Emily
is a dynamic Kenyan woman with unique gifting and a passion to affect her world
beyond her plans to build an empire of some sort in the event planning and
management sphere in Africa she is one of the selfless teachers we have come in
contact with although she now facilitates and works as a Business Manager with
a leading foundation in Kenya – we cannot but attest to the reality that she is
truly Phenomenal African Woman. In
this with Sarah James read as she her story a true reflection of her passion. 10:10
#PAW INTERVIEW SERIES: WOMEN WITH A DIFFERENCE

Who is Emily
Gumba?

I am a Teacher, Facilitator,
Programme and business manager with excellent track record in profit-and-loss
history via project and technical brand management, multi-site international
operations management, leadership in pioneering schools programmes and
initiatives in ICT, Research skills and Training needs for women and youth.

is a dynamic Kenyan woman with unique gifting and a passion to affect her world
beyond her plans to build an empire of some sort in the event planning and
management sphere in Africa she is one of the selfless teachers we have come in
contact with although she now facilitates and works as a Business Manager with
a leading foundation in Kenya – we cannot but attest to the reality that she is
truly Phenomenal African Woman. In
this with Sarah James read as she her story a true reflection of her passion. 10:10
#PAW INTERVIEW SERIES: WOMEN WITH A DIFFERENCE

Three
words which resonate in my purpose are:

.

MY GREATEST INFLUENCE

Christopher Situma Khaemba challenged me to grab any opportunity that comes my way and not to be
shy from trying. Life is about risk. I still consult him and admire his
leadership style

Three Individuals I consider amazing and truly phenomenal

 Maggie Ireri

IN THE NEXT 5 YEARS

Be an influencer to
my peers, Build my own empire for Events and Marketing company for the youth
and women, with a focus on enriching their lives through events and website- a
hub of information, a crucial portal for individuals and companies who want to
connect with women and youth through advertising and event sponsorships to
develop ideas, networking opportunities and marketing their products to reach
the global markets. Through this technology will be critical in transforming
the lives of the African society, governments and enterprises. I am also
passionate about mentorship and community service using the give back
principles.

The African Woman’s
Challenge:

Coping with career growth and family matters. Limited
opportunities to go up the ladder. In this case Women need a good network as an intrinsic part of business. Again,
women do not have access to the right decision-makers that they need to
influence certain decisions they want to make, they always face negativity and
those that could be role models, for example, they could be 20 years your
senior, and they are very few. That is a big challenge for the new business
startup. You spend a lot of time in the early days trying to sell yourself, not
just your business. Another challenge is that sometimes, you are ahead of your
time – you want to be a trendsetter and an innovator, but here in Africa the
market can be running a little behind you and your ideas. But the bottom line
is that everybody, no matter where they are in the world, wants to consume the
best technology available. Personally, my philosophy is based on giving clients
something that is world class, even if that technology solution is ahead of its
time. Getting known in the market for this type of forward thinking approach is
what gets you known and helps to build your reputation.

What I Do To Relax:

Reading, Dancing
and socializing

My   –   I.C.E. [INSPRIE|CELEBRATE|EMPOWER] Vision

Taking the positive attitude and belief in whatever
they are doing will change the world, because women can change Africa and the
world if given the right tools and access to resources. .

MY AFRICAN UNION PLANS:

Providing technical
support to the African Union Women’s Committee Advocacy, ensuring that the laid
out activities to mainstream gender and promote women’s empowerment in all
organs of the AU, Member States are done. Supporting with education campaigns
to disseminate information on AU policies and programmes in the area of gender.
Assisting, with producing and maintaining material for the AU website on
African women and gender issues. Offer support in the production of periodic
reports on the Status of African Women and progress towards gender equality in
Africa. Assisting in organizing expert meetings, workshops and panel
discussions to disseminate good practices, lessons learned, emerging issues and
trends on the continent Performing any other duties as may be assigned

Final Words of Advice:

There
is great opportunity and space for Women in Africa to network at the comfort of
their homes, workplace, farms, shops etc. The social media marketing
opportunities has brought for women changing dynamics of doing business. I
think as a result, we will see a lot more innovations coming from women and the
ways in which they utilize social media for business, and stimulating
opportunities for greater entrepreneurship. I think that access to the internet
and the explosion in social media is one of the best things to happen to women,
in terms of giving them access to business opportunities whether women are
building new businesses, or reaping the benefits of these new technologies in
other ways, we will start to see so many more of them succeed. There is
something very liberating about women being able to build their businesses
whilst they are in their home environments, meaning they can juggle all aspects
of their lives whilst still being entrepreneurial.