A day in the life of a CEO

Kenya Association of Manufacturers chief Executive Officer Phyllis Wakiaga. [Jenipher Wachie, Standard)

Phyllis Wakiaga is the chief executive officer at Kenya Association of Manufacturers

My day usually starts at 4.30 or 5am. My favourite part of the day is the morning because I like new beginnings, and mornings give you a sense of that. You have a clean slate every day. I do some devotion, meditate on God’s word to set my mind up for the day, check on my four-month-old baby and, on a good day, I’ll try and put in some exercise. I have three other children — 13, 9, and 7 — who I check on to make sure they’re ready for school.

I like having cereal for breakfast. I usually have that with hot lemon and ginger. After that I go into full gear. A lot of times I have meetings that start as early as 7am. I’ll meet with my personal assistant to look at other activities I have for the day. Kenya Association of Manufacturers is the representative organisation for manufacturing value-add industries in Kenya, and my job entails lots of engagement with different scopes of people – our board members, government partners, development partners and my team. I do a lot of industry visits as well, to see how industries are doing and who needs help where. Knowing that I can make a difference keeps me motivated to go to work every day. We are in a place in our history as a country where we need create positive things for generations to come and I think the work we do in creating an environment that can lead to shared prosperity of the country is something that I’m very passionate about.

What makes me happy during the day is achieving what I set out to achieve. I like ticking off my to-do list and seeing things moving. I also have a fun team. Sometimes the day moves really fast and I might not have time to have lunch, but I do try to get something to eat. When I can, I buy lunch or eat the packed food I might have carried from home or I might be at an event that’s serving lunch. If there is an event in the evening that I need to attend, I’ll go to that and then go home.

We have a family devotion every evening. My evening routine entails having dinner with my family, reading some devotion verses, catching up with my people about their day and connecting with my mother and siblings on the phone. My spouse and I catch up on our day after the children go to bed and we laugh about what worked and what didn’t. After I’ve fed my youngest and put him to sleep, I prepare for the next day; get my things in order and that includes picking out an outfit and checking my calendar to ready my mind on what I need to do the following day.

Outside work, I like spending time with my family and friends. I have four children and each one of them is at a different stage in life and listening to their stories is always a thrill. I like mentoring them and advising them where I can. I also like giving back my time. I do a lot of mentorship in schools. I chair the board of Maxwell Adventist Preparatory School and I teach at the children’s ministry at the Nairobi Central SDA church. I also enjoy reading.