At 34 years, Sawan Shah, the CEO of Tropical Heat Group and founder of Snapstar, a start-up tech company specialising in strategy, talent and business operating technology, sits on the board of several organisations and has mentored young entrepreneurs in business accelerator programmes.
The economist and management accountant considers himself an entrepreneur and marketer by passion to ensure organisations are rooted in market strategy, leveraging their markets and making sure the products are available countrywide through creative communication and engaging marketing.
Having spent 10 years in the UK working with blue chip companies such as Deloitte and Morgan Stanley, Sawan decided to return to Kenya to join the family business, Tropical Heat Group.
With sheer grit and conservative strategy of controlled growth and re-investing earnings, over the past 10 years, Sawan has led Tropical Heat Group into a formidable organisation supplying products to more than 30 countries from their new manufacturing plant in Red Hill, Limuru.
"It is difficult to keep everybody happy, but people should constantly challenge each other to grow together, rather than always telling each other what we want to hear."
He has improved brand visibility and doubled workforce size, investment in distribution infrastructure, and launched seven new brands across different product categories. Ten years ago, before he took the helm, the 51-year-old spices maker supplied products to only seven countries with limited product range.
Friends often refer to Sawan as an energiser and considers his ability to think outside the box as his biggest strength is blending innovative thinking with meticulous attention to detail to create a unique identity and products that resonate with consumers.
“Everything we do and create must be truly unique. We won’t do anything for the sake of a profit and loss statement. It needs to make a difference, make an impact and pioneer the project.” When describing his leadership style, Sawan uses an analogy of a Safari Land Cruiser.
“I like to research and find the best practice and most reliable system to perform a business operation, but add my own twist to it, to make it Safari friendly. We will use theory and ideas from the West, but we will make them Safari friendly, so that they are robust and effective in practice, for our country and our environment.”
He says “the constant debate between ‘focus’ and ‘diversity’ is something that I’m always reflecting on; at a ‘big-picture’ business level as well as at a project and task level.”
Overcoming challenges and life outside work
When leading more than 500 staff and with so many stakeholders across the value chain, Sawan says it is difficult to keep everybody happy, but people should constantly challenge each other to grow together, rather than always telling each other what we want to hear.
Sawan is keen on sports and spirituality, family and friends top the list.
“I will drop everything in the world to pick up my little ones; ages two and four. They come to work with me, do interviews, keynote speeches; we travel together.”