Meet SAP regional chief executive who loves to deejay

In the past eight years, Andrew Waititu has been in the ICT sector in various capacities in IBM, Microsoft and now SAP.

If you cut right through it, Andrew’s passion for technology could stem from the fact that he believes that technology-based intellectual property will, one day, form one of the major pillars in drawing Africa into the 21st Century, “breaking away from the shackles of low value exports from the continent.”

Thankfully, when we sat down in their offices on 14 Riverside Drive, we didn’t talk about those shackles.

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Hey, I think I have seen you deejay at Explorer Tavern in Kilimani. You are the same guy, aren’t you?

(Laughs) Maybe. Yes. It’s one of those things I do for fun.

How does one end up on your desk doing what you do?

I had not planned this out, I wouldn’t have imagined I would be running SAP at 40. A lot of people look at the end and feel it’s destiny, but there is more to that; there are breaks, people who help you, some who don’t and mentorship is big.

Who has been your biggest mentor?

The more influential person in my life has been my mom. But I have had many others through life. I think from a pure approach to life, its my uncle – dad’s younger brother, a doctor. He had this attitude that was quite refreshing in a world that is so structured. The other one is Dave Murathe of Kenya Business Machines; there is also Louis Otieno of Microsoft, who is a dear friend on top of being a mentor.

You have mentioned your mom a few times. I have to ask about your dad...

We have had an interesting relationship with my father which I’m not sure should be on or off the record. (Chuckles). But it’s only now that we have a relationship. When we were younger, it was a “do as I say” kind of relationship.

Are you from a single-parent home?

No... no. This might sound weird but everything I know, from driving and all, my mom taught me. I guess it’s because of this that I can hold my own in the kitchen. I tend to be more independent than many because of that, which is probably also my pitfall since I have no issue doing things myself, which drives my PA up the wall because I will sometimes do my own travel bookings and stuff like that.

Would you say you are effeminate because of that influence?

I don’t think so. I would say I’m in touch with my feminine side. (Laughs) But yeah, my relationship with my dad in my formative years until I moved out was at arms-length.

Do you think you missed out on something only a father would have offered?

Oh yeah, for sure. And I think I learnt from that and hope I continue to learn from it. Because of this, the relationship I have with my daughters is different. I have twins and I want to be close to them. I want to be in their lives and be their friend – something I didn’t have with my dad since the relationship was more dictatorial. (Laughs).

So what turned everything around; who reached out first?

I think it’s time and age...a bit of both. I think even when I was growing up, he went through different phases, affecting his behaviour then and this is something which only now I am understanding. Although now we can have a man-to-man discussion, there is still much left from the past that can’t be bridged.

Are you a father or a dad?

I think a dad. I try to be involved with who my kids are, and it’s challenging – them being twins. Generally, growing up means that they are starting to have questions about life and I’m glad I’m there to answer some of those.

Do you think the impact your mom had in your life influenced your choice of spouse?

(Pause) It’s interesting because there is that school of thought that men marry their mothers, but, well I don’t think so. My mom is a more traditional kind of lady – I guess typical of that age group. She quit her nursing job to raise us, ended up being a stay-at-home mom, had a lot of time to spend with us.

My wife is a career woman, a senior banker. I would say they are different not in professional terms but also how they run their homes.

What’s the hardest challenge for you as a husband?

I think it’s probably be around ensuring that we keep that...I wouldn’t say love alive, but tight friendship. It’s very easy to move into this thing called “Home Inc”; I mean she is quite busy as well, there are days we have met briefly at the airport crossing through, in another country, not even here (laughs) and it’s very easy to move into this idea of running the home as a business to the extent that you become business partners as opposed to lovers and friends.

When did you form as a man?

Wow, that’s interesting. I’d say probably in my mid-20s? Uhm, and I wouldn’t say there is a particular event that led me to that realisation but it had something to do with the independence of living on my own.

By the way, how are you and your father alike? Do you sometimes see him in you?

Of course, yes, sometimes and it’s scary. I’d say that my dad can be too serious sometimes and I find myself in that space once in a while. And I say this from observing him and not from some deep insight of him as a person.

What’s your alter ego?

Depends where. (Laughs). One of my passions has been to fly. I always wanted to be a pilot but guys talked me out of it. When I was in South Africa, I started on my flying licence but before I finished it, the babies were on the way and I never got time to follow it through. It remains on my Bucket List.

I love the outdoors; hiking, camping, that kind of thing. I have participated in the Rhino Charge many times. I ride motorcycles, mostly off-roads. I’m hoping get a bike which I can use to commute, I’m tired of traffic here. (Laughs).

I also deejay, I love music from back in the day of sneaking out of school to go to [Club] Boomerang to watch Paco Perez play. That got me into the whole deejaying thing which I do for fun on the side.

What are you struggling with right now in your life?

Typical stuff; health, weight. It’s harder to shed off weight now. I enjoy running but old forgotten rugby injuries are also surfacing now.

Basically your body reminding you of your age…

Yes, of course and that means take better care of yourself, regular checks etc.

Morbid question; if you were to find yourself on your death bed now, what would you regret the most about your life?

Uhm...just one…(Thinks) I would probably say that it’s that relationship I didn’t have with my dad. Yeah, I think that would probably be it.

What else is on your Bucket List?

It changes every week but it’s not very long and it’s nothing too exciting because I have done some of it, like go to India. I want to visit one or two international airshows. I have watched the Kenya Sevens teams play in all international matches except in New Zealand and Australia. I also want to see my kids graduate from whatever they decide to do in life.

What do you least like about your life now?

Work! (Laughs). I think work takes out too much from life. Many of us tend to forget that we are meant to be living but all we do is work.

Nice watch by the way...

Thanks. Something from my wife. It’s actually an American watch, originally a German design. It’s called Ingersoll. It’s not obscenely expensive but it looks good and it works. Before this, I had a watch for eight years and it’s still working. My rule, I’d rather buy two great shoes a year than 20.