By Prudence Minayo
Dr. Wilfred Marube, PhD is the Chief Executive Officer of Kenya Export Promotion and Branding Agency (KEPROBA). He has experience in research in the field of communications management. A highly reputed professional, he has contributed enormously to the public relations industry in Kenya.
Here is his career journey as told by WoK.
Education
The KEPROBA CEO has a diploma in public relations management from Kenya Institute of Management, an executive diploma in marketing from Marketing Society of Kenya, a Master of Arts from Egerton University, and a PhD in Communication Studies from Moi University. He also trained in negotiations and conflict management at the Harvard Law School.
Career
Dr. Wilfred has worked in various capacities in the public relations industry. He has developed and reviewed communication strategies for different public institutions, including: office of Auditor General, National Council for Population Development and Public Relations Society of Kenya (PRSK). He was also appointed president of the Public Relations Society of Kenya.
He was involved in strategy development and review exercises for institutions, and played a key role in the development of a handbook on media reporting on audit findings. He took part in the development of communication policy and was part of the team that developed the draft Institute of Public Relations and Communication Management Bill. The bill’s aim is to regulate the public relations and communication management practice in Kenya.
A qualified trainer, he has worked with the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, Kenya School of Monetary Studies, AFROSAI-E, Pretoria and Kenya School of Law. He also lectures at Strathmore Business School.
The CEO served as a member of the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management Board and the Delegate at Large for Africa. He is a board member of the International Trade Center (ITC) Advisory Board for Institutions and Ecosystems. Due to his outstanding achievement in the PR industry, he was among those recognized as a PRSK@50 warrior.
Serving as CEO
He started serving as the CEO of KEPROBA in May 2020. A state corporation, KEPROBA was established through a merger between the Export Promotion Council and Brand Kenya Board. The aim is to promote Kenya’s export of goods and services through the implementation of export promotion and nation branding initiatives.
In his role, Dr. Wilfred was in charge of coordinating Kenya’s participation in the Dubai Expo 2020 where he served as the Kenya Commissioner General. The Expo ran from 2020 to March 2022.
