Every March 8th, the world celebrates International Women’s Day. This year’s theme “Press for Progress” couldn’t come at a better time where in certain industries like tech, women are under-represented, underpaid, often passed for promotions and faced with every day sexism.
It’s no wonder women are more likely to leave the industry within a year compared to their male counterparts
With more women leaving the industry, it makes having role models at the top increasingly difficult.
This further adds to the image of a male-dominated tech world, and adds to the cycle of female discouragement. Having women in senior leadership roles or running tech businesses will positively encourage other females including the younger generation. And it’s on this breadth that we celebrate our very own Clare Mungai Kiplangat.
Before going into business, she worked for Microsoft both in the US and in Kenya where she was in charge of Procurement in Microsoft West, East and Central Africa.
Her inspiration for business was something she always had in mind.
It was an itch that seemed to be nagging her until her husband nudged her to just do it! She did it and had no regrets.
She is a Managing Partner at M2M Systems Limited which is a Microsoft Cloud Partner. They provide Microsoft Cloud Solutions for hosting applications, emails and workflows.
In simple language, moving your business from the ground to the clouds. We are living in the cloud computing era. Every business has to be in the cloud!
Cloud computing enhances productivity. Simply put, cloud computing is the delivery of computing services—servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics and more—over the Internet (
Companies offering these computing services like Clare's M2M Systems are called cloud providers and typically charge for cloud computing services
Clare is enjoying the fulfillment that comes with running a tech-business, being her own boss, being in control of her time, seeing her effort translate to money plus enjoy motherhood at the same time.
She is a mother of two wonderful boys – a teenager and a toddler and openly admits that it’s a delicate balance being in business and balancing with family, which motivates her even more. She believes this has enriched her life. It has motivated her to be fearless.
Motherhood is a constant reminder for her to be a positive role model to her boys, to be a continuous cheerleader for every milestone her children will experience, to demonstrate the abundance of unconditional love that has no end and to cherish the countless memories that are truly priceless.
Her future plans are a work in progress and she believes she will continue to get clarity as she soldiers on.
To stay on track and to succeed , She believes in keeping mentors close, having someone who has walked the path as an entrepreneur is vital as you can gain wisdom from your mentor’s experience and discover insights that you would never have had before.
Her final word of advice? She shares one of her favourite quotes by Alan Adan.
“When you embark for strange places don't leave any of yourself safely at shore... have the nerve to go into unexplored territory.”
The number of jobs in technological fields is increasing - and these jobs pay well. We are in an era of technological revolution and tech roles are important in helping many sectors achieve their goals including improved healthcare, access to education, business processes and generally higher standards of living.
So it is imperative that women reap the benefits and are involved like Clare in finding solutions. We need more women and girls to see themselves in women like Clare.
CONTACTS:
Website: http://m2m.co.ke/
Email address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Phone Number +254 728084451
