MEN IN DIGITAL - The 2023 honorees as announced

Duncan is the Founder of Kids fun Scapes a one-stop online platform that makes it easy for parents and families to discover kids-related products, services, activities, and events without a hustle. The fast-growing unique platform has different categories like camping sites, swimming, dance, accessories etc. Kids fun Scape is a reflection of the modern digital marketplaces where a platform is created to give the vendors ( Supply Side) an opportunity to publish their offering and buyers ( Demand side) access them to complete a purchase.

Brian recently joined Welcome Tomorrow as the Head of Growth. Welcome Tomorrow builds sustainable online growth strategies for brands by encompassing deep analytics, consumer-driven creatives and automated media campaigns management. As the Head of Growth at Welcome Tomorrow, he works with a dynamic team of skilled professionals in crafting and executing strategic initiatives to deliver sustainable compounding growth for clients.

Paul is in charge of day to day operations and strategic direction of the Safaricom MPESA Mobile Financial services PLC Ethiopian subsidiary. Before occupying his current position, he worked at Safaricom PLC as the Chief Digital Financial Services Officer spearheading the expansion of Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia PLC. Paul has worked for Safaricom PLC for more than 16 years where he held several positions including Head of MPESA New Ventures and Emerging businesses in charge of expansions and new products.

John is currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer of Konza Technopolis Development Authority (KoTDA), he has played a critical role in transforming the organization into a leading center of excellence for innovation and technology, focusing on advancing Kenya’s knowledge economy. With over 20 years of experience in procurement and supply chain management, he has provided critical leadership in the procurement and implementation of several large-scale projects at Konza Technopolis, including successfully delivering Konza Phase 1 Horizontal Infrastructure and establishing the Kenya Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. He was also instrumental in mobilizing resources to construct a tier 3 National Data Center, transforming Kenya’s cloud infrastructure and data center services.

Eric is the founder of Lipa Later a fast-growing financing venture operating in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Nigeria and Ghana, serving over 350,000+ merchants and 400K+ users. Lipa Later was founded to empower African businesses to do more by enabling e-commerce, financial inclusion, and shopping on a centralized and fully integrated platform. Lipa later secured US$3.4 million from a privately-placed debt issuance to support its expansion and operations. Eric began his career as a Project Manager at Better Business Bureau in 2010 where he created social media strategy and later joined K-Rep Bank as a Corporate Finance Intern. He also worked at Leadership Forum as a research Analyst and Growth Hub as a Recruitment and Networks Coordinator.

At Visa, John is in charge of short- and long-term merchant acquisition strategy, revenue growth and development of strategic partnership that enhance co-creation for business growth. Visa is a digital payments company that facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. John supports SMEs and organizations to integrate ecommerce and fintech in their everyday operations. He regularly speaks in different events and conferences that empower participants with current digital skills and knowledge.

Maingi is the Founding Director of the HP-Strathmore research laboratory (HP Lab) where he oversees design, development and delivery of ICT4D projects. He has created strategic partnerships that deliver digital skills to students through mentorship and practical application. He has worked closely with the Government of Kenya (GOK) and international donors such as USAID and Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) to conceptualise solutions that improve health practices and the quality of life for millions across Africa and Asia. He successfully delivered the Early Infant Diagnosis (EID) tool whose use has resulted in reduced infant mortality and improved care for Infants Living with HIV/AIDS. He has also worked as an advisor to the Nairobi and Mombasa counties on ICT strategy adoption, risk analysis and organizational technology readiness, in support of the digital transformation agenda.

Dennis is the Managing Director at Suss Digital a full-stack Demand Side Platform (DSP) that specializes in delivering impactful adverts across the open internet. The company is known for its creative and unique ads, including Mobile and Web Display ads, Click-to-Deposit and other interactive ad formats. His work in advertisement and digital marketing has seen Suss win some of the most coveted awards in the region. He previously worked as Data Media Specialist at Betsafe a subsidiary of Betsson Group – an international sports betting brand where he grew customer base by 1000X at an efficient CPA across all customer acquisition channels and aided consideration from 3% to 11%.

Dennis is a Strategic Account Manager at Meta responsible for the support of businesses and startups in Sub-Saharan Africa to grow locally, regionally & globally using Meta Solutions (Facebook, Instagram & WhatsApp). Before the recent promotion to this role, he was the Sub-Saharan Africa Partner Manager at Meta where he worked with independent agencies helping them and their clients grow their businesses using Meta Solutions. He previously worked at Safaricom PLC as a Digital Media Specialist where he grew Safaricom’s customer care chat bot Zuri total user base 10X to 1M+ users in under 2 years using advanced digital media strategies. He was also part of #Eliud159 campaign – one of the most celebrated and awarded digital marketing Campaigns.

Charles is responsible for Co-Operative Banks Strategic technological direction and championing the innovative use of information and technology to meet the Bank's Strategic objectives. He is a decorated ICT professional in the financial sector where he has won prestigious awards and influenced the growth of the industry through innovative and impactful industry thought leadership pieces. He previously worked at Craft Silicon as the Head of projects managing inception, development and implementation of innovative products and solutions.

Caleb has recently joined IndaHash an influencer marketing platform that connects brands with social media creators that has a global network of over 1 million users across 113 countries. He leads the team in development and onboarding of new business, revenue growth and cocreating projects that deliver high business performance. Before joining IndaHash, he led the expansion and establishment of Wowzi in Uganda where he worked as a Country Manager. Wowzi, the influencer Marketing platform established its presence in Uganda mid-2023 and gave Caleb the mandated to set up an office, a team and develop strategic partnerships to generate revenue.

Dan is the Founder of SemaBox Africa a podcasting studio that works with different artists to produce and distribute content across the world. Dan is an artist who has tried singing, playing instruments and producing music before joining the world of podcasting. SemaBox idea was born during the Covid-19 pandemic after his music career was adversely affected by the pandemic. Dan has recorded more than 350 episodes and worked with different creators producing their content through podcasting, the new digital content distribution medium.

Steve Biko Wafula Popularly known as ‘SokoAnalyst’ is a digital media practitioner and business news publisher who has used his social media channels and other digital platforms to inform and educate the public. SokoAnalyst has built Soko directory to become a go to platform for investments opportunities, financial and economic trends and analysis. His vibrant social media channels have huge following that engages the online community on current affairs. He also creates and executes digital marketing strategies for different brands.

Abel popularly known as ‘Mkurugenzi’ by his online fans is a content creator, businessman and a Creative Director at Phil-it Productions Ltd. He has embraced different roles throughout his career as an artist, story teller and astute entertainer. He capitalizes on digital channels to generate content that easily connects with the online community. He has a huge following on Youtube, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and other channels that enable him to creatively tell stories and distribute his content.

Andrew who goes by the moniker Tom Daktari is one of the fastest rising content creators in the region. His short skits and humorous videos are repeatedly shared and reshared in different social media channels. Brands have also embraced his unique and authentic influencer marketing approach where he co-creates brand endorsements and campaigns. He has also traveled to different countries to entertain his online funs through different offline events. After completing high school, his elder brother helped him set up egg hawking business popularly kown as ‘Mayai Pasua’ in Nairobi.

James is a champion of digital innovation and the adoption of technology by media houses to transform and invigorate electronic media production. He has been instrumental in the establishment and growth of NMG podcast. He also participates in digital skills development through youth groups including K-youth that he founded in 2010 to empower youth living in urban slums with media skills and journalism training. He has a creative way of fusing digital to television show and programs he conceptualizes. while at KTN, he produced #KTNLIVEWIRE, a program designed to act as a platform for in-depth current affairs discussions with an audience through phone-ins, live texts, and tweets.