Phyllis Wakiaga

Phyllis Wakiaga is an accomplished professional with over 18 years of experience in Private Sector Development, Public Policy Formulation, Stakeholder and Government Relations, Industrial Policy, International Trade and Investment, Strategy Formulation and Execution, Human Capital Management, Resource Mobilization, Financial Oversight Corporate Governance and Sustainability.
She is currently the Senior Advisor and Global Lead for Commerce and Industry at Tony Blair Institute for Global Change where she supports the work on the design and implementation of industrial strategies, bringing her depth of expertise and experience on industrialisation and economic transformation. She also drives, continental public-private dialogue initiatives and the development of global investment programmes across several sectors including manufacturing and tradable services.
Phyllis is the immediate former Chief Executive of the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) and worked at the Association for 9 years from June 2013 to June 2022. She was the Head of Policy, Research and Advocacy and in 2015 took over at the CEO at the Association. During her tenure she drove the prioritisation of Manufacturing as a strategic productive sector in Kenya, influenced the adoption of sustainability and inclusivity in the sector and positioned the Kenyan Manufacturing Sector Regionally and globally.

Ms. Wakiaga was also the Chair of United Nations Global Compact Network, Kenya Chapter from 2017-2022. She drove the growth of the Network to the largest Corporate Sustainability Network in Africa.

Before joining the Kenya Association of Manufacturers, she was the Manager for Government and Industry at Kenya Airways and prior to that worked at Otieno Omuga and Ouma Advocates as a Pupil and Legal Assistant.

She is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya and has a Bachelor of Law and master’s in international Trade and Investment Law from University of Nairobi. She is also a holder of a Higher Diploma in Human Resource Management, Executive MBA and is currently finalizing her PHD in Leadership and Governance at the Jomo Kenyatta University. Phyllis is an Alumni of the Swedish Institute Management Program on Sustainable Leadership and has been trained by Strathmore and John Hopkins University of Public Policy and Private Sector Development.

Phyllis is an expert on Corporate Governance and is a member of Kenya Roads Board, International Centre for Research on Women (Africa Board), Institute of Economic Affairs, United States International University amongst others. She has served on various boards and organisations including Kenya Electricity Generating Company, Anti- Counterfeit Agency, Kenya Intellectual Property Institute, Kenya Private Sector Alliance, EAC Manufacturers Network, COMESA Business Council, Private Sector Covid Fund Board amongst others.

She has been recognized among the Business Daily Top 40 under 40 Business 2016, Top 10 Kenyan
Communicators 2017, Top Africa Economic Leaders for Tomorrow on the Choiseul 100 Africa list 2018 and one
of the 2019 Most Influential People of African Descent, Global 100 Under 40.