Women urged to take up leadership roles, break cultural barriers

Ariya Capital Group CEO Dr Herta Von Stiegel, Standard Group vice-board chair Dr Julius Kipng'etich and FunKidz CEO Ciiru Waithaka during the WILA summit. March 4, 2022. [Edward Kiplimo, Standard]

Women have been challenged to be courageous to succeed in their different leadership roles.

Speaking during the third Activate Women In Leadership Africa (WILA) summit, Julius Kipng’etich, Standard Group’s Board Deputy Chairman, urged women to shun fear and take on leadership in male-dominated fields.

‘‘Most people struggle with fear, which can be a challenge. The lack of courage to take up top positions is the first barrier. Overcome this fear and you will reach the top,” said Dr Kipng’etich.

The summit running under the theme, Adaptability, Agility and Authenticity was held in Nairobi on Friday, ahead of tomorrow’s International Women’s Day celebrations.

Further,  Kipng’etich asked women to acquire information through reading books.

‘‘Knowledge is very important since it allows you to process information that you see, hear and feel and that is how business is generated,” he said.

 Dr Herta Von Stiegel, Founder and Executive Chair at Arya Capital Group said women are 10 times more fearful than men.

‘‘We have been mentally aligned that we are small. We have many opportunities out there, but due to fear, we don’t pursue them,” she said.

She challenged women to acquire skills to be able to work under pressure, be articulate in speaking and differentiate between what is important and what is not.

Chiru Waithaka, FunKidz CEO, emphasised there is a need for women to learn from each other and be willing to adapt to the ever-changing working environment.