The introvert CEO who thrives in an extrovert’s world

“As I’ve grown older,” she says, “time matters more.” The managing director of Aladi is now using hers on what matters: making her daughter’s days, pottering about, and, because she is that girl, writing a book. One that should be read, not just read about.

Achieng’, what can you tell me about yourself that can help me understand who you are?

I’ll start by saying I’m a mum. I’m a marketer and a strategist. I started as a marketing strategist, but kind of evolved into broader strategy. I’m a passionate, proud African who approaches the world not from an inward perspective, but outward-facing, showcasing Africa in a global and positive context.

How did becoming a mother change the way you measure a good day?

Oh, wow. The first role model children have is a parent. While I was generally focused, it gave me even more focus. I always felt I had to succeed so this child has everything, because they don’t choose to be born. But I also wanted her to look at me and feel, ‘My mum is great. I’d love to be like her.’ And I see a lot of me in her… she’s expressive, she speaks and writes very well. She’s such a natural marketer. It’s uncanny. Being a mum gave me focus and purpose.

What has it taken?

Wow! Parenting is a lifetime commitment. I didn’t find it easy. There’s no rule book. You can’t parent the way people tell you. You have to figure it out and create your own rules for what is right and wrong, and how to instil those values. I never spanked my child. It felt cruel; there had to be another way to discipline a child. So I found one. My daughter loved her bicycle, I used that as leverage to get things done – finish her meal, do her homework.

Were your parents strict?

My mum was a widow. My dad died when I was very young. I found her strict. I was one of those children who used to dream and stare out of the window. I think I was creative, but the system was quite straitjacketed. I’d get bored, and my mum made sure I focused.”

What remains unchanged about you since childhood?

I’m a free spirit. I’m not afraid to try things that haven’t been done.

In what way?

I don’t overthink things. I decided one day I’m going to write a book. There are a hundred reasons why that’s hard or impossible. I’ve changed jobs, industries, sometimes to the horror of people close to me. But my curiosity calls, and I follow it.

You mentioned your dad died when you were young. What was that like?

Maybe I was too young to understand. You only realise something is different when other children ask why you don’t have a dad. And you don’t know how to answer. We never really talked about death. My mum just provided and kept things going.

What part of him lives in you?

He went to Harvard and studied development economics. He was part of the airlift programme with Tom Mboya and the others. I think he was very smart. Sometimes I figure things out and don’t know how. I create structure out of chaos. I’d like to think I inherited some of that… smartness…will you put that nicely?

I’ll try. Is your drive to be more like him or surpass him?

It made me curious that he was so clever. I wonder what sort of person he was, you know? Or what sort of person he would be. I wonder if my life would have been different if he had been in it. Maybe I’d have gone to Harvard [chuckles].

What would you ask him if he were here today?

Oh my goodness. That is a really deep question. I would have asked him maybe one thing he did that was wild and wonderful, that one courageous thing he did in his life that influenced the path he took.

What was that thing for you?

Gosh, I’ve had so many. In the early years of my life, I studied languages. That’s how I came to speak fluent French and some German, and how I found myself, almost inevitably, in tourism at the start of my career.

It made sense then, a natural extension of what I knew. But the first real rupture came with an unexpected opportunity: a role in marketing with a global multinational. It was a leap in every sense. If I’m honest, I didn’t fully understand marketing, not as a discipline, certainly not as a career. But I stepped into it anyway.

Suddenly, I was responsible for 12 French-speaking markets. My French, at the time, was a little rusty. And yet there I was, working alongside heads of other functions, expected to operate almost like a consultant, supporting different countries, helping grow both the business and the brands.

It was such a big step. My daughter was about four months old. I worked late hours, put in the time to handle this huge docket; it was hard, but that changed my whole life. And refusing to fail. That job made me see the world and work across multiple geographies.

Can what you have be taught or do some people just have it and others don’t?

I think there’s a lot. The internal stuff like resilience, grit, determination, and then how you think and your work ethic. Those are decisions you make at an individual level. And then there’s what is taught, what you learn as you go, the technical stuff, which you have a choice to learn and relearn. You learn how to work with people, how to get them to buy into your vision and vice versa – being open to understanding and inspiring people.  

How do you take the gamble out of the gamble?

This is my technique: how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Sometimes you step into something, and it’s huge. The challenge with looking at it wholly and sticking with that whole view is that it can overwhelm you.

What I’ve always done is bring it back down to what is that first thing I need to do. Yes, we have to get all of this done. But what is that first step? It’s always about the bite sizes.

You seem to be very good at many things. What do you struggle with?

I’m an introvert, contrary to what everybody believes [chuckles]. But the work that I’ve done has always put me in very extroverted spaces, and marketing tends to be packed with extroverts. I’m constantly engaging and interacting. I’ve had to be very intentional about finding the time to stop, pause and replenish.

How do you replenish and become just a girl?

I love being in my own company. I don’t have to talk to anyone; I can potter about. I love to cook. And decorate, and walk around my garden.

I found that I have birds of paradise, which is a beautiful plant, and now I want it everywhere in my garden. They have them outside the office here as well.

I also grow herbs in pots so I can get them fresh when I’m cooking. I have a mango tree that a friend gifted me many years ago as a housewarming present, which bears the sweetest mangoes you’ll ever taste in your life.

You’ve been all over this world. What has travel changed in you?

It’s made me see how talented we are. I feel like often in Africa, people think it’s better out there, or that people are smarter than us because maybe they have better education and all of that.

We have good institutions, but we may not necessarily have the same exposure as people from developed countries, and therein lies how talented we are. The fact that we figure it out, we innovate.

I really wish we believed more in ourselves, because we are so smart as Africans.

What’s an unusual habit you have?

Haha! I love talking to strangers. Actually, there was a time I used to say I think I’m a social scientist because I love talking to people, random strangers. It’s how you gather insights, you know?

What part of your personality do people underestimate the most?

I think it’s how structured and analytical I am. Because I’m a blend between creative and analytical.

People see the creative side, you walk in, you speak a certain way. I’m very expressive, as you can see. But I’m also very structured and need the downtime to organise my thinking. I’m also very results-oriented.

What has been the gift of your life?

Oh, that’s such a deep question. Don’t make me get emotional now.

My daughter has probably been the biggest gift, because I think she constituted a big turning point in my life. And then the gift of life and provision. I have many gift, that’s what I’m saying.

What’s something you like that other people may find uncomfortable?

I’m a risk taker. And how I know it’s something others might find uncomfortable is I see how my friends react sometimes.

I remember when I got a job in Europe. I just decided I’m packing up the house, I’m selling off everything. My daughter was in her mid-teens. And I thought, why not? My friends were like, you mean you’re just going to go? And I was like, yeah, who gets chances like this? And if I don’t like it, I can always come back. I’ll figure something out.

What did your younger self think success would be like now?

I think my younger self equated success with security. My dad died when I was six years old, and seeing my mum struggle to make ends meet, for me success was having a roof over my head and food to eat.

Can one have it all?

Yes.

Do you have it all?

I’d like to say yes. I have it all because I have everything I could want.

What matters more than you thought it would?

The freedom to own my time. I didn’t realise time was such a commodity. As you get older, time is everything.

Just not having to wake up and be on the road at 6am to get somewhere. Or working into the night so I can chill out in the morning. I want to have balance when it comes to my time. It’s so valuable to me.

What’s an insecurity you have?

Oh my God, Eddie haha! I’m very big on feeling safe. And I guess safety might mean different things to different people. I’m always nervous about not being safe, or not feeling safe. Today, can I just walk on the street and just be? Not everywhere. And I find that really sad.

Can I walk with my phone in my hand without feeling unsafe? I think it’s literally physical safety. Maybe it’s because I’m a woman. Maybe it’s because the city has become quite unsafe over the last few years.

So I’m taking the word insecurity quite literally. But if I think about it more deeply… one insecurity – I don’t know if you want this on the record – is not having a meal. And I think that comes from my childhood.

Where do you go when you want to be with yourself?

I love to travel. I’m one of those people who can just make a plan, pack a bag and go. I try to visit a place I’ve never been to every year. It’s how I reward myself, but it’s also how I centre and be with myself. That, and my house.

What have you learned that you can teach us?

I don’t believe in coincidences. I believe that we are here to pave the way, because there will be a million women coming behind you. So with every forum, stage and seat that I’m blessed enough to grace, I say I am here to pave the way for a million women. If five women read this and are inspired, then I have paved the way.

Achieng’, what do you need less of in your life?

Fewer WhatsApp messages. I love my phone. I enjoy social media because it’s entertainment. I don’t go on Facebook anymore because it’s a rabbit hole that takes away the thing I value most, time. And I feel like WhatsApp has become that too.

Of course, there are important groups I’m in.

What are you looking forward to doing this weekend?

Oh, celebrating my niece in the Netherlands. She’s turning 21, and I’m surprising her, which is so exciting. I went to Maasai Market and did all my shopping. Her style is very boho, from what her mum tells me, and from what I see in the pictures.

Are you everyone’s favourite aunt?

Completely. I am just the coolest aunt. Yeah. And the coolest mum. That is my trophy, and I’m not passing it on to anyone.

Who do you know that I should know?

Tina Musoke. She runs an organisation called Culture Riot. She’s one of those people you meet and, within half an hour, it feels like you’ve known each other all your lives. I find it completely uncanny.

What I admire about her is that she’s smart. But beyond that, she’s such an authentic person. She has this completely infectious love, and she’s very generous of spirit, in knowledge, networks and wisdom. I find her a truly good person.

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