Wilfred Kiboro

Wilfred David Kiboro, EBS (pronounced [kiˈbɔːro]; born 7 August 1944) is a Kenyan entrepreneur, philanthropist and golfer. He is best known for having been the Group CEO of the Nation Media Group. Kiboro is a highly respected personality in the media and business industries in Kenya. He was born in the Kenya Province of the Colony of Kenya, now Kiambu County in the former Central Province.

Kiboro has won two very significant awards in his time: the Elder of the Order of the Burning Spear and the Leadership Shines Through – Africa award.

Career

Shell International

After receiving his Bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of Nairobi, he began his career as a Technical Sales Engineer for Shell International, and was swiftly promoted to Technical Sales Manager, in charge of the manufacturing, sales and marketing of industrial and road construction products in the East and Central Africa region.

Esso Kenya

Kiboro joined Esso Kenya Ltd. in 1974 as a Supply, Planning and Economics Manager, where he started gaining both managerial and executive recognition. He gained several positions including Personnel Director and Sales/Marketing Director.

Xerox Kenya

He joined Xerox Kenya in 1987 and was appointed the managing director of the company in 1989. He held this position until he joined the Nation Media Group in 1993.

Nation Media Group

Kiboro joined Nation Media Group (abbreviated as NMG) in 1993 as the managing director Designate of the Nation newspaper. At the time it's only two products were the Daily Nation and Taifa Leo (a Kenyan Kiswahili newspaper, meaning Nation Today).

In line with ongoing regional integration efforts, the NMG launched The East African in 1994, the most successful cross-border newspaper in East Africa, hitting the news-stands of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and now Rwanda. Kiboro became the Group CEO in 1995 and retained his position until his retirement in 2006.

In 1999, the NMG made their entry into the electronic media industry after many years of frustration due to policy inadequacies and hostility by the then Government of Kenya under Daniel arap Moi. Nation FM and Nation TV were formed that year. Since then, the NMG has developed into a respected conglomerate around East Africa under Kiboro's tenure. It is divided into:

• The Nation Newspapers Division
• The Nation Broadcasting Division
• Nation Carriers Ltd (with Courier)
• Nation Marketing & Publishing:
  • Business Directory
  • The Weekly Advertiser
  • Distribution of local and international publications such as the Economist, Time, Newsweek among others
• East African Magazines
• Monitor Publications Ltd.
• Mwananchi Communications Ltd.^[1]

The NMG has also taken advantage of the communications technology explosion to send news to their subscribers, in partnership with Safaricom and Airtel, leading mobile operators in Kenya.

International career

Kiboro has travelled extensively, holding numerous national, regional and international job assignments that have seen him supervise cross-national teams across continents, a vote of confidence in his abilities as a change manager. He has dedicated his life to serving his country. As evidenced by the record of posts he has held and continues to hold with a view to contributing to Kenya's growth and development. Internationally, Wilfred Kiboro is the chairman of the International Press Institute (IPI) in Kenya, the East African Business Summit and a member of the International Who's Who of Professionals. He also sits on The Rhodes Trust in Kenya as Honorary chairman and is a member of the International Organisation of Employers' Enterprise Advisory Group. He launched numerous environmental and humanitarian efforts during his tenure at NMG, two key ones being:

• The launching of the Aberdare Forest Fund in 2002 ^[2]
• The launching of the Nation Turkana Relief Fund in 1999/2000^[3]

Major awards

• Elder of the Order of the Burning Spear
• Leadership Shines Through – Africa
• ICT Hall of Fame – 2007 Lifetime Inductee

Retirement

Kiboro retired as the Group CEO of the NMG in 2006,^[4] but still works there as the chairman of their board of directors. The NMG labelled him as their 'Mentor, Father, Team Leader and Champion'. His dream for the NMG in the future is that it will diversify its activities to some 12 African countries within the next ten years. He also works as the Chairman of Wilfay Investments Limited and serves as a non-executive director of East African Breweries Limited and Standard Chartered Bank Kenya.^[5]

Personal life

Kiboro and his wife Fatuma live in Nairobi, Kenya.

An active golf buff, Kiboro holds membership in several golf, sports and country clubs in Kenya including Vet Lab Sports Club, Muthaiga Golf & Country Club, Nyahururu Golf Club, Karen Country Club, and Rift Valley Sports Club.

Sources

• Profile at The Media Center @ API
• Profile at Bloomberg Businessweek
• Profile at Nation Media Group – Board of Directors

References