Nairobi — Women leaders should move beyond securing positions of influence and focus on using their platforms to create opportunities and build institutions that benefit future generations, Lapid Leaders Africa Founder and CEO Esther Mwaniki has said.
Mwaniki said representation remains important but should not be treated as the ultimate measure of progress for women in leadership.
Speaking on The Jam show on Capital FM, Mwaniki said women who gain access to decision-making spaces must also consider the impact of their work and what they leave behind.
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“Yes, that is so important, especially for women. For a long time, conversations for women have been about representation,” she said.
She said the focus should shift from simply having women in politics, technology, healthcare and other sectors to asking what they accomplish once they occupy those positions.
“We think that’s not enough. It is not enough for us to just talk about Women’s Rep, women in tech, women in healthcare. The question is, what happens when women are on the table?” she said.
Mwaniki was speaking ahead of the Women of Purpose Summit 2026, scheduled for Friday at Emara Ole-Sereni in Nairobi under the theme “Beyond Representation.”
The summit will bring together women leaders from technology, healthcare, finance, education, legal services and business to discuss how leadership can be used to strengthen institutions and create opportunities.
Mwaniki described purpose-driven leadership as the intersection of leadership excellence and collective impact.
“You lead well. You go to spaces, you lead with excellence. But you also ask, ‘What’s the impact of my work?”‘ she said.
She cited the work of Catherine, whom she identified as the Managing Director of Microsoft Africa Development Centre, as an example of leadership focused on building local capacity.
Mwaniki said initiatives to strengthen Kenya’s technology talent pipeline, including engagement with universities, curriculum reviews, lecturer training and youth skills development, demonstrated how leaders can use their positions to create opportunities for others.
She said Lapid Leaders Africa is similarly focused on creating opportunities for young people and has set a target of unlocking one million opportunities over the next 10 years.
“Our big goal is to unlock 1 million opportunities in the next 10 years,” Mwaniki said.
She challenged women leaders to focus on what they can build rather than what they can inherit.
“What can I build, not what can I inherit?” she said, arguing that sustainable jobs and lasting impact would come from building rather than waiting for opportunities to be passed down.
Mwaniki said the summit would also examine how leaders can develop themselves, build purpose-driven institutions and adapt workplaces and leadership approaches to a rapidly changing society.
She said effective leadership requires personal development, discipline and character, cautioning against relying on appearances and personal branding without doing the necessary work.
“Don’t pretend. Go look for somebody, sit under them for a while, work, build the character for work,” she said.
Mwaniki said her own leadership journey began at school, where she challenged the bullying of Form One students while in Form Three and later became school captain.
She subsequently trained as an accountant at Kenyatta University and worked in audit at PricewaterhouseCoopers for eight years, including two years in the United Kingdom, before moving into banking and founding Lapid Leaders Africa in 2014.
She said her experience in the UK influenced her thinking about how effective systems and leadership can shape societies.
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Mwaniki said Lapid Leaders Africa initially focused on young people through a programme built around three pillars — Lead Self, Lead Marketplace and Lead Africa — aimed at developing self-awareness, workplace skills and a Pan-African outlook.
She explained that “Lapid” means a burning torch in Hebrew, reflecting the organisation’s goal of developing leaders who can “light up communities.”
Mwaniki said the organisation believes young people have the capacity to make an impact but often lack the opportunities and structures needed to develop that potential.
She also called for leadership to remain grounded in values and spirituality, saying leaders should examine the principles that guide their decisions and actions.
The Women of Purpose Summit will seek to challenge participants to use their leadership positions not only to advance themselves but also to strengthen institutions and expand opportunities for others.
