The Story Behind the Work.

Monica grew up in a Christian household in Kenya, where diligent work — done in service of something larger than oneself — was treated as its own reward. She once imagined a career in medicine, until she discovered she couldn’t stand the sight of blood. What followed was a period of uncertainty, and then an unlikely first job: teller at a branch of the former Commercial Bank of Africa.

That entry point set the tone for everything after. Roles in customer service, relationship management and business development gave her a ground-level understanding of what people actually need from an institution — long before she ever held the title of “marketer.”

She studied Economics at Egerton University, a background colleagues still joke gives her the instincts of an economist and the execution of a marketer. A Master’s in Marketing from United States International University – Africa followed, sharpening that instinct into a discipline — one she has since deepened through executive education at Harvard Business School and Strathmore Business School.