Moving up: No glass ceiling for roofing queen

From outward appearances, 31-year-old Irene Wanjiku may have to convince many that she has taken on established roofing companies in Kenya and won battles and contracts.

The diminutive lady born in Karatina but raised by an aunt in Nairobi’s South C speaks straight and is warm, even when she is barking orders at the REXE Roofing Products Ltd offices, which are tucked away in a residential neighbourhood off Ngong Road.

“Many people are surprised when I put on my boots and look comfortable in the field. First, because of my size, then the fact that I am a lady,” says Irene, the marketing director at REXE. She rose from a receptionist to an import and logistics manager in four years, working in two other departments as her star rose.

“I find it demeaning when contractors, engineers and architects treat me with kid gloves, like they are not sure what to do,” she says.

She is among the few women in the real estate industry industry in general and roofing segment in particular. “There are very few women because it is a tricky business which requires a thick skin and fast mind. Many men have a different perception about women in this industry and that does not help motivate women to join,” says Irene, who got her first job - as an assistant at a family friend’s clothes store on Kaunda Street, Nairobi - immediately after clearing high school.

“I did not like being told to account for every shilling I used when I was in high school...sometimes as little as Sh500. That always bothered me. That was why I started working at a very early age,” she says.

After unceremoniously leaving her management job at a construction company in October 2011, Irene decided the knowledge she had acquired in the seven years would not go to waste. She decided to roof her clients. “Unlike many aspects of a house which someone can do away with, every house or building requires a roof. It is as basic as food, and clothing,” she says, with a light smile.

“Roofs make the biggest environmental impact because walls can’t collect water. That is why we specialise in eco-friendly roofing materials.”

Jobless, Irene did not have the finances to operate her business. “We started REXE on November 11 and I had to bring on board two other directors by selling shares. We took soft loans from friends and family and mostly operated on the deposits clients paid,” says Irene, who gets to work by 7.30 am and works up to around 8 pm.

Most of the earlier clients wanted to see a sample of houses that REXE had done, and there was none.

“We got our first contracts on trust because we had no projects to show as samples and our roofing materials were mostly imported from overseas. It was tough,” she says.

Three years later and the company has grown to offer about 15 different roofing products. From a tiny space in Westlands, it has moved to a bigger building that can accommodate 15 permanent staff.

According to Irene, there are as many as 50 casual workers when a project is on-going, like the one they are running at The Hub in Karen (a shopping mall).

The first big corporate job REXE got was roofing the Mount Kenya Wildlife Estate in Nanyuki. Currently, 66 units are up with the second phase of the project requiring 44 units.

“That was the flagship project that we did and it opened doors for more,” said Wanjiku, who grew up with ambitions of becoming a lawyer and cites dedication and commitment as her driving force.

Apart from getting the contract to roof the 99 units in Mount Kenya Holiday Homes in Naro Moru, REXE has been able to roof a number of Telkom Kenya establishments, especially in northern Kenya.

 Established

“Those are some of the biggest. We are now established and with a good reputation to the point that the competition are employing very crude techniques to discredit us,” she said, noting that bad-mouthing is a trait she abhors.

“Instead of marketers informing customers of the benefits of their roofing products, they spend time telling them why products from REXE are not the best. I find that quite unfriendly.” And she lists bad publicity from her competitors as the biggest challenge she has faced so far.

“Another challenge is bad debts. Some people are ready and excited about placing orders and filling all the relevant papers. They are also good at disappearing once what they had ordered is supplied and installed.”

Amidst all the challenges, the company has stood tall. Apart from being a regular exhibitor at property expos, the company was recently recognised for its sustainability agenda at the Construction Excellence Awards 2014.

“One of the biggest assets REXE has is building relationships with the clients. Apart from supplying roofing products, we ensure there is follow-up beyond installation, with feedback and complaints highly valued. As a country, we have a very bad reputation for not caring once a sale has been made. We need to think beyond the payment,” says Irene, who has personally visited manufacturers of the roofing products REXE provides in Belgium and other countries. The products are from a Canadian company which was started in 1922.

REXE imports its products instead of manufacturing them locally. Irene explains that Kenyans have a high affinity for imports. “Only after the perception is changed would local products compete favourably.”

So what is the company worth? “I would say something in the region of Sh15 million...”

Good business

With the real estate sector experiencing a boom that has substantially reflected in the country’s GDP and rebasing of our economic status, Wanjiku explained that business is looking good.

“The business environment is getting better and better and if more companies spend time in improving the lives of everyone with cheaper and better products, then everyone will win,” says the alumnus of Kenya Institute of Management.

She confesses to being very highly motivated. Part of the reason she left employment was that she had reached the highest position that she could, meaning there was no extra motivation. “I started struggling to wake up and I immediately knew that the place was not for me anymore. There always has to be ‘what’s next for me’, otherwise, it’s time to quit,” says Irene, who sports an engagement ring on her left ring finger.

She explains that there are very few passionate and motivated people in today’s workplace, with most people concentrating on making money and living large.

She has another interesting observation: “I find the casuals much more focused, smart and very able out there in the field. They do not have the papers that the graduates have but they are very reliable. There is something not right about graduates these days...”