Nairobi, Kenya – 5th June 2025 – Africa’s leading end-to-end human resource technology company, SeamlessHR, in partnership with the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA), convened over 100 chief executive officers and managing directors from Kenya’s private sector at a high-level roundtable on Thursday, June 5, 2025.
Held at Capital Club East Africa, the roundtable brought together Kenya’s top business leaders to explore how integrating HR technology and digital automation can drive workforce productivity and secure competitive advantage. Themed “Unleashing Growth Amid Continued Economic Uncertainty: Strategies for Competitive Advantage,” the session emphasized the urgent need for organizations to redefine their workforce strategies to remain on the path to sustainable growth, while increasing workforce productivity in an unpredictable economic climate.
Notable business and thought leaders in attendance included Jaswinder Bedi, Chairperson, KEPSA; Irfan Keshavjee, Chairman of the Advisory Board SeamlessHR; and Dr. Vimal Shah, Co-Founder & Chairman, Bidco Group. Also present were Kris Senanu (Chairman, Smith & Berkeley), Brenda Mbathi (CEO, TRIFIC SEZ), Martin Mugambi (CEO, Citibank Kenya), Benson Ndung’u (CEO, KPMG East Africa), Crispin Achola (Managing Director, BAT), Dr. Ivy Ratemo (CEO, Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya), Kirimi Mpugu (Chairman, Agricultural Employers Association), Ashif Kassam (Executive Chairman, RSM East Africa Limited), Benson Okumu (Managing Director, Bata Shoe Company Plc), and several other distinguished leaders.
Delivering the keynote, Jaswinder Bedi, KEPSA Chairperson, remarked, “The Private sector is currently dealing with short-term cost pressures while trying to execute long-term growth strategies. Collectively, the manufacturing and service industries contribute up to 76% of the country’s GDP. As the private sector, we must rethink how we are attracting, managing, and enhancing productivity. Technology gives us the tools to build inclusive, efficient, and globally competitive organizations. We need to remain a regional leader, and workforce productivity must be a national priority.”
Sharing his insights on the intersection of digital innovation and human capital growth, Dr. Vimal Shah, Co-Founder & Chairman, Bidco Group, noted, “We are at a critical point, and businesses that fail to digitize their people operations will fall behind. AI is helping us operationalize a lot of the mundane tasks that are required daily, enhancing our operations and helping our workforce to be more agile, competitive, and productive. Volatile competitive environments will always exist, but we need to have a long-term strategy that can take up the short-term cost pressure as we continue to innovate and grow.”
This was echoed by Brenda Mbathi, CEO, TRIFIC SEZ, who emphasized the importance of future-proofing human capital strategies in the digital age, “Our future will be shaped by how we optimize human capital and enhance the competitive advantages we see in our market to serve local, regional, and international customers.
Irfan Keshavjee, Chairman of the Advisory Board of SeamlessHR, emphasized the importance of future-proofing human capital strategies in the digital age, “Africa’s economic future will be shaped by how well we optimize human capital. At SeamlessHR, we are building the infrastructure for a more productive continent, and our goal is to help businesses transition from reactive operations to proactive, data-driven people strategies that drive productivity of the workforce and power real business growth.”
Kenya’s economy, while showing signs of recovery, continues to grapple with some economic issues, such as inflationary pressures, currency instability, and declining consumer purchasing power. For the private sector to thrive amid these challenges, enhancing workforce productivity through digital tools and innovation has become a strategic need.
Panelists, including Dr. Vimal Shah (Co-Founder & Chairman, Bidco Group), Kris Senanu (Chairman, Smith and Berkeley), Brenda Mbathi (CEO, TRIFIC SEZ), and Martin Mugambi (CEO, Citibank Kenya), offered insights on how progressive organizations are harnessing HR tech to enhance workforce productivity while navigating today’s economic uncertainties. They also explored how agile, cloud-based HR platforms, embedded finance, and data-driven insights are unlocking new levels of organizational productivity.
The roundtable reinforces the importance of a culture of innovation within the Kenyan private sector to drive productivity and long-term value creation. By prioritizing continuous learning, employee engagement, and digital automation, businesses can remain on a path of sustainable growth.
This strategic collaboration between SeamlessHR and KEPSA demonstrates a shared commitment to transforming Kenya’s private sector through the power of digital workforce management. The partnership offers a scalable blueprint for boosting workforce productivity, driving digital innovation, and securing long-term economic sustainability for Kenya.