Morris Maina, the CEO of TransUnion Kenya, one of the three licensed credit bureaus in Kenya is used to being at the top.
Before he joined TransUnion, he was at Microsoft as the Consumer and Device Business Lead, at Safaricom where he served as a Head of Internet and Content, and as the Vice President of Sales at Copia Kenya.
He lists empathy as the handiest utensil most leaders in his position discard when they finally pull a seat at the proverbial table. He says, perhaps, it is because he is a father of three daughters.
He is learning every day, he says, and was surprised to learn that bureaus like TransUnion would hold about 20 million records, with 70 percent of the records having positive listings that open doors for them from a credit access perspective. “The job of a bureau is not to blacklist people,” says the 52-year-old who has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Nairobi, and an Advanced Management Programme from Strathmore University.
What is a key important decision you made early on in life that led you to where you are now?
It’s a culmination of many decisions. I have had up to 20 years of experience in various organisations and what has been basic is what matters to the end consumer. If you care about what the client cares about then the organisation becomes successful.
Growing up in Nyeri, was this on your vision wall or did you have other dreams?
I wanted to be a lawyer and I am happy my daughter is now doing law. I didn’t qualify to go to the university but then again there were very few universities then so if you missed out, your chance was gone. I will probably still do law. What I am doing now is still exciting because my career has allowed me to make a difference you can observe, and I have a lot of young team members who enjoy what they do.
Would it be a fair assessment to conclude that you are living your dreams vicariously through your daughter?
It’s very tricky and I ask her about it often. I was fortunate that when she was getting into her A-level and choosing her subjects, she was clear she did not want to be a doctor, but a lawyer, which I think was influenced by some of her senior friends, not that I am complaining. It is a win-win the way I see it, she is living her dream, but I am also sharing in that dream.
What kind of conversations are you having now with your children?
I have three daughters, the eldest is 23, and the youngest is 15. We talk about everything—Sunday is the day we take a walk in the estate and have conversations on academics and their life theories. Lately, we are talking about politics, I have Gen Zs in my house and they have become quite politically aware. We also talk about their personal lives and love lives, and investments. But they also give me feedback on areas I can improve on—which is quite frequent [Chuckles].
Did you grow up like that? Was your dad a constant presence?
Not really. I remember when growing up my dad coming home was a moment for the children to get out of the house and pretend we were reading [Chuckles]. We had a lot of conversations but it was one way—he did the talking. If you were lucky it would end up nicely, but if you had made a mistake, you’d get your punishment. Things have changed since then. Parents are now taking feedback; it is a two-way kind of conversation.
What’s your fatherhood philosophy?
I have not been able to divorce my fatherhood philosophy from my personal philosophy which is continuous learning. The moment you do that you realise you become agile in whoever you engage with. I am inclined to markers beyond our natural self in terms of having discipline and focus on that bigger being—I am a practising Christian and that is part of my philosophy.
You are the only man in your house. What is that like?
I am very lucky; I am spoiled because I have my three daughters to show for the 25 years of marriage. They spoil me but they also stretch me to do things I probably would not ordinarily do, like a bit of baking and cooking. I also pull them to a few things they would not by default do, like farming, which largely boys are more inclined to do. I love old vintage cars and all my daughters drive. It’s a give-and-take.
What kind of man do you hope to be?
I am already a man. [Laughs] The key thing is authenticity. I admire that and have natural empathy. If I can have those two things, then I will have done the job that I wish to be as a man, but I also want to be a fantastic husband and a great father.
Of the three roles that you play—a father, husband, and CEO—which one do you find easier?
Father. There are no expectations. All these other roles, especially the CEO job, you may enjoy it but some checkboxes need to be ticked. I find the fatherhood role natural and a core responsibility more than any other to drive success.
What is the best part about being a CEO?
Where I thrive is seeing my teams grow and thrive and make mistakes. In my CEO journey, I would have led for about 10 years, and CEO for four, and the great thing about is not what you achieve but seeing people develop and do great stuff for the organisation.
Morris Maina, the CEO of TransUnion Kenya.
Photo credit: Pool
What is one of the best investment decisions you ever made?
Early in my career, when I was newly married, around 2002 we got personal financial training from a gentleman called Manyara. He would call us young people and tell us the value of investing in the stock market and mutual trust. I bought my first 100 shares of Total Kenya then and I kept on doing it. I have also inculcated the same in my firstborn daughter, a psychologist.
I consider that my best investment because I bought my first home in 2007, five years after I started investing in the stock market. Now that I am 52, and looking back over the 20 years I have worked, if I listened to the gentleman much more and kept saving Sh100 without waiting for it to be Sh100,000 I would be much more financially secure because of the impact of compound interest.
How has your relationship with money changed over the years—when you were starting your career, when you got children, and now as CEO?
The level of excitement with money has gone down. When I get money, I think about saving rather than spending most of it. Not that I am stingy but I am more comfortable with it—I can stay with Sh1 million and think about what to do with it. Early on, I would not sleep very well when I had money on me [Chuckles]. I see young people who are not excited about money, a lesson I needed 20 years ago. When they said to keep something for a rainy day, they knew what they were saying.
What lesson did you learn about money that keeps surprising you?
It is never enough. If I compare what I earn now and what I earned five years ago, there is a big change but for some reason, money is never enough. What is within your control is what you do with that money. You can also do a lot with money if you are specific and discerning about what you want to achieve with it.
What have you become better at saying no to?
That is my biggest learning. I have become better at saying no to getting involved in emotional stuff that is not in my purview. I think I have actually become better at just saying no. For a very long time,I was such a yes-man. I would feel woiiyeee, and do things, just because. Now I have learned to say no when you don’t have to and to be comfortable with a no.
What inspired that shift?
I have taken my lessons in life so when I look back, I see the mistakes I have made in social interactions. It is shocking when you say no, especially as Africans, because we are naturally nice people.
I worked at Microsoft managing business across cultural diversities in 14 countries, for five years, and I learned Kenyans are nice people and most of the time they accept things even when those things are not aligned with what they believe in because they want to please the other person.
You don’t have to do it. And you can take the consequences of that into the long term and become positive. I also engage with a lot of older successful people, and that does not necessarily mean materially, but there is an old man in my village whom I like to sit with, who has lived long, probably over 90 years.
Some time back my machine had injured one of my workers badly and I had given a lift to some old lady as I went to see my worker in the hospital. She was staring at me and she could see I was quite bothered before telling me that there is nothing that has never been experienced. That is wisdom. What I was going through a lot of people have gone through, it comes and passes. Life is a marathon, not a sprint, that guides my choices.
Are you a man burdened or bothered by the so-called purpose that seems to afflict men of a certain age, especially when they get into leadership positions?
I don’t think I have even met my financial goals [chuckles] but I am blessed. I always felt I had a purpose based on my upbringing—a purpose in being caring and empathetic. You can derive your purpose beyond financial security at any point and participate in areas that allow you to do that.
For instance, I contribute to all the schools I went through from the village primary school to high school, and I have volunteered in all their boards. For the last six years, I have served on the board of the Refugee Consortium of Kenya voluntarily—so the purpose does not have to wait for financial security, you can separate the two.
What is the one question that keeps a man like you up?
Maybe two [Chuckles]. One is health. I want to live very long and thinking about it keeps me awake at night. But also, what does the future hold for my children and consequently, the future for young people in a country like Kenya?
What advice do you wish you heard when young that you can pass on?
Life is a marathon. That has been my mantra for a long time. People want achievement within a short time. But solid achievement starts coming in the late 40s, in my experience. People in their early 20s want to do so many things, but I would say, don’t rush it.
How are you different from the person you were five years ago?
I read quite a bit. I learn what is happening around me. I have gained more knowledge and I am a better father, especially since I have two adolescent girls who challenge me. Crucially, I have developed a higher level of calmness in dealing with things.
What does the boy growing up in Nyeri tell the CEO sitting in your position now?
You’ve done well. You have been flexible in your choices and you have taken opportunities when they have come but you have remained humble and authentic. If the boy says that, I will know that growing up was worth the trouble.
If you could tell me just one thing, what would you say?
Be empathetic. That is one of the biggest gaps I see in people, particularly when they become successful.
What does empathy look like?
Wearing that other guy’s shoe. Get on their side and think about what they are going through. That’s how you end up making much more objective balanced decisions. But also relating well with people, and you know what they say that social networks are a critical capital for you.
What’s your credit score?
I am on AA which means I take a lot of credit and pay in time. But for the Hustler Loan, I am on C which is the lowest haha! Don’t report me though. I have really enjoyed this interview.
