“When I became the company secretary, my boss then decided that the title – financial controller – did not fit my scope of capabilities and I was made the general manager, administration and finance. It was a bigger responsibility because it encompassed more departments, but one of my strengths is being able to work well with people whether they are directly under me or parallel to me,” expounds Naomi, who considers her steady progression in the company as a milestone.
Cognizant that the position required continuous learning, she undertook an MBA in strategic planning from the University of Nairobi.
In 2012, when the business was reorganised to form ICEA LION Group, she became the general manager, finance and strategy, and oversaw the group strategy for 2013-2017, later stepping into the general manager, strategy and innovation role to drive subsequent group strategies before transitioning into her current group financial leadership.
The mark of a leader
Having been in a leadership position for a majority of her career, Naomi’s ultimate goal is to support others to become leaders as well. As such, she attests to having trained at least one person in most of the major insurance companies in the country.
Women empowerment and meritocracy
As a woman in leadership, she is also happy to see more women taking up leadership roles and that more and more places are opening up to having women at the helm. However, she cautions against tokenism as, according to her, it slows down progress in society.
“I don’t believe in giving women positions just because they are women. In fact, I find that quite belittling because women are capable of getting there by merit. We might be disadvantaged because we are fewer in the decision-making process, but it is something that can be undone,” she says emphatically.
Advice to young professionals
With several people passing through her hands, she is keen that people who interact with her make the most out of their careers. Consequently, she advises young people starting in their careers to always have the end in mind, urging them to live within their means and save for the future.
“Start learning as early as possible the things that pertain to your profession as you interact with others in the field. You need to be focused and have a personal plan that covers your career and social life. The problem is that a lot of young people are impatient, yet career growth calls for some patience,” she muses.
Mentorship
Naomi is grateful for the lessons from her mother, who acknowledged the importance of the day and would commemorate it with women from her church. She also would assign her and her siblings equal responsibilities, regardless of their gender, which was empowering.
Passionate about the girl-child, Naomi is happy that it is truly coming full circle as she also mentors young ladies on life skills. She is also fortunate to be surrounded by great mentors herself who have been instrumental in her career as well.
Thoughts on the industry…
She, however, decries some of the practices in the insurance sector, such as competition over value to customers.
“Insurance is meant to build capacity for the citizens, government and other entities but sometimes the people in insurance devalue that aspect and compete based on price which is really disappointing,” remarks the seasoned insurance professional.
That said, she is excited for the opportunities that technology and ongoing digital transformations present for the sector.
Work-Life balance
While most would definitely term her career trajectory as a success, Naomi considers the fact that her two children turned out well as her greatest success. Despite challenges with work-life balance, she opines that motherhood is very rewarding, especially seeing the values she imparted reflected in their lives.
She also credits her husband of 36 years for being a strong support system. Her extended family and an empowered house manager also ensured that she did not drop the ball at work and at home. This especially came in handy when pursuing her Master’s degree and she had to maximise her time, studying in the morning and at lunch hour to ensure she still had time for her family. Her friends, most from her campus years, were also very understanding as her social life had become non-existent, and they remain as close as ever.
As such, she encourages those in her team to dedicate time to their families the same way they would to their work.
“I’m very supportive of families, and I encourage my team to ensure they give time to their families. If you have a meeting at school, slot it into your calendar the same way you would a work meeting. With parenting, you may not be able to pick things up if you drop the ball,” she concludes.
This article was first published in the March issue of Parents Magazine and has been updated and repurposed for this website.
