In our latest Newsroom edition, we invite our readers to embark on a journey beyond the confines of the office with a new section, “Beyond the Workplace: Inspiring Feats from Our Team.”

Here, we delve into the extraordinary lives of our employees, uncovering the remarkable endeavours that lie beyond their everyday professional roles.

From conquering mountains, taking the challenge of long-distance ocean swims, to sharing transformative skills or knowledge with local communities, each story is a testament to the diverse passions and talents within our team.

Join us in celebrating the adventurous spirits and boundless creativity of our colleagues, inspiring us to strive for new horizons beyond our daily work.

Charles Kariuki, Director, Finance and Strategy – Isuzu East Africa

He holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Management Science from the University of Nairobi (1997) and an MBA in Finance. He is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA-K). Through GM University, Charles has undertaken many courses in the areas of Finance, Human Resource, Leadership and Corporate Governance.

He is a graduate of the Emerging Leader Training program under Harvard University and an Executive Coach certified by the Academy of Executive Coaches (AOEC) UK.

Apart from Career Coaching, Charles plays a leading role in the development of the community including youth mentorship and is currently the Patron of Isuzu Mentenda group and a former Board Chairman of the Council at Ridgeways Baptist Church.

In addition to all his professional and social work, Charles has achieved the amazing feat of climbing the two highest mountains in Africa – Mt Kenya standing at 5,199 metres (April 2022) and Mt Kilimanjaro at a height of 5,895 metres (8th December, 2022).

Perhaps Charles we can begin by delving into how you got interested into this hobby of mountaineering. What motivated you?

The journey to my passion to do mountain climbing started about 10 years ago. At that time, I was taking walks in Kiambu. In 2019, I was inspired by the things we do in this organisation; running a business based on purpose. In a moment of self-reflection, I was able to realise Isuzu East Africa is very good when it comes to running its business and achieving its various goals. The key was because Isuzu East Africa has set a purpose for what it wants to achieve. Given that I was quite involved in the whole process of working into the purpose, I knew if it can work for Isuzu, it can work for an individual. During a retreat in Limuru in 2019, I realised I can also use the same concept to be in a position to achieve in life through establishing a purpose and the key strategic initiatives to achieve that purpose

I set a purpose which has four key strategic results areas or pillars. The first is spiritual growth. This means being a river and not a swamp, speaking words of blessing to others, taking deliberate steps of faith, coaching and mentorship. I would like to ensure that I leave a good legacy for my kids; not to leave money or land for them. Where I come from, people love land. The second target under the spiritual pillar is emotional growth which is key in terms of how I relate with other people, make other people feel, and how I relate with the community. This involves family, friendships, books, reflection, journaling and quiettime.Theserelationshipsareguidedbymyvalueswhichare:Justice,lovingkindness,andwalking with humility. The third pillar is peace of mind; which means having financial independence, time to work on community projects, quiet time and traveling. To raise my awareness, I read quite a number of books that I have also shared with some of my friends. This helps raise their awareness so that they can have peace of mind because there is nothing as good as clarity. When you have clarity, you can do anything. When you have clarity, you can be in a position to have peace of mind. My fourth pillar which is related to the topic we are handling today, is physical health and well-being. I purposely ensure that I keep fit and continue being of good health. I have advanced my walking for the last nine years by joining a community club, GTA, which coordinates hiking. I joined in the year 2020 and that has motivated me.

What sort of preparations or training did you have to undertake to be ready for your first climb?

I did about 36 heights before I climbed Mount Kenya to ensure that I am ready for it. I did quite a bit in Aberdares, Cherengani Hills, Mount Mtelo in Western Kenya and also in the Eastern parts of our country. The preparedness started with the small hills here in Kenya to gear up for Mount Kenya.

What sort of challenges did you encounter as you took on your first climb up Mt Kenya going up 5,199M?

I did not wake up one day and decide to go to Mount Kenya. It came with about 18 months of preparation since March 2020. However, at one time when hiking in the Aberdare ranges, I had my worst encounter in a hill called Elephant Hills and that is where I had a turning point.

I’m assuming you did not do this alone. What sort of support did you get from your teammates?

Indeed, mountain climbing or mountaineering is a project and you cannot do it alone. You require a lot of support and encouragement to be in a position to achieve or even attempt to go to the next one because it’s quite a challenge. The team comes in handy in terms of encouraging you to do the practice and remain disciplined, which is very key. You will not be in a position to achieve your objectives if you don’t keep discipline. You need accountable partners who will be calling to ask how you are doing in your program and why you did not attend the last meeting. We went to Mount Kenya as a team of about 10 climbers, but we had 22 supporters, taking care of our meals, our bags and guiding us. There is a lot of support required. This is an entire project. You have to be guided, supported in terms of your stay in the mountain and with the baggage you’re carrying. If you want to achieve a certain objective, you cannot carry all the baggage, you will need to go with someone to be in a position to support you along the way.

From Mt Kenya, in the same year you decided to take on the highest mountain in Africa, Mt Kilimanjaro. Please tell us how different the experience was?

The two experiences are quite different. In my first encounter with Mount Kenya, I had all sorts of self-doubt. I was doubting what would happen because I had never been to those mountains. I was doing my own research and some of the stories were scary about what happens during mountain climbing.. I did not also have the right gears at all and I suffered quite a bit in terms of the tools that I needed to get to the mountain. I had a lot of fear of what would happen. I did not tell my colleagues because I did not want to come back and apologise that I did not make it. It was quite a top secret. There were just a few people who deal with insurances and medical I had to tell just in case everything did not get through as planned. Mount Kenya was quite a bit of a challenge. When I got to Mount Kenya, the beauty overcame everything else that I feared. The place is extremely beautiful. The trails and the beauty of our country are fantastic. Mount Kenya was a build up to Kilimanjaro. The experience was a little bit softer but the mountain was unforgiving. People say Kilimanjaro is easier than Mount Kenya. I dare you attempt it so that you can have a clearer picture about what it entails to get to the top of Kilimanjaro.

The mountain is quite unforgiving. In comparison, the two mountains are beautiful, but Mount Kenya is extremely beautiful. We have lakes and naturally flowing rivers in the mountain. I must say facility-wise we are actually millions of miles apart from Kilimanjaro. Kilimanjaro facilities are fantastic; completely fantastic. As hikers, we are trying to see how we can uplift our environment in Mount Kenya so that we can have a very good experience for the country’s heritage. The experience in terms of beauty Mount Kenya is so beautiful. In terms of altitude, it’s really quite tough in Kilimanjaro. That is the quick comparison I can do.

I’ve come to understand that mountain climbing is more of a mental journey than a physical journey. Did you find that to be true, and how has that shaped your perspectives in your day-to-day life following these amazing climbs?

There is some truth there and also a bit of something to top up. You require a combination of all the faculties of human abilities to be in a position to get to the mountain. You have to be emotionally, mentally and physically prepared. One of the interesting things we encountered on Mount Kilimanjaro is that there were some guys from Asia. They wanted to dash up the mountain after the base camp. They passed us at a high speed. That is the physical application of handling the mountain. One hour down the climb, I saw one of the guys being brought down in a stretcher. From that experience, I think it is better to take it slow step by step and make it. That is also what we are saying even in business that you cannot survive, even in life, on one skill alone. You need a combination of more skills to be in a position to survive in life. You also have to raise your awareness and combine quite a number of faculties for you to be successful in life.

What kinds of lessons or perspectives (personal and business) would you like to share with our audience today from these two climbing experiences – that our employees seated here, perhaps formulating their own personal goals, and surely setting their business goals can take away and implement?

There are a lot of parallels that you can draw between mountain climbing and running a business and your life. One key thing that I would pick is having a vision. If you are working without a vision, it will be a difficult climb. My starting point would be establishing a purpose. It is not an easy journey but as an individual you will need to establish a purpose in life and then figure out ways you can work through to get your purpose. That is the same case we have with Isuzu. We have a purpose and we have a strategic plan to get us there. This works very well because you are in a position to allocate resources, time, and get to ask for support that you require to get to your purpose. That is my first drawing from mounting to business.

As you set goals, ensure that you have a good process and ready to receive feedback on how you are performing. You don’t have to wait until the end of the year to evaluate how you performed. When we were doing the climb, we would get a briefing from our leader on our performance every day and his expectations for the following day. It is therefore very important for us to scan the future and get prepared for it. One of the key items I learned is the aspect of planning. You should plan on a daily basis. To-do lists are one of the most effective things that you can do. The aspect of ticking on the list encourages you to go even further. If you do your to-do list, I will be surprised if you will still be having something to do in the afternoon. It is very important for all of us to make long term goals and have a to-do list, something that you can take each and every morning. The first thing in your to-do list is to do your bed. Even if the world will be so harsh on you, at least you will go back having achieved something because in the morning you made your bed.

The other item is the aspect of having an objective. Whenever you have an objective, there is a risk. We had an objective to get to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya. There were so many risks along the way. From a business perspective, how do you identify and mitigate therisks along the way to achieve your objective? You need to be prepared for such risks. In the mountains, there is an issue to do with rain. If you are rained on, you will not make it to the top. If you do not have water, you will not get to the mountain. Risks are a key thing but mostly ignored even in doing business and in our personalives. Yet it is very important to identify them. How do I anticipate them and prepare well ahead on how to handle them?

The other item that I can draw from my experience in Kilimanjaro and all the other practices that we have done with the team here, is the aspect of enjoying the journey. The joy is not to get to the summit, but the experiences that you have along the way. There is nothing I enjoyed so much more than when I got stuck with 115 members of this organization going to plant trees and hike in Gatango falls (Abardares) in 2022. At some point our buses got stuck and we had to work as a team to get them out. There is no such experience. You cannot buy it, but you can learn to experience it. It is such a beautiful thing. After we went to the falls, the only thing we remember is how we got stuck and how we were dancing in Murang’a past midnight. Those are the kind of experiences that we need to make, even as we try to achieve our goals. If you achieve the goals, the year will have ended, but what can you remember? What kind of experience are you enjoying when you are doing production here, doing our services and visiting our customers? What kind of experiences are we really building with our team?

This interview was conducted during the Q1 All Employee breakfast meeting held on 7th February, 2023. To see the recorded interview, please click here: https://shorturl.at/aKrmv

On February 2, 2024 Isuzu East Africa handed over Speaking during the handover, Isuzu EA MD Rita an Eliud Kipchoge 1:59 Special Limited Isuzu D-Max pickup to accomplished salesman, Mr. Patrick Ng’ang’a Wang’ombe who is a vehicle sales executive at Ryce East Africa Limited, Nairobi.

He purchased the vehicle after receiving positive feedback from a customer who had previously bought the vehicle through him. He joined the exclusive Kipchoge 159 Club with the number 150 with a special name plate, WANG’OMBE 150 being fitted.

Kavashe noted that Patrick and the entire Ryce East Africa team support has had a significant impact in the success of Isuzu East Africa contributing to its position as the industry leader for 12 years in a row. In his video message to Patrick Wang’ombe, Isuzu D-Max Brand Ambassador Eliud Kipchoge congratulated him for joining the 159 Club and his passion for performance and excellence in his work.

Responding to invaluable customer feedback, Isuzu East Africa on 2nd February, 2024 launched a Customer Care Center Lounge to host drivers visiting Isuzu for vehicle checks and servicing.

The expansive lounge is designed with comfort in mind, allowing drivers and customers’ access to entertainment, work and study area, cyber cafe, enjoy refreshments, and with resting rooms to take naps and freshen up.

Addressing attendees during the launch, Chief Guest, Isuzu Motors Limited Aftersales, Sales Division Executive Officer Naohiko Yanagawa said that the customer care lounge investment reflects Isuzu’s values of prioritising customer’s well-being. He reiterated Isuzu’s commitment to enhance the overall experience of the customers across the supply and demand chain.

This initiative is a testament to Isuzu EA’s ongoing pursuit of excellence in customer service and unwavering pledge to enhance the overall experience for those who choose the company as their trusted automotive partner.

On 27th January, 2024 Isuzu EA Chairman TMD was awarded the Best Dealer in

Hiroshi Hisatomi and MD Rita Kavashe led the Isuzu EA commercial divisions in hosting the 2024 Q1 3S Dealers Business Plan Deployment Conference.

During the event, various dealerships were celebrated and awarded for achieving outstanding results in their 2023 vehicle and aftersales business. Thika Motor Dealers (TMD) scooped various awards culminating in their overall win as the Best Dealer in 2023.

Ryce EA was declared the Best Dealer in Vehicle Sales with 889 units sold (102.9% Actual Vs. BP). They were also the Runners Up in Customer Experience with an Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 73.5% (representing 76.5% for service and 70.5% for sales). Net Promoter Score tracks whether Isuzu customers would recommend using the product based on a scale of -100 to 100.

Customer Experience with an NPS of 81.3% (Service 84.5%, Sales 78%), and the Best Dealer in Parts Sales – KSh182 Million (113.8% Actual Vs. BP). TMD were also the runners up in the Service award (99.2% of Budget achieved).

KCI was awarded the Best Dealer in Service (101.2% of Budget achieved), and runners up in Vehicle Sales with 813 units (101.6% Actual Vs. BP).

Central Farmers Garage (CFG) was the runners up in Parts Sales – KSh 119 Million (111.2% Actual Vs. BP). The Isuzu EA dealer awards also featured a special recognition for Ryce EA for holding their first Grand Prix Technical Competition on 16th December, 2023.

Isuzu EA Corporate, UN & NGOs Sales Manager Rose Mombo and MAC East Africa’s Senior Sales Engineer Jerome Osuna on January 24, 2024 received recognition for their outstanding performance in the Best Sales People Category of the Isuzu International Freezone (IIF) Dubai Sales Challenge. Their dedication and prowess in driving sales set a remarkable standard within the industry.

The competition concluded successfully with exceptional skills on display. The event showcases the pinnacle of talent within the Isuzu dealerships Sales Advisors, Parts Advisors, Service Advisors and Service Technicians across MENA (Middle East and North Africa) including the Sub Saharan-Africa region. IIF Sales Challenge also allows teams to collaborate seamlessly, exhibiting a high level of Isuzu teamwork and camaraderie.