Some people walk into a room and make it larger; some make it smaller. Caroline “CK” Kamaitha is the room. She takes up space, dominates, and obliterates. Having fought for her seat at the table, she knows the price and speaks the language of the worker—sweat, bone, blood, and pain. Her career is marked by milestones rather than monuments, impacting lives and growing market value for organizations that she has worked with in the last two decades.
CK’s superpower is her intimate relationship with ‘outsiderdom,’ even as she became an insider. “Reading opened up my world; it gave me a chance to dream,” she says, reflecting on her childhood in Eastlands. Books fueled her dreams of what she could do for her country and what her country could do for her. She quickly learned to predict the future of telecommunications, positioning herself at the vanguard of industry conversations. Her drive, whether seen as ambition or avarice, embodies the human condition—one woman doing it on her own.
Her unseen work is now becoming seen. With the fire of her ambition lighting her path, she seeks new perspectives. CK channels a Michael Corleone-like determination, believing, “We are masters of our fates, and we can have anything we want—if we want it enough.” She dreams of her daughter seeing her win because “there are some things kids see and remember forever.” She envisions more industry consolidations, innovation and disruptions that we can only imagine of.
“We all dream the same dream – at the heart of it all – to make a difference, to matter and to succeed” she muses, emphasizing a shared human experience.
CK has worn many hats: Vice President Africa of SES Satellites, CEO of Afsat – iWay Zambia, Regional Sales Management in Africa, among other Senior Management roles. A Top 40 under 40 alumnae with numerous business accolades, she epitomizes pragmatic and collaborative leadership. “We all win together, and we all lose together—but it is sweeter to win together,” she asserts. Her approach underscores the importance of teamwork and a relentless drive for success for her company, its clients, and all stakeholders.
Currently pursuing a PhD in Leadership and Cultural Management, CK continues to explore practical ways to lead high-performing teams and the impact and adoption of Artificial Intelligence on organizational behaviour. Her hands are nothing if not sparkling clean, having achieved success the hard way, no matter how easy she makes it look.
“At the end of the day, this is about giving everyone the reason and means to dream big. I desire to get Internet access and the digital literacy skills to leverage digital technology for everyone in Africa. This will foster new solutions to old problems, new opportunities, re-imagined futures and help in harnessing the potential of the continent.”
– Caroline “CK” Kamaitha.
Shaping Satellite Communications in Africa
CK’s journey began 45 years ago in a small village in Rift Valley. Born to an army father and a schoolteacher mother, her early life was spent in Eldoret and later in Nairobi.
CK pursued her education in Nairobi, right through college and university. Her first part-time job whilst at University was at a computer shop, where she taught computer basics and assembled computers, sparking her passion for technology “This was the Cybercafe era where access to Internet for the masses was available in these spaces – long before the mobile internet access.” She entered telecommunications to broaden her experience, even working for a shipping company and a software sales company. “It was a season of trying my hand on different things, each opportunity a stepping-stone towards the big dreams.”
CK’s career took a significant turn when she went to work for Afsat / iWay Africa the largest VSAT Solutions provider in Africa at its peak. She describes it as a “Kairos moment” that shifted her trajectory. CK learned about satellites and technology there, quickly rising through the ranks to take up the CEO role in Zambia and setting up the company from the ground up, including several key competitor acquisitions.
Her career also includes pivotal roles at AFSAT, where she was a member of the senior leadership team. “In my career, I have been responsible for strategy development and execution, new markets penetration in Africa, product development, people and culture and market insights and analysis,” she reflects.
With nearly two decades of experience in sales and market development within the satellite communications sector in Africa, CK has made significant strides. She possesses vast experience in partner, channel development and recruitment across Africa in telecommunications.
At SES, a leading global Satellite communication service provider, CK has served as the Vice President of Africa for Enterprise and Cloud, collaborating with regulators, mobile network operators (MNOs), Service providers, Governments, and other stakeholders to provide varied telecommunication solutions. These include mobile backhaul, Internet access, mobility, security solutions.
Triumphs in Telecommunications: Leading a Team to Success and Innovation
CK’s achievements are numerous, given her track record over the past two decades in the industry. The most impactful successes have occurred in Sub-Saharan Africa, in countries where the Internet penetration, mobile internet usage and digital access statistics show a low penetration rate “In these countries, we not only impacted lives but also brought significant revenue to the business and the partners involved,” CK says.
“I see myself as a conductor in an orchestra, and I guide the team to play harmoniously and make music – we are interconnected – the engineers, the sales teams, the operations, the billing teams, the partners etc. and we all come together to make music. We have had many significant wins in the continent and key market-defining milestones that underscore the effectiveness of the Africa strategy and execution,” she concludes.
Balancing Gender, Age, and Cultural Dynamics in a Male-Dominated Industry
CK’s journey in the telecommunications industry is marked by resilience and authenticity. “On one part, it has been a challenge,” she admits, reflecting on her career. At 36, as a newly appointed Vice President for Africa, she led diverse teams in age, nationality and gender.
“It has been said that to lead is to live dangerously,” she acknowledges, extending grace to those grappling with the dynamics and biases that specifically come with gender and age. “People desire most to be understood and then given the room to adapt to the different business dynamics. I try to create an environment where we can leverage our individual differences by providing different perspectives for the betterment of all.”
CK credits her success in this area to mentors who saw beyond the biases. “I have also had seasoned managers who recognized the associated challenges and offered guidance, thereby providing a platform to launch me forward,” she says.
“If I go by everyone’s bias, then I would lose my identity, “she asserts. Focusing on her authentic self, CK balances her roles as a mother, daughter, aunt, sister and leader. She extends grace to all, recognizing biases without letting them hinder her. “I am here to make a difference, equip my team, and lead from the front,” she states.
“I was never born to fit in, but to stand out. We all have our unique combination of abilities that we must embrace fully to sustain personal success” is her empowering mantra.
“I am more confident now in my skin than I was 15 years ago,” she reflects. “The older I grow, the more I fall in love with who I am becoming.” CK recognizes the power of authenticity, even when she stands out. “Age does that to you. I am learning every day how to lean in on my faith and the revelation of who I am becoming.”
Her authenticity and results-driven approach have propelled her success. “The most important thing is to deliver,” she emphasizes. “People have the ability to overcome bias. The focus for me is driving results that are visible, inspiring, sustainable and consistent.” This philosophy has guided CK to the top of her game.
Defining Success Through Teamwork and Resilience
For CK, success is intrinsically linked to her team’s achievements. “I deliver through my people, my team, my work family,” she emphasizes. Shaped by her mentors, CK knows the importance of a motivated team ready to tackle the challenges of a rapidly evolving market.
Success, she notes, is measured in various forms — meeting quotas, retaining business, learning from setbacks among other things. “I have lost some customers and opportunities, what matters most is what you learn from the setback as an organization, to equip and prepare you for the next engagement,” she reflects. Her mother’s wisdom resonates: “It matters less that you fall, rather it matters more that you dust yourself off and pick something up from the floor as you get up.”
CK embraces “failing forward,” focusing on recovery time over failure itself. “You have to have the latitude for error, and the agility to recover” she observes. Exceptional business leaders, she believes, are distinguished by their ability to make swift decisions, re-strategize, and adapt in a competitive market especially in a market as challenging as the African market.
“I know the pain of losing to competition, or to changing market dynamics” she says. She frequently discusses with her direct reports, “How are we showing up?” emphasizing the importance of not just having the best solutions but demonstrating commitment to the clients and themselves.
“Persistence, listening to the customer, refining the market approach tactics, leads to developing relationships that are mutually profitable,” she concludes, highlighting the resilience and adaptability that define her leadership style. “Success is more often than not birthed by setbacks and midwifed by a never-give-up attitude.”
“A key business practice that helps in processing losses and wins is having After Action Reviews — AARs whether formal or informal. In these sessions, we can evaluate as the core deal team why we won or lost a deal, where we need to do better, develop counterattack strategies, and sharpen our tactics for ongoing pipeline opportunities,” CK asserts.
Balancing Roles with Systems, Support, and Self-Care
CK’s life took a significant turn when she became a mother, prompting a reevaluation of her priorities. “I had big questions about what is important: my career or my role as a mother?” she reflects. Despite her extensive career experience, motherhood presented new challenges. “I was not interviewed for the job, but I already had it,” she jokes.
The COVID-19 pandemic added another layer of complexity, disrupting her usual work routine that involved traveling for two to three weeks each month. “How do I manage my job and family?” she wondered. Determined to balance both roles, CK recommitted to her work while ensuring a safe and nurturing environment for her daughter. A friend’s advice proved invaluable: “The best way to do it is to build a system — a predictable sequence of events capable of handling any eventualities at home.”
Implementing this system, CK relied on live-in and external help, building a community within her system to manage the home. Her family have been her biggest support system, grounding and encouraging her to keep going. “It truly takes a village to raise a child, and I am blessed to have such committed villagers in my camp” CK quips
Time management has become crucial for CK, who has learned to split her time effectively and be disciplined. “Work can be absorbing, and as a mum, time is everything,” she concludes. Balancing career and motherhood, she strives to leave a legacy of possibility and empowerment for her daughter.
Part of maintaining balance involves self-care and activities that refuel her creative energy. “First things first, I am in the gym every other morning at 7:00 am with my gloves on, punching the pad or the bag. This is something I love – boxing. I stumbled into this and stuck to it.” She also supports a local boxing club driving social change through sports in an economically challenged Nairobi township. The club serves about 25 young kids, offering mentorship and opportunities to change the social culture by leveraging on the power of sports to transform community.
CK is also involved in multiple local initiatives supporting women and children, teaching life skills and financial literacy to foster entrepreneurship. “Financial literacy empowers people with knowledge. Sixty percent of Africa’s population is under the age of 25, with millions entering the job market annually. The majority facing challenges are women in an extremely entrepreneurial continent. With the right skill sets, we can support individuals and create opportunities.” She works with various faith-based organizations that support community outreach, amongst the most vulnerable and disadvantaged, by addressing basic needs.
CK has volunteered with the Africa CEO Forum as its East Africa Regional leader, championing initiatives to get women on boards, promoting gender equality within organizations, and advocating for digital and financial inclusion.
Navigating the Path to Success with Support and Sacrifice
CK acknowledges the sacrifices made on her demanding journey to the top. “Getting to the top is very demanding and sometimes you can’t see the summit even if you know it’s there,” she says.
She prioritizes nurturing valuable relationships, acknowledging the loneliness that can accompany success. “Looking back, I feel like I have had a good return. Was it worth the cost I paid? Well, I feel like I doubled my profit when I weigh the value of relationships that have survived the years.”
Dealing with loneliness at the top and to find balance, she turned to research, sought out like-minded individuals and got a career coach. A turning point came when she established a personal Board of Directors. “I looked at CK as a company, in need of a functioning Board ” she explains.
Over the last decade and a half, her board members, including accomplished businesspeople and a long-term customer, have served as her sounding board. “Loneliness comes in when you don’t have enough solid, credible, trustworthy voices that you can call on and that relate to your present reality and offer some perspective for your consideration.”
CK’s board, offers guidance on both her career and personal growth. “They told me it is not important to be paid, but when they see me excelling, and they know that they had something to do with that success, they feel like they have paid it forward,” she says.
“My Board are people I deeply honor for allowing me to stand on their shoulders so that I could see a little further for myself, for giving me invaluable insights about life and the stuff that really matters when we log off from our busy daily schedules, for sharing their personal leadership stories of success and failure, their vulnerability and accessibility, for believing in me at my lowest and at my highest. They are the people that help me see the big picture afresh, and they are usually left clapping when the orchestra is long done, and the music has stopped playing.”
CK emphasizes the importance of building a supportive network. “You have to build your tribe,” she asserts. By intentionally surrounding herself with a handpicked team dedicated to her growth and well-being, CK ensures her success is backed by a robust support system.
Balancing Ambition and Personal Fulfillment in High-stakes Business
In the world of high-stakes business, CK’s journey stands out not just for her achievements but for the profound personal growth and resilience she displays. From her initial foray into the corporate arena to her current status as a top executive, CK’s path is anything but conventional. Her story is a testament to the power of dreaming big, confronting fears head-on, and continually reinventing oneself.
Reflecting on her career, CK feels a sense of awe and gratitude. “No,” she says when asked if things have worked out as she envisioned. “They have been better. I am living my wildest dreams; I feel thoroughly blessed by things that have and haven’t worked.” Celebrating her wins and processing her losses has been crucial. “I am a big believer in taking fear by the horns and looking at it straight in the face,” she asserts. Despite setbacks, she feels that overall, she is living her dreams.
CK attributes her success to hard work and a deep value system anchored in her faith. “I am thankful for being kind to myself and living a life that I am proud of,” she says. Reinvention has been a key theme in her life. She has no regrets, only lessons, and opportunities to do better.
Reflecting on her journey, CK imagines what the girl she once was would say to the woman she is now. “We made it!” she envisions her younger self exclaiming. However, she knows that younger CK wouldn’t stop there. “She’d want to tell me to dream bigger,” she says. “If we are here now, what if I dreamt twice as big?”
CK believes that the only limit is the scope of one’s dreams. Her journey is a testament to this belief. She cherishes the importance of her daughter, family, friends, community, reminding herself that the most rewarding success integrates both career achievements and personal fulfillment.
Navigating Disruption: Emerging Trends and Opportunities in the Space Industry
The entire space and technology ecosystem is experiencing unprecedented disruption, fueled by several key developments. “The emergence of mega-constellations like Starlink, OneWeb, Kuiper is shifting the market perception of satellite connectivity,” CK observes. These constellations have significantly reduced costs for terminals and bandwidth, transforming how space technology is perceived and utilized.
The next few years will bring further changes, particularly in ground terminals where technological advancements, aim to make terminals smaller, more affordable, easier to deploy and accessible. “We have seen government regulations changing, licensing more operators to bridge the digital divide,” CK notes, highlighting the impact of policy shifts on the industry.
The COVID-19 pandemic has also accelerated demand for satellite technology. As the digital marketplace expanded, remote work became the norm, online learning increased, the need for reliable connectivity grew. “Many towns in Africa lack alternative reliable means of connectivity, making satellite a natural option to fill the gap,” CK explains. This renewed interest in satellite technology is evident across various applications, including schools and enterprises in remote and semi urban areas.
SpaceX has been a significant disruptor in the launch sector. “They have re-engineered launches with the reusable launch vehicles, bringing costs down significantly” CK says. This shift has democratized satellite deployment, allowing more entities to participate in space activities.
In Africa, there is growing interest from governments to bridge the digital divide and ensure connectivity autonomy. “When a government deploys its own satellite, it can use that satellite for its own secure communication in addition to other applications,” CK points out. This approach addresses security concerns associated with fiber cables that traverse multiple territories.
On the other end of this spectrum, there are new questions and concerns about space debris, security and international cooperation. “How do we secure space and ensure all countries can participate in the space economy? How about Space sustainability and orbital crowding?” CK poses, emphasizing the need for the adoption of space laws and regulatory frameworks especially for African countries.
Exploring Downward Opportunities: Leveraging Diverse Satellite Constellations
The industry traditionally relied on geostationary satellites (GEOs), but the advent of low Earth orbit (LEO) and medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellites has opened new possibilities. “We have innovated, but there is more space for innovation,” CK asserts. The future lies in leveraging these different constellations to maximize and optimize their unique values.
“Differentiating based on the specific user application and requirements in terms of latency and throughput helps identify the ideal option of the three satellite orbits. The key focus is to maximize efficiency and improve user experience.” CK explains. The opportunity is in integration, not just from a capacity point of view but also from a terminal point of view,” she says.
Improving the end-user experience involves merging different technologies to provide seamless connectivity. “It’s about giving the best of each technology to the end user,” CK concludes, emphasizing the potential for innovation and collaboration in the rapidly evolving space industry.
Consolidation, New Constellations, and Expanding Internet Access in Africa
The space industry is in a period of rapid innovation and strategic consolidation. “We have been through a season of acceleration,” CK observes, noting the ongoing mergers and acquisitions among satellite operators. Consolidation is essential for this capital-intensive industry, securing balance sheets and enabling further innovation.
New constellations, such as Kuiper, are expected to increase supply within the industry in the coming years. However, significant challenges remain, especially in Africa, where only 37 % of the continent has internet access. “73 % of the continent requires adequate coverage,” CK points out. With the advent of low Earth orbit (LEO) constellations, Internet penetration in Africa could rise to 50 percent in the next five years. Achieving this goal involves addressing affordability, literacy, and social demographic issues for example, the lower internet access among women.
Satellite technology provides a crucial avenue for increasing connectivity, but local governments and civil society must also address these challenges. “I’m hopeful of a more connected future,” CK states, highlighting the substantial investments from companies like Microsoft, AWS, Oracle to build data centers across Africa. They support local content storage, offsite information storage, cloud access, and real-time data exchange, enabling African enterprises to compete globally.
The changing landscape of work is also crucial for Africa, the youngest continent with a median age of 19. “This is a workforce that can take advantage of connectivity, and we have examples in Africa where this has changed the quality of life” CK notes. The future of work involves more young Africans exporting their skills globally, facilitated by internet access. “Connectivity helps us export dignified humane labor, from our homes” she emphasizes, envisioning a future where young Africans can participate in the global economy through remote work opportunities.
“I desire to get the Internet and the digital skills behind it to every young African child,” CK concludes, underscoring the transformative potential of connectivity for Africa’s youth and future.
Navigating Regulatory Challenges in the Space Industry
The space industry faces complex regulatory issues, with each country having its own regulators to oversee frequency allocation, licensing, and product quality among other functions. “Every country has regulators to govern and ensure allocation of frequencies and licensing of new solutions and new equipment are done,” CK explains.
Some regulatory regimes have adapted well to technological changes. “I believe Kenya has done a fantastic job in adopting the same, as have majority of the African countries” CK notes. With 18 years of experience with regulators across the region, she recalls a time when offices were dominated by lawyers focused on the legal framework, compared to now where we see a good mix of legal and technology experts leading to simplified regulation. “It has made it easier to create clear distinctions between what should be regulated and how it should be regulated,” she says.
In addition, we see public participation and industry participation that has enriched the regulatory process in specific countries. Across the continent we have seen organizations such as ATU, AfSA, country specific Space Agencies and other global and regional bodies promoting development of the telecommunications sector “There have been deliberate steps to coordinate across the regional blocks in the continent and there is better collaboration now across Africa, a massive improvement compared to previous years,” she concludes.
Conclusion
Caroline “CK” Kamaitha’s journey embodies resilience, determination, and a steadfast commitment to growth—both personal and professional. From navigating the complexities of corporate leadership to balancing the demands of motherhood, she has continually evolved, embracing challenges as opportunities for learning and transformation. Her story underscores the power of authenticity, self-belief, faith and the invaluable support of mentors and a trusted network.
As she looks ahead, CK remains focused on empowering others, advocating for diversity in leadership, and driving innovation in her industry. Her legacy is not just in the milestones she has achieved, but in the inspiration, she provides to those who aspire to carve their own paths with courage and purpose.
