In the 80’s and 90’s, it was not a very good idea to call the leader of any organisation outside of the government of Kenya President. For those who tend to forget how far we have come in the last decade, the reason for this was that only one individual was allowed that luxury. His Excellency President Daniel Arap Moi. Thus no organisation with half a brain would dare use the term "president' in its correspondence to the government and the greater public.

Mr. retired president

From time immemorial, the leader of AIESEC in a country was called President. Thus every AIESEC country would send its executive board led by its National President to its annual International Congress. However, whenever the Kenyan team was around town trying to raise a few bob to head to wherever the event was being hosted, the delegates to the International Congress would send out correspondence explaining how the AIESEC Kenya team led by its "National Chairman" would be heading to Argentina or Ireland, or Poland or wherever. They would then magically metamorphosis into AIESEC Kenya President once they left Kenya’s airspace.

In the years that I was in the organisation, I had a few opportunities of interacting with several AIESEC National Chairmen as they were called in Kenya. Many were inspirational. However there was one dude who stood head and shoulders above the rest in my humble opinion. They used to call him Kippy but the government of Kenya referred to him as James Kimalat. He was president in the year I kinda joined the organisation in 1996. And the stunts he and his team pulled off were legendary. The main thing that stood up in my mind was the guy’s integrity. The fellow had tonnes of the stuff. The dude wasn't even a Bachelor of Commerce student. If I recall correctly, the fellow was doing some Bachelor of Science degree or other.

On leaving the service of AIESEC, the fellow went down the Citibank road like David Kinyua and many other AIESECers of his day. The dude had gone up ranks steadily in that company in his London base and I remember meeting the guy a few times during my own traineeship in that wonderful city. Man has since left Citigroup (as the Citibank is now called) and is now a director of products and services at UBS Wealth Management. I expected no less.

Even in his lofty perch at one of the top wealth management companies in the world, the fellow took his time to inspire us yet again in the recently published Lead Magazine. His quote "Leaders are visionaries with poorly developed sense of fear and no concept of the odds against them" from Robert Jarvik is a special gem.

Keep up the good work Kippy.

>> Related Links
:: Lead the AIESEC Magazine
:: David Kinyua's investment options

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