Hard work put Gina Din on business pedestal
Gina Din Kariuki is one of Kenya’s most admired business personalities. At 51, she has had it all: family and a successful business.
And she did not get there by sheer luck. It has been hard work and trust in herself.
After rising to become the head of corporate affairs at Barclays Bank, she thought it wise to try something else.
That is when after 14 as years in bank, she founded Gina Din Corporate Communications (GDCC) in 1997.
Her former employer was her first client. But it was not rosy at the beginning as there were times she would get an additional client while at other times there was nothing to do. She kept pushing till she made it.
Safaricom became her client. Her PR company saw the once officeless Safaricom grow to become the leading telecom company in the country.
Her success with Safaricom brought on board other firms.
Among the top companies GDCC has served are Kenya Airways, Kenya Commercial Bank, Old Mutual and Association of Kenya Insurers (AKI).
After conquering East Africa, Gina is gearing to do the same in Africa and beyond after GDCC partnered with Weber Shandwick last year.
Born and brought up in Nanyuki, Gina obtained her degree from the London School of Journalism in 1985 and jetted back in the country where she started her career at Barclays.
The mother of two was last year named by the New African magazine among the most influential personalities in Africa.
Besides working smart for GDCC, the goodwill ambassador for Kenya Red Cross is, from time to time, involved in philanthropy.
In 2011, she received accolades for championing the ‘Kenyans for Kenya’ campaign in response to the famine and deaths in Turkana. The campaign raised more than Sh700 million.