RITA KAVESHE: The bubbly, light-hearted woman driving the General Motors brand

Rita Kavashe, a trained teacher by profession, took over the reins of the General Motors business in East Africa. PHOTO| FILE| NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • I always tell them, if you want to make a lasting impression on this employee, if you want her to be your ambassador for a long time, you must know when to give that pay rise and promotion.
  • For my female employees, the best time to give them a raise or promotion is when they come back from maternity leave.
  • It shows you are thinking of them beyond the office. But of course, only if they deserve it.

At some point - after 35 years - General Motors made a decision tAt some point - after 35 years - General Motors made a decision to have a local take over the reins of business in East Africa. Not only did they pick a resident, they picked a woman; Rita Kavashe, a trained teacher by profession.

She had been with GM since 1995 running operations in the region. Now she runs the biggest motor outfit in Kenya with a market share of 29 per cent in 2014. We met at their head office along Mombasa Road.

Rita’s a bubbly spirit, light-hearted and full of laughter.

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What’s the first question you imagine I’d open this interview with?

What keeps me awake at night?

And what’s what?

(Laugh loudly) I sleep. I sleep most of the night.

Nothing worries you? Come on, you must have a worry running a company this big.

My biggest worry is creating a sustainable business for the long haul and continuing to ensure that this company continues to be run by Kenyans.

I was the first Kenyan to be given this opportunity after 35 years as a local employee so my desire would be to register more of such great successes because I’ve seen the benefit of a local person who understands the politics, landscape and economics being at the helm.

Being picked as the first local to run this ship must have been quite a moment…

Yes, it humbled me greatly. To me, it was a show of confidence. It showed that someone had seen in me the dedication and ability to develop people. I wasn’t aware of my leadership skills until then and when I reflect back, I realise that my bosses then consistently built me to be a leader. That was great on their part.

It was challenging for me at the same time. I asked myself, what will I do to take this company to greater heights especially after taking over from my strong predecessor in the auto sector? Those were big shoes.

I have learnt not to draw parallels here but does it matter that you are a woman running a big operation like this one?

Running a place like this is a huge responsibility. Women contribute significantly to the success of enterprise, therefore it’s a great opportunity to be a woman and to influence the direction of such a company.

The fact that I’m a woman means I understand a lot more in terms of employee management.

I know the right time to compensate a female employee which my male colleagues might not know.

I always tell them, if you want to make a lasting impression on this employee, if you want her to be your ambassador for a long time, you must know when to give that pay rise and promotion.

For my female employees, the best time to give them a raise or promotion is when they come back from maternity leave.

It shows you are thinking of them beyond the office. But of course, only if they deserve it.

Why?

Because at that point, the employee has gone through a long time of thinking, “I have a child, I have to fend for this child and educate them.

I need to provide security for this child.” When you relieve them of some of those fears and they return to a pay rise, promotion or recognition, you are giving them the confidence that our enterprise is here to support you through all that.

Oh come on, unfair! Do you give the fathers who have come back from paternity leave promotions?

(Laughs) Yes, when you as a man have had a wedding and you come back and we reward you with a promotion or pay rise, that leaves a great impression and makes you think about what you can give back to the company.

As a successful woman, do you get to a point in the corporate ladder where the fact that you are a woman becomes irrelevant? Like you become sexless, so to speak?

(Long pause) It’s important for women to realise that no matter how high they go up the corporate ladder, they must never lose sight of the fact that they are women because there is such great advantage in retaining your feminine side. I want to continue to be a woman because I will have more opportunities to impact society positively.

It gets to a point where you are so driven by targets and focus on delivering results that you risk forgetting your other responsibilities as a woman.

Having a balance is very important for me.

How many kids?

Two, the boy is 20 and in university, the girl is six.

When in life did you feel the tide distinctly change?

(Long pause) Before I took this new job as MD, I had reached a point in my career where I was certain something had to change. It kept ringing in my head. Then I got my baby, which is probably what I needed at that time. When I got this offer, I took it and I had to go down to South Africa with my baby – who was only seven months old then – for my “apprentice” period at our office in Port Elizabeth.

What are your struggles currently?

(Laughs) Creating work-family integration. My son did not get the best of me because I was always in the field. As a CEO I’m also not giving my daughter the best of my time, so it’s my number one agenda now, to ensure that I give them time. I’m trying.

You got her a bit late…

What do you mean a bit late?

Five years ago. The boy is 20 years. A 15-year gap. What instigated that, and was it tied to your profession?

You know, my career was going great but I needed my social life to be greater, so I had her to balance things out. I have experienced people who worked and worked and when that work ended had nothing.

What do you do for fun?

I have a good social network of friends, my girlfriends from university. We are still tight so we have fun occasionally. I also go to my village in Taita Taveta quite often to be with family. I find it enriching and it reminds me to be humble. I also jog and go to the gym. My life starts at the club at 5am everyday and ends here at 8pm. I also read motivational books.

What car could an MD of General Motors be driving?

(Laughs) I have driven many cars, from Cadillacs to you-name-it. The latest is a Chevrolet Trailblazer. Great car. I also like the Isuzu D-Max... great offroad capability when I’m going to the village.

Which is the most memorable car you have driven in your career?

The Hummer. Not only because of the art of driving it but the joy it brings people when they see it. Especially the children, they go “Wooooww, it’s a Hummer!” and it’s so beautiful. It brings out so much joy in people. I drove it for seven months and everywhere I went, I turned heads.

My friends would call me and say, “we saw you at Uchumi!” and I would go, “Oh yees!” (Laughs). Then it was a yellow Hammer, so you can imagine how out there it was even though I’m very low key.

Married?

No.

Ever married?

No.

Any special reason?

Never met anyone who I liked enough to settle down with.

You people keep saying that and it’s such a lie!

(Laughs loudly) No, I mean it! I didn’t find a guy who suited me, or who I suited.

How is it raising kids alone?

(Pause) Mmm...I don’t know. It’s never been a challenge because they have my brothers and my uncles and my son has turned out to be a very responsible guy.

He found fathers everywhere. You know, my dad passed on in 1996, and my mom died when I was five, so I was raised by a father and that must have been difficult for him.

What is your biggest regret in life?

(Near whisper) Not having spent time with my dad. Immediately I got my job here in 1995, I couldn’t spend much time with him and a year later he died…(Pause) I felt terrible! I thought to myself, maybe if I had taken a different job, I would have spent more time with him? (Pause) I wasn’t there when he died... my brother was.

I only got there after he had died. I feel that I should have been there to tell him thank you for bringing me up. So yeah….

What do you blow your money on?

Shoes, clothes, parties. (Dramatic) Come to my home.... my village mates who are in town, hey guys, come to my house, let’s party, we sit, we talk.

I love when my relatives come over. Any opportunity to speak our mother tongue is always so welcome.

Tavetas, you guys are like indigenous, right? You are like, what, 1,000?

(Laughs) We are only 60,000, so imagine getting five in a room? It’s a big party! We speak our language and laugh and dance. (Laughs). But I also love gardening, I forgot to mention.

I love to spend my weekends at home. I grow flowers, expensive flowers and I love to water and prune. I can do that the whole weekend. I love plants and flowers.

What plant are you?

(Long pause) Indian Palm Tree. It’s straight and tall, which means it sees the horizon, always wanting to see the global view. It has leaves that grow down which means even though it grows up, it still remains in touch with its roots. It never leaves the people who are down.

This article was first published in the Business Daily.