Ann Kinyanjui: Meet Young Kenyan Who Rose From Graduate Trainee To Amazon’s Finance Manager In Just 8 Years

Ann Kinyanjui is a finance manager at the US retail giant Amazon, where she is responsible for overseeing the company’s operations in the US, Canada, and Mexico.

Ms Kinyanjui, who is in her early 30s, spent 7 years in Kenya’s corporate scene before relocating to the US, where she became one of Amazon’s youngest executives.

This is her journey as told by WoK:

Ann Kinyanjui’s Background

Ms Kinyanjui’s career began when she decided to abandon her interest in chemistry and pursue a career in Business.

“I always thought I would pursue something in chemistry,” she said in an interview. “I had a candid conversation with the teacher, and that’s when he brought up the conversation about exploring business,” she said.

She comes from a family of seven children, with her parents being entrepreneurs.

After high school, she decided to enrol for the Certified Public Accountant certification at the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya, which she completed in July 2022.

From there, she joined Strathmore University to pursue a Bachelor of Commerce degree.

After graduating from Strathmore, she joined Hallmark Advertising and Marketing in 2017 as a graduate trainee.

Within a span of three years, she had been promoted to the company’s head of finance.

This position exposed her to high-profile clients from all over Africa, including companies such as Unilever, Coca-Cola, and Unga Group.

“I was seeing how different businesses or markets respond to certain things, and at that point, I was like, ‘Maybe I should try something more global as opposed to something in Africa,’” she said

In August 2023, Kinyanjui joined the prestigious Cornell University in the United States to pursue a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at its Johnson Graduate School of Management.

For her internship, she approached Amazon for an opportunity.

Out of a class of 283 people, she was the only candidate whom Amazon selected for its finance program after a rigorous round of interviews.

In August 2025, she was promoted from an intern to a full-time role as Amazon’s finance manager.

Her job at Amazon

Ms Kinanjui is currently based in Seattle. She works in Amazon’s Devices department, which handles products such as speakers and Fire TVs.

She is responsible for advising Amazon’s leaders on investment decisions and determining which products and business opportunities the company should invest in.

Her responsibilities extend to Canada and Mexico, where she handles about 12 devices and works with different business partners.

“I do annual and three-year strategic planning,” she said.

One of the major challenges that Ms Kinyanjui faces at Amazon is that of leading older people who are often more experienced than her.

“I’ve encountered people who felt I was too young to lead them,” she said.

According to her, she has learned to navigate this challenge by listening to colleagues, respecting their experience,  and being consistent in her decisions.

For her, leadership is about being willing to listen to her colleagues.

Aside from her corporate responsibilities, Kinyanjui has contributed to public discussions about technology and business.

In April 2026, she authored an opinion article in The Star discussing automation and business efficiency.

She also published another article for The Standard in September 2026, explaining how Kenyan businesses can measure the financial value of investing in artificial intelligence.

“My journey has taught me that what initially looks distant becomes much more achievable when you are intentional about what you want and consistently work towards it,” she said.