By Caren Ouma and John Mark

On November 15, the Doctor of Business Administration (Leadership Concentration-LED 7000A) class taught by Professor Caren Ouma, Professor of Management at the Chandaria School of Business, hosted Dr. Julius Kipng’etich, the Group CEO of Jubilee Holdings, as a guest speaker. He delivered a presentation on the Role of Leadership in Creativity and Innovation. He challenged the leadership class to radically rethink how they see leadership, culture, and the future of work.

His lecture highlighted data revealing the realities across the continent - information that should challenge African leaders to rethink their approaches. He used clear, pragmatic evidence to show that although Africa is often described as poor, it is in fact richly endowed with resources; the issue lies in how those resources are managed.

Dr. Kipngétich argued that the key traits of transformational leadership in the 21st century are well known; however, what is often lacking is effective execution. Leaders must understand the dynamics of business transformation and adopt a rolling cycle for their strategic plans. He gave the example of M-Pesa, noting that its success in Kenya is partly rooted in Kenyans’ generosity, culture of support, and the inequalities that created a strong need for accessible financial solutions.

He discussed barriers to creativity and innovation, pointing out that what is important when any organization is going through creativity and innovation is discipline and motivation. He stated that discipline should be a constant curve, whereas the motivation curve can fluctuate and is erratic. He also emphasized that the enduring qualities of a leader are visionary, brevity, courageousness, knowledgeable, passionate/infectious, and wisdom. Leaders should be intensely curious to read widely and think boldly. Dr. Kipng’etich underscored that Africa does not need more resources; it needs more resourceful leaders and reminded the class that they live in a BANI world, Brittle, Anxious, Non-linear, and Incomprehensible, and the leaders who will thrive are those who embrace adaptability, creativity, and deep curiosity. The discussion also entailed a topic on ethics, courageous leadership, and the changing workforce dynamics.

One of the most memorable ideas he shared was the concept of “Jubilee Genzification,” an intentional transformation redesigning Jubilee’s culture to embrace Gen Z ways of working, communication patterns, technology adoption, and creative autonomy. With Africa’s median age at just 17–18 years, he emphasized that institutions must evolve or risk irrelevance.

Dr. Kipnge’tich grounded his message with facts, data, and lived corporate experience, pushing the class to expand their intellectual horizons and challenge the assumptions being brought into leadership. He ended his speech by noting that Africa needs leaders who are curious, ethical, and adaptive.