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Isis Nyong'o - Madison
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I wasn’t too sure what to expect when I met Isis. I’ve always
heard of Isis, the corporate force who has accomplished what most can only
dream of and has therefore earned a lot of recognition for it. Isis,
however, is great and really easy to talk to.
Isis is married and has a 1 year old daughter, who she’s rushing
home to at the time of our interview, it is really very sweet the way she
lights up when she talks about her young family. She describes herself as a
passionate entrepreneur, and I believe her. She went to High School both in the
United States of America and in Kenya before going to Stanford University to
study, wait for it, Biology! At this point, my interest is peaked as I try to
understand how she converted a degree in Biology into a vibrant career in sales
and marketing.
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| Responding to questions at #SLAxIntel event |
In her own words, the American market is extremely different from
the Kenyan market in that they recognize that what you learn in university is
not what you actually practice in reality. She therefore was able to get a job
based on the fact that she was smart, hardworking, able to critically analyze
any situation, make decisions and most importantly she was ready to learn. She
worked in the USA for about two and a half years before relocating back to
Kenya and joining a then upcoming job site, MyJobsEye.
After about a year and a half, she left MyJobsEye to go study her
graduate degree from Harvard. Here she made a lot of networks and gained
invaluable knowledge from the people she interacted with. “Networking is what
you do daily. It’s a lot of practice and confidence. Push yourself and go out
there,” says Isis.
At Harvard, she heard that MTV was planning to go into Africa and
this peaked her interest. Isis admits that she “hustled” for this job. She sent
countless emails which went unresponded before she finally gave the man a call.
The lesson here, of course, is if you want something, go for it and be
persistent. Although MTV was a bit hesitant to give her the role, mostly
because she had no experience in sales, she got the job. She led MTV Network’s
commercial entry into Africa as a founding member of the team.
After a couple of years, Isis got an offer from Google who were
also planning their strategic entry into Africa. One of the perks of this job
was that she’d be able to relocate back to Kenya as Google planned to have
offices in Nairobi. At Google, she specialized in mobile and local content
partnerships. She then became the Vice President and Managing Director of the
African operations of inMobi, the world’s largest independent mobile
advertising network.
At this point I’m curious to know why she decided to get involved
in the She Leads Africa (SLA) event. Isis sums it up in one word, she is simply
impressed. The founders of SLA, Afua and Yasmine, have taken charge of their
lives and decided to tackle a pertinent issue on the African continent and they
are making things happen. “You HAVE GOT TO BE proactive to be successful in
anything you want to do,” says Isis.
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| L-R: Afua, Isis, Agatha, Terryanne, Yasmine |
Isis is now a co-principal at Ashpalt & Ink, a firm which
provides strategic advisory services to corporations, investors, start-ups,
governments and nonprofit organizations operating in Africa. The firm was
formed out of the recognition that Africa’s rapidly changing landscape
necessitates new approaches, insights and partnerships.
Having the experience that she has, I ask her what the pros and
cons of venturing out into business are. She says that one of the greatest
advantages is getting to decide what is most valuable to her and having the
freedom to set her own agenda. On the flip side, there are less
resources and less developed teams in business and also, every second spent on
other activities, regardless of their personal value, are counted as a
loss to the business!
To the people considering business she offers some nuggets of
wisdom. Firstly, think and decide whether entrepreneurship is truly for you.
What is your motivation for doing business, passion or pure profit? If you are
not passionate about what it is you want to do, chances of success are slim. If
you are in employment thinking of making the big move, she advices calculated
risks. That is, the awareness that you simply do not have resources to prevent
all catastrophes and still allow for innovation.
Her final piece of advice, and quite honestly, my personal
favorite, THERE IS NEVER A RIGHT TIME. “If you don’t pursue your business idea
now, 2 – 3 years from now, you will regret it!” – Isis Nyong’o Madison during
the fireside session with Terryanne Chebet.
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| Fireside Chat with Terryanne Chebet |
I was curious to know what she does for fun, you know, after a
long day of being absolutely awesome. She loves engaging in sporting activities
which keep her fit, and there are results to show, trust me. She loves to
travel, hang out with her family and this year she made a commitment to try
something new EVERY WEEK. I thought that was quite ambitious and she admits that
initially, she felt like it was ambitious too. Her husband convinced her and
Isis is loving it.
I learnt so much from Isis. She is humble, passionate and a
go-getter and she really is beautiful, both inside and out!!
-Gakii Biriri
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| Isis and Gakii during the interview |
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