40Yrs Old CEO With A Difference, Easy & Fun

What comes to mind when you think of a CEO? Probably someone with a grim face, serious with life, no nonsense attitude and probably a bookish person. We are not just talking any books here but the kind that we normal folks would ignore in a book store, A copy of the Economist or The Times is more likely to catch them dead with a ‘sleazy publication’.

Muema Muindi is the CEO of Kenya Orient insurance Limited and he is not your kind of an all serious CEO who will make your innards shake because of his level of seriousness that comes with
Being an MD.

He spoke to Doreen Wainaina and below is an extract of the interview.

How old is he?
40

What does he read?
Science Fiction. Give him a Robert Ludlum any day. Same applies to movies; do not take me for one that is based on a true story. He hate those movies because they are quite sad. The essence of entertainment is to remove you from reality, he says.

Does he use eBooks and other apps?

Muema Muindi, CEO, Kenya Kenya Orient insurance Limited

No. I just downloaded a calculator, something on Disney for the kids and Angry Birds. I am not a Kindle or eBooks person. I still prefer to flip my own pages.

Last year he was among the top 40 under 40 men. Has he hit 40 yet?
Yes, last month. Guys in the office surprised me. They created a crisis, got me to go to the other side (the other wing of the offices) and there was everyone with a cake… it was really cool.
He must be a really good boss.

Maybe it’s because it’s salary review time and they are trying to get to my good bonus points (laughs). It was really nice.

What does he do after his 8-5 day?
Imagine I go home. A typical day starts at five; I will do some meditation and devotion, leave the house, get here at seven then its meetings, meetings, meetings. You find yourself bogged down at the end of the day... too tired for anything else.

I manage to leave at a decent six. Days are pretty busy and come evening, I am tapped out so if I am not having a cocktail with my wife, I just go straight home to catch the kids before they nod off.

What is his Mantra?
I am just an over achiever. It comes from my father; he always pushed us to work hard. In the US, I served bread and mopped floors and I did it to the best of my ability.

What is his favourite food?
I like home food. Chapatis. If I could have ‘chapos’ every day I would.

So what is your idea of a good movie?
Lord of the Rings, Mission Impossible, Die Hard…. When I was dating my wife in the early 90’s, I would take her for movies like Batman and she would be so bored but I was in heaven.....
Now if you give me a Shaolin Master Kung Fu type, those ones that they are not speaking but fighting each other … I am happy. We are hit by serious stuff everyday so I like to remove myself from all that.

Jet Li or Jackie Chan?
Jet Li any day especially in Lethal Weapon 4 where he was the villain. But if you ask me favourite movie of all time, it’s Hit. Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Val Kilmer.

On his drive to work what does he listen to?”
Take a guess… BBC? No. I am a hip hop fan. I listen to Homeboyz Radio with G-Money every morning.

Who is his favourite rapper?
Snoop when he was Snoop Dogg just after he came out with Dr Dre; but now he has become commercialised.

What does he drive?
I drive a BMW X5 so definitely I do like a nice car. I don’t use my car as a luxury car; it’s full of ice-cream stains and junk.

(Business Daily)