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That she is a go-getter is no fluke; her focus and ambition are bigger than herself. Tania Ngima, a University of Birmingham (UK-MBA) alumni, is committed towards living a full life coupled with a perspective of satisfaction. 

The Nakuru-born mother of two boys had a mix of schooling experience at the lower levels, something that shaped her immensely.

“We lived in Nakuru for three years before my parents moved us to Nairobi. In the city, I was exposed to private and public schools in my early life.

I was in Loresho Primary School then later on shifted to Olympic Primary School in Kibera. I guess I would say I had a taste of both worlds.

So, when my mother retired and settled in Ongata Rongai, I joined Ngong Hills Academy and later on Precious Blood School.

My upbringing was communal and of hard work, so at an early age, I valued those elements,” says Tania who is the Managing Director at the Digital Divide Data (DDD) Digital Centres and also a 2015 Mandela Washington Fellow.

Introverted bookworm

Growing up, she was more of a loner and introverted as opposed to her sister who is an extrovert.

This made her more of a bookworm. She also became an independent minded-person, but was always around family.

“I was raised in a relaxed environment with the best family. We often had guests in our house, but most of the time, I had my nose buried in a novel or puzzle book, which explains my love for math and logic, I suppose.

The schools I went to also had an extreme focus on academics, and I got interested as a young child in reading and writing, competing and winning awards in writing, school quiz championships and awards,” states the leadership, strategy and governance expert who sits on a host of organisations boards.

The Chartered Public Accountant Graduate who also went to Strathmore School of Accountancy is full of praise of her mother and extended family’s input in her upbringing.

“I think they were just great plus the fact that our extended relatives jumped in to guide us was always a plus.

My mum would at some point need to be away and this is where the communal element of parenting came in.

There was always the presence of someone who shared our family values to guide, advise and correct us and this is what I have been able to implement with my two boys,” adds the multi-versatile Tania.

Work- life balance

A mother and a businesswoman, she likes to take the partner-sister-daughter-life balance literally.

The first-born child of two in her own words likes to see herself as passionate about family just like work. She dubs this balance as precious, especially since there is purpose attached.

For Tania, her two sons aged eight and 13 provide both satisfaction and a north star. 

“My boys are my light and they give me joy. My partner and I try to give our children freedom to find and explore their interests and at the same time, have enough grit to stick with things even when the going gets hard or interests wane. It’s an interesting and exciting experience,” she shares. 

“It is a little different from how I was raised because now we have to deal with issues such as increased peer pressure, use of the Internet and the like, but the values remain the same.

My eldest son is adopted and therefore, we put in a lot of work into showing him all the possibilities there are, figuring out what he’s really passionate about and interested in.

They have different personalities — the eldest loves football while the younger one is passionate about football, music, dancing and taekwondo (talk about choices and options).

Overall, I have a strict and uncompromising rule around spending time with my children and I often have no qualms about saying ‘no’ to engagements that interfere with that,” quips the renowned Mentor and Coach to numerous Small and Medium Enterprises and a non-Executive Director at CFS Asset Management (SA) Ltd.

Tania is passionate about women, youth and economic empowerment and most of her work revolves around those areas. 

“I have been fortunate to engage and work alongside some great minds who inspire me every day.

Making impact through programmes is refreshing, so this is what my organisation strives to do every day,” she says.

In her free-time, she loves road trips and travel with her favourite destinations being Mauritius and Washington (DC) where she has lived/worked in the past. She is an avid reader, currently binging on Blink authored by Malcolm Gladwell and Skin In The Game by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. 

Some of her favourite books include Originals by Adam Grant and When by Dan Pink. Her favourite music is more of mixed breed with a bias on Classical, Jazz, Pop and Rhythm and Blues.

Currently, she is listening to the Compilation Albums by Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson, known professionally as HER, an American singer and songwriter.