Days before the gloom - the water cannons, and the young protesters shot in the head - Ann Kinuthia-Otieno, Chief Executive of Airtel Money walks onto the rooftop of Emara Ole Sereni in Nairobi. A petite lady, you can immediately tell she’s (to use an apt analogy of the moment) a bullet; straight-shooting, driven, and determined.
She left Absa Bank as a head of products to run Airtel’s mobile business after it split from Airtel Networks a few years ago to operate as a standalone business. And she comes at a tough time to do business—hell, tough time to just be alive—as a challenger brand. Even more daunting is that she faces a herculean task in the form of mobile money dominance.
Nonetheless, not one to complain, Ann’s been working her hide off. Over time, she has tripled the daily transaction limits and significantly reduced its pay bill, bulk payments, and wallet-to-bank charges. The subscribers of Airtel Mobile Money have gone up.
“Today people don’t think much about Airtel Money, but one day they will.” She promises. “We have covered good ground but the runaway is still long.”
[Earlier, we were discussing parenting before the interview officially commenced.]
You never know immediately the impact of your parenting until much later...
There is something growing up that influenced the person that you are today. And these things can either be taken positively or not. Generally, you never know, as a parent, if your decisions were the right ones...
Until the end…
Until the end. But again, I think there are cues that sometimes we don't take in or choose to ignore. So, for instance, I was in boarding school with my sister with whom I shared a birthday, the same month, same date, but we are two years apart. She's my elder. We were in State House Girls High School and my parents, for some reason, used to visit us and bring things in odd numbers for us to share. It was frustrating because if you bring seven items, someone will get less. But they let us figure it out ourselves. What that taught us is about sharing, being fair. But it didn’t come easy because you know how siblings can get. When I think about where my sense of fairness came from, it's from there.
What do you find harder; parenting or leadership?
Parenting. With children you have the pressure of creating a legacy, an impact that has implications on generations to come. It’s a big responsibility. The corporate world is different in that if I leave this job tomorrow, nobody will care about me. There will be someone else doing my job. With your children, it’s a different ball game because everything matters and it will shape their future.
What are you struggling with today?
My struggle today is Airtel Money. It’s a challenger brand that I need to grow. My late dad taught me a very important lesson that has stayed with me: whatever it is that you do, give it your very best so that nobody can come and do it after you. The sense of perfectionism comes from him.
Growing the brand is difficult, especially in a market where there's a dominant player and so that keeps me awake at night, thinking about what we can do to create impact and make a difference. I’ve been in the role for two years and every day I wake up to ask if I have made a difference. We have grown our customer base six times since I joined. It's been blood, sweat, and tears with the team.
What have you done lately that you were very proud of?
Professionally? The interoperability made possible with the help of the regulator, after five years, has enabled our customers to pay their bills online through the competitor’s paybill number.
On a more personal front, just the impact on my younger children’s lives - they are 10 and 12. Last year we had a bet with my two girls and I told them if they win academic awards, I would buy them a dog. And I don’t like dogs at all. I think they are good to look at from afar. Anyway, they both got academic awards. So we had to get a dog and it's growing on me. It's a golden retriever - very playful, very friendly. It’s destroying my flowers and I love gardening. It’s taught my girls more responsibility even though they cook for themselves and stuff. This morning the dog messed up my flowers again and one of them she said,"Maybe we can train the dog that it's not supposed to eat flowers". I told her, "You figure it out, it’s your dog".
Are you living your life the way you want to?
I pray so, yeah, because you don't have two chances. And losing both my parents taught me that - even though they lived to their 70s - life is short. The key is to create an impact on my family and my job. My dad was very disciplined; everday, five in the morning, he was in the office. He had such a high level of integrity. He used to tell us, "You should be like Caesar's wife; above reproach". He was very passionate and I think I take after him.
I tend to be like a dog with a bone. I just go and refuse to give up. My boss says I'm like a woodpecker [Chuckles]. My mom was a teacher and after she retired, she started her school. She was hardworking and very friendly and extroverted. I got my father’s genes. I look like him as well. He died of cancer after fighting it for seven years. He used to tell us, "If you choose any cancer, have leukaemia. He had MCL (mantle cell lymphoma). Mom's symptoms started showing three months before she died. They died three years apart.
Are you scared of cancer seeing as they both died of it?
Yeah, I mean, we all are, but you can't live life being scared. We all have to exit. The key thing is, what are you doing with the time that you have? What impact are you creating? Because at the end of the day, I believe God is just going to ask you, "What have you done with the life that I've given you?" My mom knew she had six months to live but she lived her life fully until the last day. So one has to live their life.
Do you see yourself in your 60s, which is traditionally when people slow down and retire?
I don’t think I will retire. I plan to keep my mind engaged. I worked in the banking sector for two decades and looked at corporate deals across Africa because I worked in South Africa for two years and then came back and looked after SMEs and then moved to retail. That’s a lot of learning and experience which I intend to use in consulting in my 60s. Maybe also sit on boards. I also love making social impact. God has given me so much and I shouldn't wait to be 60 to give back. It’s something I’m continually doing now outside work.
What do you do outside work, outside family?
Church. I’m passionate about making a difference. I got to the International Christian Centre. I was a deacon there at some point. Now my husband is a deacon. I also sit on a board at Pangani Girls. I head the Audit and Risk Committee.
When did you start serving the Lord?
When I was in Form two. I used to have these recurring dreams where the world was ending and I'd be rushing to church, only to be told it's too late. One evening, I felt a very strong sense of presence, and I knew it couldn't be ordinary. Nobody talked to me. Nobody. You know, the way people now say they were led to Christ and stuff like that. No. For me, it was just at that moment’s decision. I interpreted my dreams as a bigger calling that I heeded. Since then God has been a central part of my life. My leadership journey has been shaped by bibilical teachings. I constantly go back and read the Bible for encouragement in every sphere of my life.
Which is harder, leading people in church or at the workplace?
[Chuckles] Being a deacon is like being a board member. It’s an oversight role. People come to church to receive encouragement while in the office people’s job is to create returns for the shareholder. People in church are more forgiving and they will take you in stride. The corporate world is more challenging, and that's why you go to church, right? To get more encouragement. [Chuckles]
Ann Kinuthia-Otieno, Airtel Money CEO at a past company event.
Photo credit: Francis Nderitu | Nation Media Group
Did you meet Mr Otieno in church?
No, I met him when I was a corporate manager at Barclays, now Absa. So he's a financial consultant and there was a deal that he was doing and I was a corporate credit analyst. He's the deacon in the church, responsible for the finance docket.
What did you learn about his people that surprised someone like you who comes from a different tribe?
[Laughs] The unity of their family. Us Kikuyus can be individualistic sometimes. I think capitalism is very strong in Kikuyuland. I was surprised at the sense of unity in their village in Rongo, Migori. People just come to your home and are welcomed, people stay with each other…I found that very refreshing.
What's your extravagance?
Carpets. If you ask my husband, he'll tell you that whenever I see carpets, bathroom mats, and kitchenware that I like I will buy them. Whenever I travel I have to visit a shop and buy carpets and kitchenware. I have a handmade carpet called the Mamluk, an old Iranian carpet that’s been passed down since the 1500s. Anyway, carpets are one of my extravagances.
