need from the market places.

Having a clear vision—what are you doing to set up this market? Being professional, having integrity, and being customer-centric and honest. Success comes if you invest in your people—training, cross-functional teams, et al. Everybody is interconnected, we are all one team.

What’s the one business lesson that didn’t apply across both enterprises that you initially thought it would?

Different teams have different scopes of work. It is about understanding the ethos and product of each business.

At BuyRentkenya, we connect property seekers with buyers. At PigiaMe, we connect buyers and sellers in B2C and B2B communities.

The difference will be the sizes of the team, one is bigger than the other, but how do you divide the time equally? The lesson is about balancing the time, redesigning, rethinking and rediscovering. Some things are common in management, like common sense, but not everything goes as you thought it would.

Not to make this a gendered question, but as a woman leading two companies, how do you keep your plates balanced?

As a woman, when you are in the workplace, this is seen as a man’s world. You have had to fight for your recognition at the table, but I have had great support from my local and international teams.

I live with my mum, my father passed away when I was in my 30s. It was like having to step up into the shoes of someone who always knew what to do—it was leadership at work, and at home. So, how do you find the balance without cracking? It is good to have good people around you; the company you keep is the company you become.

Do you still feel the weight of womanhood in a male-dominated space?

No, I don’t. It was always felt that women were in the kitchen, or at home, or in small, menial jobs. I think it is based on scale rather than gender. I advocate for women in real estate.

I’ve been lucky that when the reins were handed to me by a male CEO, I was one of the first few women who joined the leadership team at the wider group. I don’t feel inferior or intimidated. I got mentored by some of the bosses here, and I am grateful to them for the journey I have had over the eight years I have been a CEO.

How do you claim your space in places where people don’t look like you?

I am friendly and open, but it’s also about networking. I don’t judge people by what they look like or where they come from. I come from a multicultural society in Kenya, where everybody integrates. I have enjoyed that time. People struggle to pronounce my surname…COSTABIR…which I say is “cost of a beer” hahah!

What is the most important decision you made that has been a lighthouse to your journey?

Taking up the position of CEO. I was a marketing manager for at least four years, but I took up the responsibility of running a company that is locally and internationally known and trying to make it the leading property marketplace in Kenya.

It seems like you’ve always been selling. Have you learned anything about the psychology of people who want to buy but seem hesitant?

Understanding what the need is that you want to solve for that person. For instance, I may ask you if you want to buy a house, and you’ll say you don’t have the money for that, and I would say, 'What if I showed you a way you could pay in instalments? What is the pain point, and how do I solve it for you? I pitch what we do, and how we do it, but based on how it works for you.

What do you have that others don’t?

[chuckles] That’s a tough one. I have the power to negotiate. That is a strong suit for me. Plus, a warm, good, and positive attitude. Just yesterday I lost a deal, but it doesn’t mean I can’t win tomorrow.

Do you drive a hard bargain?

No haha! I am tough when I need to be, but not bullied.

You mentioned you lost a deal yesterday. Is there a particular failure that has shaped how you approach success?

Yes, when you lose a pitch, you always postmortem on what you could have done better—timing, was the product too expensive, et al. It’s going back and analysing how you could have presented things better.

What do you consider the five-star achievement of your career so far?

I have won at almost every single point, like at the British Council I was working for Kenya-UK country-level programmes. In the advertising world, I loved working for brands, which taught me playbooks and how to build brands and strategies.

It’s an exhaustive list, but I do love working for the property marketplace. I have achieved some nice awards [shows me awards]. BuyRentKenya has 13 accolades to its name so far, and I am proud of that because it is a collaboration with the team that I work with. Personally, getting recognised by the industry women in real estate as leaders and legends was quite a moving moment. Hard to pick [chuckles].

When you close this door and it’s just you, what conversations are you having by yourself?

Long day today, I have to go home, shower and cook. What do I need to prepare something quick and easy, say a chicken grill? If I have the time, I might take a walk within the compound. I watch the news and have dinner with my mum across the table, and we ask each other how our day is going.

I won’t lie, I love Netflix [chuckles]. I love movies, especially Korean dramas. It’s light, arty, real, and not as dramatic as Hollywood.

Any good movies you’ve watched lately?

There are so many. I would say I watched one in 2016, Business Proposal. It’s a good comedy.

What part of your identity are you protecting the most now?

My family and godchildren. My private life.

Is there a specific reason why?

Security. Data—how much of it are you sharing?

When you look at your life 10 years from now, what do you hope you will regret the least?

Having a family of my own because I am very career-driven, so most of my time is on working and delivering. The part you miss out on is combining it with family life, and not necessarily my siblings and mother, but my own family. And perhaps not travelling enough worldwide—I have been lucky to travel to Australia, India, Portugal, France, Switzerland, Canada, the UK, Israel, South Africa, et al.

If you could change one decision you’ve made, what would it be?

Study more. The world is ever-evolving, and thus, learning should never stop.

What do you know that I should know?

Tough one. I am resilient. I have lived through a terrorist attack, and many unhappy moments, but you keep rising, no looking back, and I think it is being resilient and strong. And taking a startup to the next level. BuyRentKenya started in 2012, and I took over in 2017. It is nice to see that the brand is strong and known in the market.

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