Kenya’s Tabitha Karanja, founder and CEO of Keroche Breweries, has been named Africa’s Business Woman of the year at the CNBC Africa All Africa Business Leaders Awards (AABLAs). The awards presented by Johnnie Walker Blue Label were announced at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa. In September this year she was among the winners of the East African round of the awards.
The AABLA, recognise the continent’s trade and industry game-changers in the following categories: include Young Business Leader of the Year, Business Woman of the Year, Business Leader of the Year, and Entrepreneur of the Year.
In close to two decades she has dedicated her life to growing Keroche Breweries, a company that now employs over 300 people. She is recognized for paving the way for many other female entrepreneurs in Kenya especially in a society where women are traditionally scarce in the boardrooms. Her journey in Kenya’s drinks industry started in 1997, when she started a fortified wine business aimed at the lower end of the market. Their aim was producing affordable and hygienic drinks for the low-end market.
She is also a board member of Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) and
After numerous challenges she has managed to grow Keroche Breweries to one of the biggest companies in Kenya and today their state-of-the-art factory produces 10,000 bottles of gin and ready-to-drink vodka, as well as 15,000 bottles of beer, per hour.
The accolade of Entrepreneur of the Year went to Executive Chairman of JSE-listed brokerage, Brimstone Investment Corporation, Fred Robertson (South Africa). Group CEOs of South Africa’s leading activations agency, The Creative Counsel, Gil Oved and Ran Neu-Ner shared the Young Business Leader of the Year.