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EDNAH OTIENO
REGIONAL HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR – DIAGEO EUROPE, TURKEY & MENA
The case of London based Kenyan Ednah Otieno, who joined Diageo into the Graduate Program and now holds the position of Regional Human Resources Director (Europe, Turkey & MENA) perfectly illustrates the quality of high caliber of human resource talents available in Kenya and the power of this market in multinational companies.
Ednah kicked off her career at East African Breweries PLC (EABL) in 2003 on the Graduate Program. Between March 2005 and May 2007, she took her first substantive appointment as HR analyst before her first surprise leadership role came in 2007 when she took on the role of Head of Reward, a specialist role she went on the enjoy for four years until she December 2011 when the role expanded to include shared services for EABL. In Jan 2013, she took up the role of Head Reward for the Africa. The complexity and exciting possibilities would trigger the curiosity to explore roles further away from Kenya and outside Diageo.
In 2014, after 11 years, Ednah took the leap outside Diageo to join Airtel Africa for a short stint as Head of Reward and Organization Design. Though short, an extremely rewarding experience in Telecoms, Ednah would learn the value of transition management, the shock of culture change and the complexities of stake-holder management. Changing industries from FMCG to Telecommunications came with many fundamental shifts including new vocabulary, different business rhythms and a different way of engaging consumers. Ultimately, this was the experience that would change her trajectory as she hit the realization that specialist roles are deeply rewarding but can’t triumph HR roles with direct impact to business and proximity to commercial outcomes. There begins the move to her ultimate passion of Business Partnering.
Leaving Airtel was premature but Mars Wrigley, East Africa was the right role, under the coaching and mentorship of a great General Manager between June 2015 and July 2017, Ednah would finally understand the true meaning of HR as the GM’s co-pilot. But alas, she couldn’t resist the call to return to Diageo, this time as the Group HR Director, EABL, a dream role she had not yet dared to dream. The return was a stretch, exposing major development opportunities that needed to be addressed with urgency – EABL is and not just one of the highest market capitalized businesses in EA, its scale and scope cannot be underrated. The secret weapon to survival was a trusting boss, a sense of purpose, a strong united team and a healthy dose of humor!
In July 2021, amidst the C-19 complexities, a role in the UK, outside familiarity and family was the last thing on her mind. Moving to take up the roles of HR Director, Diageo GB was nothing short of an adventure. Learning to lead in the post C-19 ‘new normal’ and in a different cultural context was a priceless experience. Again, the value of a strong network, family and an amazing team came to save the day. Three years later, in May 2024, it was time for a new adventure, this time, the vast magnificent, historic Europe region as Region-al HR Director, Diageo. Ednah describes the last 14 months in role as nothing short of a miracle.
Ednah attributes her success to several factors. First, she opines that, ‘I have been very lucky to have been surrounded by a loving family, great friends, and supportive colleagues – generous people who support me unconditionally’. She continues to advice that for successful life transitions ‘find people who help you gain perspective, who help you frame your thoughts and people who you can feel fully expressed around’
Secondly, the value of finding a place you can learn and grow – Diageo is an organization that truly believes in the value of personal purpose. In 2018, after joining Diageo, Ednah started to deeply reflect on her person-al purpose and how this comes to life at work. She is proud to work for an organization that shares her values for Growth, development, diversity and Inclusion. She draws pride from the progress Diageo has made as a responsible citizen to many of the SDG’s but particularly to SDG-5 Gender Diversity. She is particularly proud of EABL and the team’s work across the SDG’s. This is evidenced by board and senior management representation, and progressive policies some notable ones are:
- The parental leave policy implemented in 2019 with maternity leave at 6 months and paternity at 4 weeks.
- Menopause Guidelines that recognize and provide resources to employees experiencing menopause directly or indirectly
- Domestic and Family abuse that provides access to paid days off, whether for themselves or a family member experiencing abuse.
Ednah’s early schooling was at Lavington Primary followed by St Georges Secondary School. She would join Kenyatta University for a Bachelor of Arts degree in Eco-nomics and Business and later an MBA from Strathmore University. She refined her people and culture skills through a Diploma in HR Management, curated by the Institute of Human Resources Management.
To unwind, Edna finally fallen into the trap of living in the UK and now watches the premier league and can’t help but follow the exciting world or Formula 1. Her true wind down comes from exploring the beautiful cities across Europe either hiking or taking a run. Above all, the love for exploring history through Podcasts can fit into any day. She is currently reading Loon Shoots (nurturing crazy ideas by Safi Bahcall) and an old favorite Safe Places (Finding security life by Stephen Arterburn, Frank Minirth and Paul Meier).
Professionally, Edna states that, ‘I aspire to be an enthusiastic, empathetic and compassionate leader’. She believes that HR business partners are co-pilots to business leaders with a distinctive role in driving broad organizational outcomes’
Ednah views herself as a catalyst for purposeful and positive change, driven by compassion for self and others and a deep desire to catalyze positive experiences for those around me.
