I read a lot, consult a lot, listen to my colleagues and besides, I am disciplined and easy going. People achieving results ignite me
Dr Simbauni Lawrence Ndombi, the current Chief Executive and regional leader at the Business Partner Consultants Limited- Africa (BPC) is a self-made leader and a man who never tires from making his star shine.
Dr Ndombi is a man of diverse capabilities both in the corporate and the political world.
He has deep experience and expertise in the private sector and made contributions to the public service in terms of consultancy in a number of large corporations.
The desire to naturally shine has been associated with the man- a native of Bunyala Central, Mukhweso, Navakholo sub county of Kakamega county- who has loved education from when he was a pupil in the villages of Kakamega county back in the days.
“I have embraced education from my early years and I can tell you that unlike many parents who may have had difficult moments convincing their children to take education and run with it, mine did not and I am very proud of that,” says Dr Ndombi.
Dr Ndombi was amongst the pioneer gubernatorial contestants during the 2013 general elections for Kakamega County and was the Azimio Presidential campaign coordinator for Nyanza and Western regions in the 2022 general elections.
BPC Africa has a blend of both full time consultants and associate consultants who provide flawless consulting to meet and exceed “our” client needs and expectations.
The consulting team has an edge in both theory and application with deep experience.
Dr Ndombi is an Alumnus of Alliance High School where he was the Deputy School Captain and holds a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) in Strategy and Leadership.
He also has a Master of Business Administration (MBA), a Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) degree and a Post Graduate Diploma in Human Resource Management.
His former and current colleagues say that he is a calm, patient and a man of few words “but when it comes to work, he is goal oriented, pragmatic, keen on detail and action packed individual.”
Dr Ndombi notes that he embraced and dedicated himself to a rigorous schooling process right from the nursery, as it was called back then, that would later see him admitted to Alliance High School.
“This is a school that prepared me by imparting skills of self-reliance as the leader I am today,” says Dr Ndombi.
Dr Ndombi is a business leader with over 30 years of experience and a champion of people and business strategy and human solutions.
His core area includes leadership, strategy solutions, change and business transformation expert, restructuring expert, people development, coaching and mentorship, performance enhancement, executive resourcing and organizational design and culture.
“He has a track record for turnaround strategies and people capability in various sectors of the economy,” his colleagues glowingly speak of him.
His turnaround strategies have been in the manufacturing, investment, healthcare, banking and insurance, transport and infrastructure, logistics, agri-business, education, banking and micro finance, media, ICT, government- State Corporation and parastatals.
Dr Ndombi has vast practical experience having held various leadership and management positions locally and internationally and in different sectors of the economy.
His diligence and vast practical experience has seen him hold various leadership and management positions locally and across the border.
Lawrence as his colleagues and those close refer to him, has also chaired and made presentations at international conferences with great success.
Lawrence was the founding member and Programme Director of the HIV/AIDS Private Sector Business Council (PSBC) in Kenya and helped set up many HIV/AIDS business councils in Africa.
Dr Ndombi worked closely with the late Chris Kirubi who was Chairman and other business leaders and professionals.
He is also the second generation founding member and later a board member of the Institute of Human Resource Management (IHRMK) where he helped grow the HR profession and championed the legislation of the HR profession in Kenya under the Human Resource Management Professionals Act of 2012.
He is a fellow member of both the Institute of Human Resource Management (IHRM) Kenya and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) UK. Dr Ndombi has served on quite a number of boards both locally and internationally.
They include Unilever Boards, Africa Medical Research Foundation (AMREF) board, Aga Khan University Hospital advisory board, Connecticut Children’s Centre, USA.
He has served as chairman of the board of directors for the Evercare Group of Hospitals (EGH) in Kenya- Nairobi Women’s Hospital, Avenue Group of Hospitals, Metropolitan Hospital and Ladnan Hospital.
He is also the chairman, Technical Committee for Human Resource Standards in Kenya at the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) and current Chairman of Fellows (FIHRM) of the IHRM (K). He is a board member of Crown Motors Limited- Nissan Kenya.
He has wide corporate experience both in Kenya and Internationally having worked with Gillette Company, Africa Development Bank and for a long time with Unilever as a Manager, Director then rising to the level of Vice President, Human Resources in Africa responsible for Consumer, Plantations and Export Businesses, South Africa (UMDSA).
He was also a team member of the talent team and the reward and remuneration teams for Unilever Africa, Middle East and Asia.
So what makes him a successful story before and today?
“I read a lot, consult a lot, listen to my colleagues and besides, I am disciplined and easy going. People achieving results ignite me.”
BY GEORGE AGESA