‘Your money is her business’

By Evelyne Ogutu Mathematics has always been a subject that is associated with men. Hence, seldom do women pursue math-related careers like actuarial science. But Patricia Kiwanuka has defied the stereotype and excelled in a field many would consider a preserve for men. She is the head of Africa business development at PineBridge Investments, formerly AIG Investments. She joined the global investments company in 2007, at a time when recession had hit most industries in the world and people were no longer interested in investing their money because the returns were low. Then 29, her role was to market PineBridge Investments in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. She dug her feet in and has a lot to show for her efforts today.grown steadilyPatricia Kiwanuka, 33, is the head of Africa business development for the PineBridge Investments, former AIG. Says the jolly woman: "My work was to go out, pool a big amount of money from investors and convince them that we are going to invest their money and they will get huge returns. This is not an easy task, since one has to explain in detail how the money is going to be invested and how to lower the risk so the client will not make a loss." Patricia says since 2007, the fund has grown steadily and now PineBridge Investments Kenya manages over Sh70 billion on behalf of clients. She notes her affair with mathematics began while she was a student at Kenya High School. She later joined Nairobi University, where she pursued a Bachelor of Science, Actuarial Science. To her, mathematics is as simple as learning to use the numbers one to ten.Patricia has the daunting job of interpreting investment to people who have no such knowledge. "My work is quite simple: I go out there and get a big chunk of money from clients and our specialists in investment do the other bit. It sounds easy but it has its share of challenges," says a modest Patricia. The rural girl, as she would like to be referred to, Patricia was brought up in Embu, but travelled to Uganda often to visit her paternal relatives. "My mother is Kenyan and my late father was Ugandan, so I am a true East African and that is how I manage to cross to Uganda and talk to investors on the need forinvesting their money with PineBridge Investments. And thus the rural girl has defied odds to become one of the respected investment analysts and advisors.Encountered criticismShe discredits the notion that women are innately less capable of crunching the figures than men. However, she has encountered criticism from people who feel that a woman knows nothing about investment and handling huge amounts of money.But being one among the few actuarial scientists in Kenya, Patricia has proved her detractors wrong. The first born in a family of three, she says women should stop looking for favours and work hard for management positions.She, however, says a woman should not struggle to be masculine so as to be recognised once she has acquired a top managerial position. Says she: "You will find some top women going bald and masking their femininity just because they have been appointed MDs or CEOs. You are a unique person and that is why you should be proud to be a woman and not try to be a man in a woman’s body."Patricia, who during her free time enjoys helping her friend Patricia Mbela with beading, says that the concentration needed in beadwork has taught her to remain calm even when faced with a challenging situation. artistic sideShe discovered her artistic side when she resigned from a well paying job at the Alexander Forbes Financial Services in 2005 for soul searching. She reminisces: "I took a sabbatical and joined my friend Patricia in the fashion industry. This was an eye opener.Now I am patient and can put up with people and this is vital in team work," she says. During this time I also started providing financial consulting services for individuals and small and medium sized enterprises."Besides travelling around the world, her position has also exposed her to high level of networking."Talk of the high and mighty, I’ve met them all," she quips.The jolly Patricia spends her free time playing golf or bonding with her nephew who is two years old."I love children and once I find my Mr Right I would love to have my own. For now I am single by choice," says the 33-year-old, adding: "I am not searching because I have decided to enjoy myself."

‘Your money is her business’

Get Full Access for Ksh299/Week.

Stand With Bold Journalism.
Stand With The Standard.

Related Topics

Popular this week

Latest Stories

The Standard Insider

Digger Classified

GET OUR NEWSLETTER

CONNECT WITH US

FOR THE LATEST JOB ADVERTS

DIGGER JOBS

Digger Motors

Digger Real Estate

‘Your money is her business’

Get Full Access for Ksh299/Week.

Stand With Bold Journalism. Stand With The Standard.

Related Topics

Popular this week

Latest Stories

The Standard Insider

Digger Classified

GET OUR NEWSLETTER

CONNECT WITH US

FOR THE LATEST JOB ADVERTS

Stand With Bold Journalism.
Stand With The Standard.