Kenya's top young talent recognised at annual awards

Founders of Black bark productions Laura Barker (L First raw)  and Alister Swart (R First Raw) Pause for a photo with Rising stars Kenya 2014 winners during the awards ceremony at a Nairobi hotel last week.   PHOTO: COURTESY

Nairobi, Kenya: Kenya’s young and talented individuals from various business sectors were acknowledged and celebrated at the annual 2014 Rising Star Awards, held at the Hilton in Nairobi on 24th June 2014.

This being its inaugural year, the 2014 Rising Star Awards – in partnership with CEB Talent Management – was established to recognise, celebrate and connect young, talented individuals, in an effort to raise awareness of Kenya’s talent, as well as increase the sector talent pools.

The 2014 Rising Stars for each business sector are:

• Austine Adoyo Odhiambo of Engen Kenya Ltd for the Construction, Energy & Chemicals sector;
• Levis Maina of Sullivan Marketing for the Entrepreneur sector,
• Eunie Khimulu Nyakundi from Resolution Insurance for the Banking & Financial Services sector;
• Anicoh Nathaniel of Best Western Premier, Nairobi for the Hospitality and Tourism sector,
• George Namisi Wafula of Airtel for the ICT sector,
• Abdallah Ali Wereh of DHL Kenya for the Logistics and Supply Chain sector,
• Mahesh Acharya  of Kaplan & Stratton Associates for the Business Services sector,
• Mary Waceke Thongoh Muia of the Central Bank of Kenya for the Service: Public & Private sector,
• Daniel Nyange of Deepa Industries for the Manufacturing, Retail & FMCG sector.

Each of the 43 finalists, professionals under the age of 40 from a range of different professions, was exposed to a vigorous final judging process, which resulted in the identification of the Rising Star for each of the 11 business sectors.

Laura Barker, Managing Director for BlackBark Productions, organisers of the Rising Star Programme, says that the awards follow a rigorous judging process to ensure that real talent is unearthed.

Candidates entering the process complete an online CEB talent assessment. Those with the top scores are then asked to complete a 180 degree CEB assessment – with information from a nominator assessed as well. These combined scores result in the top 5; the finalists and our Rising Stars. These Stars are then invited for a 2 hour interview in front of industry experts drawn from the Kenyan business world. This feedback then results in the top Star in each sector being chosen.

Barker says that the talent demonstrated this year, as well as the diversity, in terms of skills sets and roles, is encouraging as it confirms the existence of talent across Kenya’s business sectors.

She adds that the judging panels were particularly encouraged by the greater participation across all business sectors. “The standard of the entries was commendable, and the talented young people who made it to the 2014 Rising Star Awards finals have all demonstrated the strength and depth of character that typifies talented individuals. What we saw very clearly in this year’s Rising Stars was genuine social and global awareness, qualities that are critical to effective leadership in the 21st century.”

According to Alister Swart, co-founder of the 2014  Rising Star Awards, these talented individuals not only demonstrate technical abilities, achievement and success, but also contribute in an inspirational manner to the future of South Africa.

“Many talented individuals often go unnoticed as they either haven’t been given the opportunity to showcase their skills or demonstrate their capabilities. The awards therefore aim to provide an opportunity for organisations to engage directly with their employees and provide them with a platform to present their abilities and strengths,” says Swart

Swart adds that the awards also support finalists by granting access to the viable network of Rising Stars. “The Rising Star Network, a closed network which all finalists, judges and mentors have access to, creates an intellectual platform for on-going support and education on current business models and management practices.”

The Awards are sponsored by CfC Stanbic Bank, Airtel and Engen.