Driving green agenda at Bamburi Cement

Magdalene Mwende, 34, is the head of Industrial Ecology at Bamburi-Lafarge East Africa. Her job is to ensure the company complies with environment standards. She spoke to ALLAN OLINGO

It all started in 1996, when some friends convinced Magdalene Mwende against changing her Engineering course for medicine. She took up the advice and went ahead to excel in this discipline, emerging the best in her Civil Engineering class of 2001 at Moi University.

Interestingly, Magdalene was then the only female student who had been admitted at the Civil Engineering faculty.

She adds: "It was a tall order because I wanted to prove a point to my male classmates. I emerged the best student in class and since then, I have never looked back."

After her university education, Magdalene joined Otieno Odongo Engineering firm before moving to Orpower in 2003 as the Environment and safety manager.

Challenging roles

"I then joined Wartsilla as the human resources manager while doubling up as the environment and safety manager. After two years, I got an opportunity at Homegrown in the same position where I worked for six months before joining Bamburi-Lafarge East Africa as the chief safety manager in 2006," Magdalene says.

She explains: "I am a go-getter and that’s why I kept looking for more challenging roles. That explains why I found a home at Bamburi."

As the chief security officer at the cement firm, Magdalene specialised in safety, occupational health, environment and quality.

"I joined the department when its safety standards were not impressive but I made a big turnaround," she explains.

How did she do it?

"The secret has been working hand in hand with the staff. I travelled widely around the world to see how other Lafarge industrial plants managed their safety departments and this was a great learning experience. I immediately implemented what I had learnt and with staff support, we succeeded," Magdalene offers.

After the changes, there was a decline in fatalities from eight in 2006 to three in 2007. Then one in 2008 and from then on Bamburi has maintained a zero fatality rate.

Magdalene says this turnaround has been the highlight of her career.

She explains that safety is critical for any manufacturing firm because the fatalities may attract government intervention and this dents the company’s image.

Greatest achievement

She adds: "Given that Bamburi Cement is a complete manufacturing firm, the safety standards are critical and maintaining a zero fatality rate both in the factory and our transport network has been my greatest achievement."

These milestones enabled Bamburi Cement to join the world-class health and safety experience club.

These achievements landed Magdalene a promotion to her current role as the head of Industrial Ecology for East Africa.

She explains: "Industrial ecology is a growing field, which combines engineering, economics, toxicology and the natural sciences."

In her new position, Magdalene ensures her company’s waste disposalal complies with environment standards.

"It is a new department at Bamburi and I am honoured to be its first head," she proudly states.

Magdalene’s position demands that she keeps abreast with the latest technology, and this has made her enhance her academic qualifications.

She holds a Masters degree in Health and Safety and is currently at INSTEAD, a prestigious school in the UK, that trains high-flying managers on management skills.

She proudly says: "I got my admission because I am young and Bamburi identified my high potential as being key in their strategies, especially after I showed my potential."

Magdalene attributes her success to hard work and commitment.

She says: "It is not easy to cut a niche in this field but when you work hard, you get rewarded. I joined Bamburi as the chief safety manager and within three years, I turned around that department and was rewarded. That is what has made me what I am today — results."

Magdalene says being a senior manager is fulfilling.

"I feel blessed especially because of the faith Bamburi has had in me. I am striving to bring out the very best in me," she says.

She admits that being a high achiever has cost her a social life because many men feel intimidated by her achievements.

She laments: "People always have a misconception that engineers are introverts but on the contrary, I am social and would not mind a man who would bring out the best in me."

"When I’m socialising, I leave my titles in the office and go out as Magdalene. But unfortunately, most men still fail to notice the pretty woman, but choose to look at me through my titles," she says.

Much as she is not in a hurry to commit to a relationship, she is open to a man who will bring out the best in her.

The firstborn in a family of eight, Magdalene has remained the breadwinner for her family that lives in Kyamatheka, Makueni District.

In her free time, Magdalene loves to travel to her 60 acre-farm in Loitoktok, where she does green house farming.

"I have invested millions on my large scale greenhouse farm and given that it is my retirement plan, I am very passionate about it. I grow tomatoes, onions and other crops in the greenhouse," explains the go-getter.

She still has big dreams and sees herself heading an organisation such as Bamburi Cement in the near future.

"I am a go-getter and my results have so far opened great doors for me. I will not stop till I get there," she concludes.