The People Person

Florence Mghoi Mwaisaka, 32, is a human resource manager at Intercontinental hotel, Nairobi she tells Shirley Genga about her job.

What is her current job, what does her job entail?

I manage the Human Resources functions of Intercontinental Hotel Nairobi; it is part of the Intercontinental Hotel Groups (IHG that is a British chain of hotels with over 150 hotels in 65 countries. I develop the strategy aligned to the hotel’s mission, goals and objectives and ensuring the strategy is implemented.

What is your work history?

 I first started as a Humanitarian worker with GOAL Ireland, an international NGO.  I worked in the refugee programmes funded by UNHCR and IOM.  That is when I developed an interest in human resources. I was drawn to the developing of employees as they reached out to beneficiaries.  I then moved to in the role of HR in GOAL, responsible for HR in the Kenya, DRC and South Sudan programmes.  I then moved into a similar role in Childfund International, a child sponsorship agencies, before I moved to Intercontinental Nairobi.

Which schools did you attend?

I attended Kilimani Primary for my primary education and Kenya High School for my KCSE. I joined Kenyatta University where I studied for a Bachelor of Environmental Studies and specialised in social-cultural studies.  I attained a first class honours degree. I am currently completing an MBA in Human Resource Management   from University of Nairobi.

What do you love about your job? 

Intercontinental Hotel Group is a people focused company that believes that the “people” are the cornerstone of any business. Because of this global ethos within IHG, the human resource management are viewed as a business partner in strategic business decisions.  I am therefore given the challenge to encourage employees to be at their best and instil in them competencies that enable them to grow within our own company.

I have the daily task of ensuring that I recruit people who are passionate and love what they do and ensure they get opportunities to grow within the company.  This could be from trainings, mentoring and coaching programmes, job shadows, cross exposure to sister hotels all over the world, the list is endless.

What are the challenges? 

As a HR practitioner I have to be a ‘change champion’, administrator, strategist and advocate. All these four roles can be quite challenging and involves one to have the ability to multi-task and be organised.

Advice for anyone who wants to do what she does?

To be a HR Practitioner, you need to love people and have to heart and compassion for people.  I would advise anyone who wants to join the career to take time as an intern in a busy HR department and familiarise oneself with all the functionalities before making a decision to join HR. Each and every single manager needs to have basic HR skills to manage and develop their teams.  However, a HR practitioner has the additional task of ensuring “people concepts” are addressed in business strategies.

Do you believe that someone has to go to school to work in human resource?

Gaining HR skills from an institution is paramount.  HR is a reputable profession and one has to be examined and certified, before being recognised as a HR practitioner.

What do you do when you are not at work?

 I am a mother, homemaker!  I have a passion for cooking.  Over the weekend, I entertain a lot in my home and I have lots of fun experimenting on foods and cooking for my family and friends.  I also   read a lot and love to travelling.