Annstella Mumbi, the closeted violinist with a TikTok addiction

Tala’s interim General Manager, Annstella Mumbi. FILE PHOTO | POOL

The thing about Annstella Mumbi is that when she does something, it stays done. For starters, she is a multipotentialite (Google that). She has that grrr, that extra dose of witchcraft.

She can do anything, as many people can, so she does everything, as most people don’t. A Mechatronics Engineer, a serial techpreneur, a backpacker, a YALI Fellow, an impresario with the purse strings of a venture capitalist, and now the interim General Manager at Tala, the global financial technology firm—we’d sooner run out of paper than her accolades—there are no album tracks here, just greatest hits.

Talking to her is like watching a peacock spread its feathers at the height of its plumage.

You’d be forgiven then if you were jealous of her for so visibly winning the tombola of talent, this Harry Potter(ess?) of business, who casts a spell with magic in her brains. Forgiven, yes, but not wrong.

“I just wish I could maintain a hobby!” Ah, there it is. A hole in the wall. A Trojan horse. An Achilles’ heel. But even her strengths align with her weakness, which could feel like they had been developed in a lab as a kind of personal kryptonite.

So, personal we get, and you realise that when she is about to hit you with some deep morsel of thought, she will precede it with “That’s interesting.”

Like her career trajectory, her words are sharp, elegant, and arresting. Listening to her is like watching an engineer confronting a financial expert, like watching lightning go at thunder. It is, er, urm, interesting.

Outside, the breeze catches its breath—it’s a Nairobi winter, July weather, sun rays crammed in ice bottles, the equivalent of being woken from a deep, cosy, satisfying 5am sleep for school on a cold Monday morning.

Are you a financial engineer or an engineer who is into finance?

Think of it as engineering is where it all started. I’ve always been a nerd. I was really good at Math and sciences. It was a natural progression.

I spent five years deeply embedded in the robotics world and all the [cutting-edge] technology we see, such as Artificial Intelligence. I did some engineering work and discovered it wasn’t all that. I didn’t feel a connection, and it became a question of how to focus on a direct mission.

That’s how I ended up on the business side of things. Being an engineer helps me to understand the technical pieces. I have coded and still do to date.

Engineers are taught to be structured in their thinking, all about formulas. Business strategy is about having a solid business plan. In other words, I am an engineer, just without the title.

What did you know about money then that has helped you now?

Respect money and it will respect you back—being mindful of how and where I spend my money. I rarely make decisions based on money—finance is number three on my priorities.

I need to care and be aligned with the mission and vision of what I am doing before finances come in.

What purchase of less than Sh10,000 has changed your life?

Oh…interesting. I’d say books. One was a recommendation from one of my seniors at Tala, a book called Disciplined Entrepreneurship: 24 Steps to a Successful Startup [by Bill Aulet]. It talks about principles of how you think about building businesses.

The other is The Advantage: Why Organisational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business [by Patrick Lencioni]. Both books have influenced how I build businesses, build strong, cohesive teams, and set clear strategies for the team.

Interesting. What was your nickname growing up?

Mo, the short form for Mumbi. People were too lazy to call me Mumbi. My family still calls me Mo. In the office, it’s Mumbi; but it depends.

Some of my colleagues who have known me for a long time call me Annstella.

When was the last time you really felt like Mo?

Ah, that’s interesting. I’d say when I am around family. Family grounds you. With them, I am not Mumbi the techie or Mumbi the GM. I’m simply Mumbi, the sister, the daughter, the cousin, the aunt.

If you ask me what Mo means, it is family and grounding. I was reminded of that this past weekend when I was around family.

What’s a special thing you do just for Mo?

What’s interesting, Eddie is that I get bored fast. I pick up a lot of hobbies and drop them just as quickly; very few of them stick. I am always going to a class to learn something new, like recently, it was a motorbike.

Prior to that, it was golf, and before I developed a liking for the clubs and golf courses, I was into kickboxing. I even learned the violin.

I found out it [learning new skills] helps me disconnect. It’s either that or I am travelling. I aim to visit every African country, and I am at 15 so far. We are all so alike yet so different in our cultures.

Which of those countries really struck a chord?

Rwanda. I fall in love with the country every time. It feels like the example and epicentre of African excellence under good leadership, how everything is organised and safe.

That, or South Africa, where I work quite a bit. That level of development, despite their challenges, is fascinating. I found Togo to be very interesting.

You know what, let’s throw Benin in there as well. They have a unique feel and are deeply rooted in art and music, with much more development than I had anticipated. It was eye-opening.

Why the violin?

Let’s preface it with the fact that I am not an expert. I started it, say, in 2018? I went to classes, bought mine, and occasionally played for my guests. [Lucky them]. But I am yet to play publicly.

Does it hold a special meaning?

Not necessarily. I love music, and it was a hobby I just picked. I tried playing the guitar at the university, but I found the violin an intriguing, elegant musical instrument.

The hand-eye coordination is very tough, but you can still recreate modern music with its classical feel. That’s my why.

When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?

It comes back to hobbies. When you have so much to do, the only way to relax is to truly disconnect, but not next to your phone or laptop, which tempts you to do something else.

For three hours on the golf course, I totally distress. Kickboxing also forces me to disconnect. I have tried going to the gym, but that has not helped. Exercise and sports have my number.

Is that your weekend lifestyle?

More or less. I’d go golfing with my mom or a colleague and afterwards spend the rest of the time with family. Once in a while, I watch a good movie, but I am not the most avid Netflix person.

When you think of the weekend what food comes to mind?

Mostly a steak or a burger. But if I feel grounded, I love Swahili food, the biriyanis, and viazi karais.

If I am with family, then bring on the nyama chomas haha! There is no need to eat healthy but don’t quote me on that one, haha!

What is an unusual habit or absurd thing that you love?

I low-key have a TikTok addiction. I was not a fan until my team wanted to have a presence on TikTok, and then the TikTok algorithm did wonders for me. But I am trying to recover.

I have a set limit on how much time I can spend on the platform daily. Weekends are the worst, especially if I am indoors, because where did all that time go?

What is the dumbest thing you’ve spent money on?

Horrible investments? I felt brilliant in university and wanted to enter the shoe-polishing business. We [together with a partner] bought a shoe stand and set them up at the matatu stage in Juja. We spent around Sh30,000 without doing any research.

The ‘owners’ of the stage just kept breaking it—and our hearts. It was a big lesson.

Understand your customer base, do your research, and understand the environment you operate in. I was taken down by a stage cartel because I lived in my head and wanted to solve a problem without research. Haha!

What do you have that money can’t buy?

Love from the people in my life. One of the things I am grateful for is my close circle of parents, family, and of course, my partner. It is amazing to have a support centre that never fails. I do not take it for granted.

What’s something you wish you were better at?

Sticking to a hobby haha! Seeing things to the end and not getting bored really fast!

What’s the most painful thing you’ve been told?

Being a young woman is a detractor to your success in leadership. Being black, female, and young raises many questions about your ability.

Sometimes it is not a question of your ability to get the job done but how people perceive you… Will you get work done? Will people respect you? You have to keep proving yourself.

Conversely, what’s the best compliment you’ve received?

This is weird, but one of my former bosses called me a ‘Strategic Hustler’. I didn’t understand what it meant then, but I was working on the expansion between Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, and Ghana.

I later understood that to be one of the best ways someone spotlighted my strengths because I get work done hence the hustler, but I am very tactical and structured in prioritising my time, therefore strategic.

This is my superpower. To have my head in the clouds and feet in the ground.

Who is that one person you’d trade places with for a day?

What is a day in the life of a president like, haha! Or a day in the life of a pop star? I understand the business executive’s side, but how is it in the arts? Or public service?

Lately, what have you become good at saying no to?

Things that don’t leave me highly energized. If it doesn’t add value to me or the individuals I am with or lowers my energy, then I am very reckless with saying no.

Do you have a secret talent that no one knows?

Haha no! You know all my secrets now.

What’s your weekend soundtrack?

I am an old soul so mostly I listen to something from the 80s,90s, or the early 2000s.

What’s on your bucket list?

Flying a Cessna or Sling. Growing up, I always thought I would be a pilot and this is a goal I still want to reach in life.

What is a weekend hack that makes your weekends better?

Ruthless rest and doing activities that get you out of your usual routine, for me it’s getting outside and going into nature-filled spaces.

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