Founded in 1977, Kenya Airways (KQ) is considered to be the flagship carrier of Kenya. When you think of air transport, KQ comes to mind. The airline was wholly owned by the Kenyan government until April 1995, and it was privatised in 1996, becoming the first African flag carrier to successfully do so.
KQ has been at the helm of many great projects in the country. From aiding in national famine relief projects to helping children get better education. The company is constantly doing something great, but all of it seems to be at the hands of the male gender.
For the last decade, the man behind KQ has been Titus Naikuni, but that is all set to change this year as Mbuvi Ngunze takes over. The team that helps to keep things running, comprises entirely of men. this included the Board of Directors, the management team and the business leadership team.
Here is a list of those on the different teams:
Board of Directors
Mr. Evanson Mwaniki – Non Executive Chairman
Titus Naikuni – Group Managing Director & Chief Executive
Alex Wainaina Mbugua – Group Finance Director
Mr. Dinesh Kapila – Non-Executive Director
Ron Schipper – Non-Executive Director
Dr. Kamau Thugge – Non-Executive Director
Ayisi Makatiani – Non-Executive Director
Mr. Jos Veenstra – Alternate Non-Executive Director
Ambassador Dennis Awori – Non-Executive Director
Vincent Rague – Non-Executive Director
Management Team
Titus Naikuni – Group Managing Director & Chief Executive
Kevin Kinyanjui – Information Systems Director
Alex Wainaina Mbugua – Group Finance Director
Captain Paul Mwangi – Flight Operations Director
Yves Guibert – Director, Ground Services Director
Mr. Alban M. Mwendar – Group Human Resources Director
Mbuvi Ngunze – Chief Operating Officer
Tom Obonyo Ouma Kadoyo – Technical Director
Chris Diaz – Marketing Director
Business Leadership Team
Titus Naikuni – Group Managing Director & Chief Executive
Kevin Kinyanjui – Information Systems Director
Alex Wainaina Mbugua – Group Finance Director
Captain Paul Mwangi – Flight Operations Director
Yves Guibert – Director, Ground Services Director
Mr. Alban M. Mwendar – Group Human Resources Director
Mbuvi Ngunze – Chief Operating Officer
Tom Obonyo Ouma Kadoyo – Technical Director
Chris Diaz – Marketing Director
Frederick Sine – Fleet and Asset Development Director
Gerard Clarke – Commercial Director
By my count there are about 30 positions available in the teams that make decisions. Yet none is filled by a woman. I personally find this disturbing and shocking. The 2/3 gender requirement principle comes to mind at this point. While this rule only applies to public office, it should be a common principle in a company as big as KQ.
There doesn’t need to be a law making it mandatory to have women at the helm of any company, least of all one like KQ. the stakeholders need to question why no women are on the board. I personally feel.
With 30 positions, KQ needs at the very least 5 women being involved in the decision making. Question is why is there none and what will the company do about it? The incoming CEO Mbuvi Ngunze might have this as his first order of business when he takes over.