Marketing is not just vibes

Planning, strategising day-to-day on how we can make sales but more importantly managing and guiding a team and motivating them. It is less of doing the work myself and more of aligning the team to the overall business strategy and how each of them will support the big strategy.

Do you consider yourself a boss or a leader?

I have never been a boss, I consider myself a servant leader.

What was it like transitioning from sales to marketing?

Sales and branding are exciting. There are things I learnt from sales that are helping me do marketing better. 

Take us through the steps of crafting marketing strategies

It all begins with understanding the deep, underlying truths about your consumer. What are their needs, and how does your plan address them? Every effort we make is aimed at answering that question. Today’s generation faces endless needs, often leaving young people overwhelmed and uncertain. That is why, in everything we do, we carefully consider the behaviour and motivations of our audience. 

How would you talk to young people who want to follow your path?

Marketing is not vibes. It is not something casual, it is far from a TV advert, a billboard and so on. It is a science. Study, but most importantly a good marketer should be observant of people’s behaviour; be curious and attentive to detail. 

Who would you say has been your biggest career influence? 

My mother. She has taught me humility, hardwork and living my purpose. She dedicated her work to helping people and doing it with so much grace and humility. She taught me to be resilient and patient. She says, “We all make plans in life and things do not work out but at the point when things are tough, that is when the breakthrough is happening”. 

What is your career mantra?

You cannot win on your own. I have a supportive husband who allows me be a manager and get home with all my stress.

I have mentors and friends. One of my mentors is my mother and a gentleman called Hashakimana, whose purpose in life is to give; he is there to see people realise their potential. 

Finally, consistency and hard work pay off and always be clear and intentional on your why. 

What did you study and what is your experience?

I have a Bachelor’s degree in International Business focusing on Marketing. I did some classes in psychology as well. 

After university, I worked for Coca Cola in Nairobi as a sales representative. I worked for Uganda Breweries as a sales representative. I then moved to work with Digital Brands in Kenya selling tomato sauce to small takeaways. 

I went into media still in Kenya then transferred to Rwanda for about two and a half years. I was moved here for six months and they told me the job was done. That was the third time. 

Luckily, that was the time Pepsi was looking for a brand manager. I was lucky to be connected by someone I met and had a conversation about what I had been doing and they told me they were looking for someone like me. They had interviewed some people but not found a suitable person. I got the job and that was the beginning of my journey in the branding sector.

I started with buying media for Pepsi and managing it then Mountain Dew, then I got married and had my first child. Covid-19 hit and we did not work. Then an opportunity came with Uganda Breweries, I did the interviews and the rest is history. 

My career has been about working across different markets. I have collected exposure, which necessitates me to be a problem-solver but I need a team to work well.

If there is one person you would invite for a cup of coffee, who would that be?

I would invite Jesus. Then I would sit with the former President of Pepsi International, Indra Nooyi. She has been very honest about the sacrifices she has had to make to get where she is. They asked her how she has been able to make it and she said it has been her job, children and her husband. She has set boundaries and structures. I would love to sit with her and ask her about her ways of making it and I would love her inspiration.

Another person would be Patricia of Kenya Breweries; she has not changed herself to be like men at her level. She has remained authentic and feminine.