Nairobi Securities Exchange chairman Kiprono Kittony has revealed how he changed the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) to include women.
Kitonny on Friday narrated how when he was elected the chairman of KNCCI he found a male-dominated board which didn't have women representation.
“One of the first things I did when I took on the role as the chair of the Chamber of Commerce was to include women in the board as it was 100 per cent men only,” he said.
Kitonny was speaking during an empowerment Women Summit held by Radio Africa Group at Capital Club in Nairobi.
As a concern, Kittony proceeded and called for a council of meeting as he insisted that as a leader he had to fight hard for what he believed was right.
What followed was a council meeting of the board where Kitonny recommended and an amendment was done that allowed for six nominations to the board.
The board then had 13 elected directors and with the new amendments, there were six more nominees.
“Out of the six nominees, I nominated five women to the board,” Kittony added.
Kittony is the founding chairman of Radio Africa Group
During his seven-year tenure at the KNCCI, he was widely credited with revitalizing the organization through a series of transformative initiatives that placed the Chamber at the forefront in terms of shaping national trade and general economic policy.
He was appointed as a Board Director of the NSE on May 30, 2018.
In addition, the Nairobi Securities Exchange chairman further said that the time was ripe for Kenya to solve the constant biases that the female gender has always undergone.
He insisted that women have to be well represented, hence the need to make sure all boards have a representation of women.
“It is a reality that men and women can dominate in the same space but women have always faced discrimination in promotions and even hiring," Kittony added.
Kitonny was one of the panel speakers at the women’s summit by RAG.
The summit brought together women with different occupations, to get more knowledge on economic empowerment.
This year’s theme, “Banking on the Future of Women,” emphasized the importance of women investing in each other in a time-sensitive world
The summit aimed to equip women with tools, resources, and opportunities for economic empowerment and financial independence.
It also sought to give valuable insights for personal and professional growth from these accomplished individuals.
