Mallowah: I leave behind a great team of confident individuals

She is authentic, passionate and purpose led. It is an identity Ms Debra Mallowah leaves at Safaricom and carries along to Coca Cola as she makes transitions in her career life.

The business executive transits from the telco as Chief Business Development Officer to join the beverage firm in the capacity of Vice President for East and Central Africa region. Her legacy at the communications firm could, however, live long.

“(I leave behind) a great team of confident individuals who will chart the path we have created in terms of the future of Safaricom,” she intimates.

She purposed to prepare her team for the future. Each month, she held ‘Connect Sessions’ with them. This was a  retrospective dialogue, which allowed her to review the progress each team member was making towards personal growth.

“(I’d) put equal focus on personal development of each of my team members just as I had with their performance,”  she says.

“I often say, don’t just let your career happen; be pro-actively involved in shaping it.”

Then Covid-19 disrupted the work environment, causing an inevitable change in modes of work – the staff shift from their desks at the office, to their homes.

This brought in a challenge that needed critical leadership to help her team, especially the women with children, to deliver while manoeuvring the additional domestic roles.

The 8am to 5pm working schedule became elusive for the working mothers. It needed her to be flexible to accommodate them.

“Working from home is not a straight forward concept for a woman,” explains Ms Mallowah who grew up in Nairobi.

“You have to recognise that women are playing other roles during the official working hours. And therefore, you can’t expect a perfect 8am to 5pm (working schedule) from your team members. You have to have some sense of empathy and flexibility,” she explains.

Perhaps this pandemic was preparing her for the bigger role at Coca Cola. With a new set of leadership skills and a feeling of changing consumerism behaviour, the pandemic put her at a vantage point to take over the role that needs her prowess in keeping the brand relevant.

Her new role, she says, excites her as it presents her with a fresh challenge to “shape new models that work in the new world of business.”

For the past two decades, Ms Mallowah has been climbing the corporate ladder. She has worked and lived in United Kingdom and South Africa.

The graduate of University of Nairobi which she joined in 1988 and graduated with a degree in commerce in 1991, also has a training in Advanced Management Program from IESE Business School in Spain.

All through her career, one strategy has worked – planning her family, so she says. 

No! It is not about planning when to have children or get married. It is sharing her career goals and possibilities with her husband before they actually happen.

“I do that often with my husband, so that when it actually happens, he is quite involved in the process and recognises ‘Oh yeah, is this not what we had talked about? So, he comes along with me in the journey,” says Ms Mallowah who is married to a lawyer with whom they have two daughters.

She advises: “Don’t create shock and surprise. The only way you can ever be successful is bring people along. Clearly articulate your dream and vision and enable them to put forth their input. That way, they will always feel they are part of your success. And that has worked for me.”

Apart from her family support, her network of professionals and friends has played a crucial role in her career growth.

She locks herself with like-minded networks and consciously leaves a trail of successful and impactful engagements. This explains how she has got her C-Suite jobs.

“In today’s world, people will always find you,” is her response on how she secures the high end jobs.

“Networking is very important for a woman to grow her career. Put yourself in a cluster of goal-oriented networks. You will learn new ideas and leave an impact so that when people need something they will remember you and come to you,” says Ms Mallowah who gets a mental recharge with a good sleep and an hour of physical exercise.

Numerous studies show firms that have mainstreamed gender exclusivity draw high returns due to a highly motivated workforce. In Kenya, however, representation of women in corporate leadership is yet to near 30 per cent.

She throws a challenge to companies yet to embrace diversity and inclusion.

“By increasing the opportunities for women in the workplace, it does not mean that you are reducing the opportunities for men. Instead you are growing your organisation…because the customers out there are men and women in equal proportion,” she says.

“Ensure there are policies that drive diversity and inclusion so that every man and woman can bring out their best at work.”

And while firms prepare the ground for an equitable working environment, girls have to ready themselves to lead. How?

“Dream big and reach out for the moon. If you miss, you will still be among the stars,” Ms Mallowah advises girls and women.

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