Name: Fred Wanjau Waithaka
Position: Head of Legal and Secretarial Services
Company: Safaricom PLC
Worked in the current position for: 4 years
Sector: Legal in the FMCG sector
Years in-house: 14 years
An overview of my role is: I provide leadership to a great team of lawyers at Safaricom Plc, the leading telecommunications provider in Kenya. As a team, we provide legal and secretarial services support to Safaricom and its subsidiary companies.
The best thing about my current job is: I get to stretch myself every day in a role that requires me to be both innovative and involved, working through issues and problems alongside not just other lawyers but colleagues across various disciplines which has deepened my understanding of the business, people management and the larger industry in which Safaricom operates.
The most challenging thing about my current job is: Finding a balance between the many competing priorities at work and at home.
My most pivotal career move: Joining a company in the subsea cable industry during its start-up phase to set up its legal function in Kenya (I grew with the company and left as its Head of Legal, overseeing the legal function across its global footprint). The opportunity awakened me to the rigours of growing a business, requiring me to not only apply technical finesse but to be creative, reflective and malleable. I have maintained a “start-up mentality” and continue to carry with me the experiences and lessons learnt applying the same in my current role
The hardest lesson I have learned as a lawyer: My LLB and legal qualifications can morph from wings to an anchor if I allow it, limiting my utility and opportunities to one vein. I have therefore learnt to unbundle my technical qualifications, harnessing my transferable skills allowing me to expand my potential and capability beyond my core function as a lawyer.
What advice would you give your younger self? Breath– take the time to travel and try new experiences.
Who are the key influencers that have shaped you along the way? My late parents who are an indelible compass in my life and whose mantra I apply in my life daily i.e. with grit, prayer and commitment nothing is insurmountable; my wife whose spirit of adventure encourages me to push on and take risks; and one of my former bosses Mr Ricky Schumacher who taught me to invest in people by sharing my time and skills.
My favourite pro bono or volunteer activity is: mentoring young lawyers
The worst job I ever held was: None, every job I have had, including some of the odd jobs that I did while I was at University, have played a significant role in shaping the person that I am and the networks that I have built.
Most valuable life lesson that I still apply today is: Your community is your wealth, so treat everyone with respect and apply yourself in a manner that builds your community positively.
I achieve work-life balance by: This is an area of my life that is still a work in progress. I need to mind my ‘busyness’.
If I were not practising law, I would probably be: A vet
I’m currently reading: The Challenge for Africa by the late Professor Wangari Maathai
My current music playlist includes: Million little miracles—Elevation Worship, Tujiangalie—Sauti Sol and Nyashinski, Promises—Maverick City, Tell the World– Lecrae