Of my starfish moments - reflections 2021

I am sitting under a really calm blue sky this morning. I am on a long break most of which I will spend in a beautiful part of Kenya – Kuria to be precise. Kuria sits about 12 kilometers away from Tanzania and being a relatively calm border town, retreating to the countryside has always been an excellent way to unwind, reflect and plan for the future. As I sit on this bench looking at some two unopened books I had carried with me with hopes of finishing by the end of this year, I pause to write this. I write this upon the encouragement of my coach – Chris Woodman of Leadenhall Consulting. Coach, I told you I would take up the challenge and I know you will read this someday.?I know I should have done this sooner but again maybe my subconscious mind purposefully postponed this till now –?the day before Christmas. That way maybe fewer people will get to read this since I plan on being rather vulnerable in this post.

Back to my writing, I must say I am feeling rather distracted over all the beauty I see around me. I keep snapping myself back to reality. I start to type again, then I pause to enjoy the soft breeze and the smell of cypress trees. Wait. Did I read somewhere that these trees are now almost now extinct in Kenya? ?I look up again and the smell of eucalyptus wafts by, as if teasing me. ?I literally turn my head and tilt it upwards a little to soak in that sauna-like smell. I briefly dig my shoes into the soft moist soil and oops, there I go disturbing a couple of worms going about their business. The background music – that of weaver birds creating some beautiful harmony, safe in the architecture of their beak-knitted nests. These nests rest atop green huge bamboo trees. Cows are mowing and yet another bird chirps – not sure what bird that is, but it sure knows how to create some good melodies. My wandering mind again takes me back to those nests. I wonder what the birds are doing now – feeding their young? Mending some broken nest walls – or something like to that? Or maybe just doing absolutely nothing as they chirp away. As I sit on this bench, planning to do absolutely nothing (not even read those two books) I reflect on the year that has been. My highlight for this past year have been two – the Institute of Risk Management for which I was elected as a Board member and the growth into an area of great passion – Sustainability.

This was one year that started with so much trepidation I must say. Here I was, a young (okay not so young) Kenyan girl elected onto a global professional board. So I had made all these promises as I sought for election. And baam! I was now in. Then reality begun to sink in. What next? What do I do? I had all these dreams for the growth of the risk profession in Africa, but how was I really going to contribute to this? ?Where was I to start? Would I be able to? Would I succeed? What would success look like? And as soon as the AGM was done in December, the work had now begun. I must confess I was extremely anxious. The first thing the IRM did was assign me a professional coach. This was I must say one of the most thoughtful induction processes I have ever come across in my professional life. Being assigned a coach while going through various induction sessions was an excellent launchpad to start contributing to the Board right away. Why? I was able to work through my thoughts, feelings, insecurities and developed an action plan which I have followed through. ?I was then plunged right into the deep end by being appointed Chair of the Investment Committee. Then a few months later, the Diversity and Inclusion champion on the Board. Through the support of my coach, Chris Woodman, the rest of the IRM Board and the IRM Secretariat, it has been one very interesting learning experience. The African voice has found its way dear reader and I promise you, look out for what’s in store for the profession here in Africa. The IRM is fully committed and supportive of international growth and while there is lots to be done, great progress has been made.?

At the IRM I have met amazing people, I don’t even know whose name to leave out. I will single one out - Anita Punwani was one of those pure gems. A super human who literally carried me under her wings. I learnt a lot from her and in my own way, I have purposed in my heart to do the same for someone in future. She has been a great mentor and support and although she has finished her term on the board, I am glad that we will still be working together in an area we both love under the IRM’s newest baby - the ESG Special Interests group.

If you follow my posts by now, you will discover that sustainability has been an area of great interest for me. Since I do not have an academic background on it, I have over the years enrolled in a number of courses to gain the required skills and competencies in this field. ?It is not perfection, no – nowhere close – but it is progress and this year has been a year of progress. ?To further learn, I participated in as many forums and taskforces on sustainable finance that I could. First, as a means of getting to understand the subject, two, getting into the network and connecting with professionals and individuals with similar passion and three, as a means of giving back to society. These activities have paid significant dividends to me as an individual, to the company I work for and to this part of the continent by bringing the African voice to these global conversations. One of the most intellectually engaging taskforces I participated in was the Climate Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) insurer pilot group. The pilot group was a collaborative project, involving 22 global underwriters whose main objective was to develop analytical approaches that can be used to identify, assess and disclose climate change-related risks and opportunities in insurance underwriting portfolios in the context of physical, transition and litigation risks. The report was released on the 19th of January. Soon after, I enrolled in a Sustainable Finance Course by the University of Cambridge. That I must say was quite an experience. The course content and material, the delivery, the engagement with the tutors, the profile of speakers, the case studies, everything around it was exactly what I needed. The networks and friendships I have formed through the student’s forum is something that I know I will cherish for years to come.?The Cambridge course is quite practical and requires one to develop real action plans around sustainable finance. I am humbled to say that one of my action plans from the course assignment fed into one of the largest sustainable finance conferences that together with my colleagues at ICEA LION and the UNEP FI team hosted in April this year. This was the UNEP FI 4th Africa Market event. Again if you know me, you know I love planning events. So this event was one way of combining work, passion and play. ?Butch, Diana and Reuben from UNEP FI take special mention because they worked tirelessly to see this event become a success. From carefully selecting the theme, to rallying up speakers, to following up on each and every detail. The event was very well patronized with other 900 registered attendees from across Africa. Out of this, the Nairobi Declaration on Sustainable Insurance – a UNEP FI led statement of commitment by African insurance leaders to support the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)was born. I plan on spending the next couple of years speaking about this Declaration since it is a cause I truly believe in. The Declaration currently has 15 signatories and with the support of partners such as the FSD Africa, we have an ambitious plan to have at least 50 new signups by the time COP27 is held in Egypt next year! Ambitious – right? ?Oh yes – it is possible.

So I close this off by reflecting on what this year has been. Not that it has been easy, or that it has not had its bumps- ohhh – those have been many. But I close the year with a heart of gratitude. I have indeed been blest. Blest by a great network of support all around me, from my dear husband, my family, my bosses, my colleagues, my mentors, my coaches, my friends. I count all my blessings one by one, the lessons, the successes and the failures. With a heart of gratitude, I look forward to a new year. I don’t know what it holds, but I am encouraged and inspired, having learnt the greatest lesson of all – that one doesn’t need to throw back all the starfishes that have been washed ashore back into the water. It is well-nigh impossible to do that. However, rather than sit analyzing how difficult that it, it is better to begin with just one. Do your part by throwing just one starfish at a time – however little that starfish is. At least you will make a difference to just that one! So here’s to more starfish moments in 2022!