Connecting businesses is her business. Warm, soft-spoken and distinguished, Gina Din stands tall as a professional and as a corporate brand among Kenya’s leading Public Relations firms. With almost 30 years of experience in PR and nearly two decades of that time spent running her own firm, the Executive Chairperson of the Gina Din Group of Companies is undoubtedly a force to reckon with.
In November 2013, the New African magazine listed Gina Din-Kariuki among Africa’s 100 most influential people. Din-Kariuki’s potential started showing when she ran a column, Talking Aloud, in a leading weekly newspaper, the Sunday Nation, at the tender age of 18. The alumna of St Christopher School in Nanyuki, and the Green Acres School in Limuru, says: “Although I was not very good in class, I could write very well.” She wrote the column for four years then went to England for further studies, where she attained a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the London School of Journalism. She then returned home to land her first job at the age of 21. Growing up in Nanyuki town on
the slopes of Mt Kenya, the youngest of four sisters never shied away from a challenge. She was tasked with establishing Barclays Bank of Kenya’s Public Relations Department which, over 12 years, became synonymous with her. During that period, she gained experience and built her name in PR circles.
She eventually decided to do something for herself after identifying a niche for her services. “I had reached the top. I didn’t have anywhere else to go. The corporate world would remain the same and I needed to work on my own terms.” That is how the Gina Din Corporate Communications company was born in 1996. There were not many people doing what she was doing for Barclays, and she thought she could replicate similar services for the corporate world. With some savings and one client, Din-Kariuki started working towards realising her dream. “I was very lucky that when I left Barclays, they gave me the account and closed the Public Relations Department. I had money from day one because I had a client.”
The beginning was tough. She earned nothing as she had to pay office rent and staff salaries. Start-up costs of getting office space, buying computers and setting up her team of three ate into a chunk of her savings. Six months down the line, clients started streaming in, and within a year the company had five to six clients. They had to hire more staff as the business grew. Support is important for an entrepreneur, and Din- Kariuki got it from people who gave her sound business advice and guidance. She singles out former Barclays Bank Managing Director Bob Bard for encouraging her and teaching her management skills. Bard now lives in Australia, but they have remained in touch. Din-Kariuki acknowledges family as her first line of support. Her sisters – one in Kenya and the others in the United States – have kept her motivated through their close relationship. Although she lost her father when she was 18 and her mother 13 years later, the values they instilled in her as she grew up have remained as guideposts in her journey of life. She also credits her parents, who owned and ran a hotel in Nanyuki, for her entrepreneurial skills.
Her husband of over 25 years, Chris Kariuki, has also supported her. Din-Kariuki regards the pilot, with whom she has a son and a daughter – both in their twenties – as her ‘best friend and confidant’. She couldn’t ask for a better partner, she says of the man she describes as “supportive, encouraging and wonderful”. His support enabled her to start her business, Din-Kariuki says, citing sharing of family responsibilities, especially looking after their children. “When I travel, my husband makes sure he’s at home.”
Running a business takes up time and consumes the body and mind. The entrepreneur often had to work from home to spend more time with her children. “My children always came first. I have invested a lot of time in them and we have a very close relationship.” On occasion, she has to perform the balancing act, which often entails easing off one
to concentrate on the other. “I have had to tell my kids that I’m sorry, but my client is going through X, so I’m not going to be here. There are times I’ve told my clients, ‘my son is going through his exams right now; I’m really sorry, but I won’t be with you.’”
Women in Africa have been expected to care for their families, often at the expense of their jobs, a challenge Din-Kariuki has overcome thanks to an understanding family, she says. She partly blames women for their predicament: “They just take up the role of being wife and mother. When I got married, I went with the mind that I have to work on my career; I intend to do something with my life.” Even then, she found it hard getting ahead and being heard, so she became aggressive, assertive and confident in order to make it. “A woman running her own business was a rare combination, especially when I started.”
Starting out as a local brand was tough, as she had to compete in an environment saturated with international brands. Her competitors had headquarters abroad, and the firms that had been in the market much longer than hers were run by experts. Din Kariuki’s strategy was to work professionally. She plunged into the business with
passion and commitment to provide services other agencies might not have, determined to raise the bar in public relations. Din-Kariuki invested in networking to build her business. During her stint at Barclays, her name had become a brand because of the publicity her job accorded her. She also made time to join private associations for the bigger platforms. She put a lot of time, effort and skills into her business. “Your net worth is your network” she says. As she implemented her plans and strategies to grow the business, she believed that she would succeed. But there were trials. “Some challenges were a test of faith and trust,” says Din-Kariuki. “I learned to fall back on my faith that God is big.” That is what has sustained her in business for nearly 20 years.
There were moments when things got tough and new challenges arose. That is when an inner voice told her, ‘you have come this far, the only choice you have is to move forward’. In 2013, Din-Kariuki rebranded her company and merged with Imagine IMC, a marketing firm. This enabled her to hire a chief executive officer to run the firm on a day-to-day basis while she focused on the next step – building an Africa-wide brand. Meanwhile, she marvels at how much Kenya has shifted in understanding PR. She is pleased to see even small firms seeking public relations services. “With the establishment of county governments, there can only be more opportunities,” she says.
Young Africans with potential have the opportunity to make connections with top achievers through her Gina Din Foundation. The Foundation is a product of Din-Kariuki’s many travels, during which she noticed a huge number of extraordinary young people across Africa with no jobs and unharnessed entrepreneurial potential. This led to her television programme At the Table with Gina Din, which showcased her mentoring concept. “Not everyone can be employed. My peers want to help, so I am the bridge bringing them together. It’s very satisfying,” she says.
Din-Kariuki is also the Goodwill Ambassador of Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS), a position that she has held since August 2008. As the first ever Kenya Red Cross Goodwill Ambassador, she has coordinated various philanthropic activities, raised awareness on the Society’s various causes and used her networks to raise funds. In March 2016, the United Nations Populations Fund – Kenya appointed her Honorary Ambassador. In this role, she works to empower women and adolescent girls on issues such as eradicating Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and the prevention of early childhood marriages as well as promoting their health. The phenomenal entrepreneur also sits on the boards of different companies, including CAMAC Energy Kenya.
Words of Wisdom
“Until you take a seat at the table, pull up your seat and say what you want, you can’t go far.”
“Have a vision of where you are going with your life.”
“Make sure you know everything you can about your market. Become a specialist in your field.”
“Your net worth is your network.”
“Hustle until you don’t have to introduce yourself.”
“Be confident; it’s very important in your business.”
“Fake it until you make it.”
“I am a connector. That is the strength of my foundation. I am very good at remembering someone’s face and name.”
“I am a very big-picture person. Always seek to seek the bigger picture.”
As businesswoman, philanthropist, wife and mother, Din-Kariuki’s life is full; for her, ‘an ordinary day’ is next to impossible. Her day starts with an hour-long workout. She then meets government officials or clients and staff in her office. The rigours of her work make her crave time alone. “I love spending time by myself… I treasure moments when it is just me.” An avid reader, Din-Kariuki tries to leave her weekends free to catch up on books. She also makes time to go out with friends.
She practices yoga and is a director of the Africa Yoga Project Foundation. She also loves to travel, which frees time for her to meditate. “I am a wandering spirit,” she says. Asked about one thing that people do not know about her, she confesses to being ‘quite shy’. “I prefer smaller groups of people to connect with.” Din-Kariuki states that she has been through the grill, on the pan and inside the fire. She lets those experiences turn her into a diamond instead of ashes. “I never thought I would have a business this big, but I was always able to visualise where I wanted to
be.”
She is a recipient of numerous awards, including the Presidential Order of the Burning Spear in 2003, for her contribution to charity, and the SABRE Award for Excellence in Public Relations. In January 2018, she won second Gold Stevier Award in the Woman of the Year- Advertising, Marketing and PR at the 2017 Stevie Awards for Women in Business competition