International Women’s Day: Meet the Women of Vipingo Ridge
Today, on International Women's Day, Vipingo Ridge proudly celebrates the remarkable achievements of the extraordinary women within its team. As we reflect on this year’s theme of 'Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress’, we go behind the scenes to hear from the women working at Vipingo Ridge as they share their personal stories and highlight the invaluable contributions made in empowering female colleagues. We also share some highlights from this year’s International Women’s Day event at Vipingo Ridge.
Meet the team
Join us as we delve into their inspiring journeys, celebrate their successes, and reaffirm the commitment made by Vipingo Ridge to actively invest in a culture of inclusivity, equality and opportunity for all.
Naomi: US Certified Golf Kids Coach, 2 years 2 months service at Vipingo Ridge (VR)
What does the theme “Invest in women; accelerate progress mean to you personally, and how do you embody it in your daily work life?
Empowering women significantly expands avenues for success and better results. From my own experience VR empowerment has exposed me to well-wishers and sponsors who have continuously supported me in my education and golfing journey. This has allowed me to channel greater focus into my professional endeavors, fostering personal achievement and contributing to the broader success of VR as a golf resort. I am now a US Certified Kids Coach and I owe it all to the empowerment VR has given me.
What advice would you give to other women facing challenges in their career due to gender bias or discrimination?
Believe in yourself. As a woman, you need to be confident because confidence is just the make up you need on your face for people to see and believe that you can do it and this will expose you to opportunities you never thought would be accessible to you. You try, you fail, you get up and you don’t give up.
Beverline: Plant Operator, 3 years’ service at VR
What inspired your decision to join your department, and how has the company supported your personal and professional development as a woman? Could you highlight any specific growth opportunities provided by the company?
I had a passion and interest in machinery and I was confident that as a woman, I can also do well in a male dominated sector. So, when my parents could not afford my university fees, I took a plant operator course. I am grateful for Vipingo Ridge for the equal opportunity to work as the excavator operator for the company without gender discrimination and supporting me with security and PPEs to perform my duties effectively. I feel empowered as a woman working in a male dominated sector and knowing I have the support of my seniors; supervisors and the management makes me confident and honored.
As a female in your department, how do you perceive the impact of the company's efforts on women's career progression? Could you discuss the personal opportunities provided by the company and their role in your advancement?
Offering the same opportunities for men and women is impressive and encouraging. I am always in the field but the HR department makes sure I am not left out when new opportunities for personal development arise. For instance, I also got the opportunity to read the book ‘who moved my cheese” from the company library and from it I have learned that it is important for me to always embrace change and adapt to it when it occurs. This motivates me in my job to even tackle the tasks that seem intense including the removal of the King’s baobab which was very successful!
As a woman, you will face challenges but confidence in yourself will help you overcome them. Keep your eyes on the prize!
Mary: Executive Assistant, 5 years, 4 months service at VR
As a female in your department, how do you perceive the impact of the company's efforts on women's career progression? Could you discuss the personal opportunities provided by the company and their role in your advancement?
The impact has been good. VR is encouraging women team members to indulge more on their personal growth and step out of their comfort zones. My shift from the Security Admin position to the Executive Assistant position has aligned me for more growth and provided me the opportunity to learn more and I consider it a major progress in my career path.
In your view, what are some common misconceptions or stereotypes about women in the workplace, and how can we challenge and overcome them?
That women have a lot of problems and should not be given job posts that require reliability. This is wrong and to overcome such stereotypes equal opportunities should be given. It is also believed that women should only take motherhood and gender roles. To curb this belief, as a company we develop flexible work policies to make it easier for women to strike a balance.
Rebecca: Waitress, 2 years service at VR
How do you think celebrating women's achievements contributes to fostering a more inclusive workplace culture?
It fosters a sense of motivation and boosts their morale to want to do even better. I am grateful that Vipingo Ridge makes me feel appreciated, acknowledges my work, efforts and expertise in my job and offers me the opportunity to undertake training when opportunities arise.
I also appreciate Vipingo Ridge for involving me to share ideas on how best the company can carry out its operations to enhance personal growth for staff. The parental leave policy is one of the female empowering policies that has favored me in my parental journey and has enabled me to balance my work life and family life effectively.
What inspired your decision to join your department, and how has the company supported your personal and professional development as a woman? Could you highlight any specific growth opportunities provided by the company?
I have always been passionate about working in hotel industry mostly high-end restaurants and thus when I heard there was an opportunity to join the establishment, I went for it since VR is one of the most esteemed companies in Kenya. I have since joining VR acquired more skills through training offered by the company. I have had the opportunity to read books from the company library and I can proudly say I am empowered to be able to provide professional services to VR guests and individually find solutions to any problems that a customer might have.
Sophie: Green keeping Supervisor, 15 years’ service at VR
As a female in your department, how do you perceive the impact of the company's efforts on women's career progression? Could you discuss the personal opportunities provided by the company and their role in your advancement?
Women, when empowered and given the opportunity to develop themselves give it their best to produce better results. VR has empowered women by providing more employment opportunities for women in the greenkeeping sector. I was employed in 2006 and have since been able to educate my 4 children with the income I earn. One of them is now employed here at VR and I am so grateful to Vipingo Ridge for this opportunity. I was also promoted to supervisor a year after employment and I am grateful to VR for seeing my potential and giving me the opportunity to lead until now.
What advice would you give to other women facing challenges in their career due to gender bias or discrimination?
Hard work and perseverance pay. Work hard, give it your best to prove that as a woman, you can achieve anything you want to achieve.
Celebrating International Women’s Day at Vipingo Ridge
On Friday 8th March the women who work at Vipingo Ridge gathered to share stories, network and try a new skill.
Embodying this year’s United Nations theme, our speakers focussed on investment in women, both from the company and the individual. Vipingo Ridge Chief Executive, Alex Horsey, spoke about the importance of women in the team, the Vipingo Ridge equality focussed policies and the investment being made. Next, Head of Human Resources, Esther Mulli, encouraged the team to take advantage of the resources available to the team - from training to personal development to job opportunities.
Finally, after a networking session, where the 74 attendees were encouraged to meet new members of the team, the team welcomed guest keynote speaker Rosemary Momanyi-Opiyo. Rosemary has led an inspiring career in automotive and technology sectors, including her current work at Google where she has been breaking ceilings for 12 years. Rosemary shared actionable advice to help drive career progression and promote work-life balance. Vipingo Ridge wish to thank Rosemary for taking the time to share her experiences and best practice.
To conclude a very productive session, the women headed out to the PGA Baobab Driving range. Most members of the team had not played golf before, and therefore had the opportunity to learn some new skills, while having fun.
It was a fantastic afternoon, investing in the team of Vipingo Ridge - take a look at the below gallery for a few highlights:
Vipingo Ridge is proud to every day work to invest in women, and will continue to improve. If you would like to join the Vipingo Ridge team, vacancies and more information is available on our careers section.
