When Schneider Electric named Carol Koech as the new Chief Executive for East Africa, not so much was known about the lady who has since become a symbol of energy business portfolios.
In 2018, Carol joined the company as part of its expansion strategy, to which she was tasked with the responsibility of establishing operational coherence across all facets of business development.
Carol has been spearheading the company's expansion plans in the areas of renewable energy and data engineering.
However, before Carol strode to the top, she walked in the valley of a village life that was largely inspired by a loaf of bread on the dashboard.
Growing up, Carol had a neighbor who was a driver of a public service vehicle, and naturally, he became the source of her inspiration.
“The gentleman would place a loaf of bread on his vehicle's dashboard whenever he was returning home every evening,” Carol narrated.
Carol recounts that she admired the driver’s comfortable life, which was occasionally punctuated with special treats for his family.
“By then, a loaf of bread was such a luxury that was seriously admired by villagers,” the President of Schneider Electric (EA) narrated.
Carol’s parents asked her to work hard so that she would in the future be able to buy loaves of bread on a daily basis.
“My parents were very categorical that the only way to be able to afford that bread was to study hard and transform my life and that of my family,” she affirmed.
Interestingly, Carol and another gentleman by the name of Raymond Kemei became the first students to score an A in their village.
Carol and Kemei later joined the university to study engineering courses, which they successfully completed.
Presently, Carol is on the verge of completing her Ph.D. and has already earned an MBA from Strathmore Business School in addition to a Bachelor of Science in Science, Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Nairobi.
She has also worked in the financial, project development, engineering, and commercial fields for more than 15 years. She has led activities in Sub-Saharan Africa throughout her career.
Before joining Schneider Electric, Carol led efforts to increase sales and profitability for the GE brand when she served in the position of Senior Regional Sales Manager.
Carol spent five years working at Unilever. She has participated as a mentor at YALI, Go Green City, and a variety of other events.
She is also a STEM champion who mentors young women at work and in high schools.
In December 2022, Carol appeared on SKL Mentorship Programme where she spent over two hours, providing lectures alongside Dr. Gladys Koech and Dr. Peggy Kemei.
