Leaning on his better half

Paul Mwirigi is the PR Director at Public Relations Association of Uganda. Photo by Godfrey Lugaaju

What you need to know:

THE KNIGHT. Paul Mwirigi is the PR Director at Public Relations Association of Uganda, a job he has been doing for the last six years, writes Godfrey Lugaaju.

Tell us briefly about yourself.
I’m a chartered marketer with the Chartered Institute of Marketing UK and currently undertaking my MBA at the Strathmore Business School in Nairobi, Kenya. I’m a passionate marketing and communications professional who loves family, cooking, travelling and Manchester United. Three words describe me; passionate, energetic and workaholic.

What can you consider a letdown in the PR venture?
Failure by most people practicing PR to take up and pay for professional training to upgrade their skills. It is not all about experience but continuous learning and development.

What does it take to be a good PR practitioner?
Passion: Ralph Waldo Emerson once said “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm”. This is how I approach my assignments. You need to have some sort of passion and drive to achieve your goals. Unless you are enthusiastic and passionate about what you are doing, you are less likely to see it through to the end.

What would you do differently with your life if you were not doing PR?
I would be a DJ! I used to deejay as early as Standard Six while in Kenya. I have never deejayed commercially but my love for music saw me do some music mixing back in my university days at some small parties. My wife always jokes that I have more DJ friends than your average person who is not in the music industry.

If you headed the Information ministry, what would be your major focus?
Installing state of the art communication centres in all government ministries. I’m optimistic there are good stories to be told. I would also work on a good strategy in investing in marketing communications. The power of marketing communications and country branding is immense especially when attracting investments and supporting both local and international tourism as well as supporting good PR for your country.

Is there anything else you do apart from your job?
I’m a member of the Mavuno Kampala Church where I volunteer on the strategy development and Media teams. I also write regularly for the Kenyan based Marketing Africa magazine.
How do you balance these roles?
I have a very supportive wife. She has an interest in everything that I do and pushes me to succeed in it. As my friend, number one fan and advisor, she knows where my time goes. She is also my accountability partner. I find this beautiful as this support keeps me going and even when I do not give much time to her as I would want to, she knows where the time is being spent. Having a partner who does not support your professional or personal initiatives can be frustrating; so I’m always thankful to God for her support. I cannot do all this I’m doing without her.

Take us through your career journey.
The first half of my professional career started in PR, and then morphed through events, communications and then research. The second half was in a full time marketing role and now I’m back in PR.
I have nine years of marketing communications experience on both the client and agency side with a wide experience in integrated marketing communications having worked on more than 70 brands mostly in Uganda and others in Kenya and Rwanda.

What are some of the challenges in this venture?
New age media; you never know when a crisis will hit you. You therefore have to remain on your toes and engage with the media as much as possible. You can never get it right 100 per cent of the time but with some proactive initiatives you can overcome these crises.

What is that special thing that people do not know about you?
I love reggae music. I do not sing (following advice from my wife) but I enjoy great reggae music, especially live reggae bands.

How do women fare in the PR industry?
In the past they, have done very well. We have seen many women take up senior PR roles in various industries. However, I see a new wave of change where more men are now blooming in the PR industry. So, the women need to watch out and continue to compete on the same level as the men.

How do you handle emotional breakdown?
Let me tell you a secret. There is a book that has the answers to all our problems in life; be they financial, emotional, physical or spiritual. That book is called the Bible. That is where I go to when I have challenges of whatever nature and size.

Talking family life, are you married?
Yes, I am happily married to Susan Samantha Mwirigi and we have recently been blest by God with a charming baby boy.

What do you always look out for in a woman for a relationship?
Ssebo, did I not say I was married? But anyway, the qualities that I saw in my wife were a great sense of humour, God-fearing and hardworking. Her great culinary skills came as a bonus from God.

Tell me about your background?
I was born in Meru and raised in Nairobi. I studied in Kenya and Uganda but worked with brands operating in East Africa. I have worked majorly with start-ups and in companies that are breaking out of their shells to new marketing and communication activities.