Faith Nkatha Gitonga, head of technology and digital transformation at the Tony Blair Institute, shares a powerful, humorous, and deeply personal take on what it means to be a woman in tech, the strength of saying ‘no’, and why a strong support system matters just as much as ambition.
Faith Nkatha can’t help but chuckle when people act surprised to find a woman in a senior tech role.
“It’s always funny to me,” she says with a laugh. “People look around and go, ‘Oh, a woman in tech!’ Like we’re unicorns or hiding behind servers somewhere. We are here. We’re just not always in the press releases.”
And she would know; she’s one of them. Currently serving as the interim country director and head of technology and digital transformation at the Tony Blair Institute, Faith’s career path has included roles in big tech, fintech, banking, and media. But her story isn’t just about titles; it’s about courage, conviction, and a whole lot of heart.
Her journey into tech wasn’t scripted. It started with dreams of medicine, a brief romance with radio and TV in her university years, and a vow to never work in a bank – a vow she laughingly broke when she joined Chase Bank and fell in love with the world of finance and digital transformation.
“I told myself I’d never work in a bank. Then I joined one and had the time of my life. Chase Bank was like a leadership school. And when tech started creeping into strategy, I knew I couldn’t reach C-suite without understanding it,” she says.
So, she pivoted. She joined Oracle, dove deep into learning, and didn’t just skim the surface. She blocked out Fridays for intensive training, studying cloud, digital transformation frameworks, and how to explain them in plain English.
“I told myself if I’m going to lead in tech, I need to know what I’m talking about. Not just buzzwords, but real solutions,” she explains.
Eventually, Cellulant came calling, and Faith stepped in as country manager for Kenya. This was in the middle of Covid19.
Hard decisions
“It was wild. I didn’t meet most of my team in person until months in. I kept telling people, ‘Put your camera on!’ because I needed to build connections, even if virtually,” Faith reveals.
At Cellulant, she helped the company finally secure a payment service provider licence.
“That licence… ” she says, exhaling as she recalls the months of persistence. “It was a battle. But we got it. And I learnt that resilience, especially the kind you build in banking, pays off in fintech.”
But then came one of her hardest leadership decisions yet: turning down a public sector C-level appointment.
“I had just had my fourth baby. Two weeks into maternity leave, they sent me the appointment letter. And I looked at my newborn, then the letter, and thought: I could wear a suit that doesn’t fit yet and pretend I’m fine. Or I could say no, for a bigger yes later when the time and season was right,” she says.
She chose ‘no’.
“It was so hard. But you know what? We teach women to say yes. We don’t teach them when and how to say no,” Faith continues.
Her clarity came not just from instinct, but from her support system, what she affectionately calls her ‘personal board of directors’. Her husband, her family and close friends all weighed in, not as colleagues, but as people who know her life, not just her on LinkedIn.
“You need a support system that knows your real world. Not just your resume. My dad told me, ‘You’re still young. This job will come again. But you’ll never have another maternity leave with this baby.’ That’s what grounded me,” Faith explains.
She adds with a smile, “And let’s be honest, my husband’s been a rock. Four boys and one powerhouse woman? It’s teamwork!”
Faith is quick to point out that career success is never just about hustle, it’s about wisdom, timing, and choosing what matters in each season. Right now, for her, that’s balancing her leadership role with raising her sons and making time for her marriage and church community.
“At TBI, I feel like I’m part of something generational. This is legacy work. Government transformation, tech for food security, digital public infrastructure; it’s not just another project. It’s something our children will talk about,” Faith says of the organisation she works for now. The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change is a not-for-profit organisation that works in more than 45 countries across five continents to support leaders with strategy, policy, and delivery enabled by technology.
“Everywhere I go, I believe I’ve been assigned. My work is always more than the job description. I mentor, I preach, I speak, I listen. I achieve results. If someone says, ‘Faith, help me understand tech,’ or ‘Teach me to lead,’ that’s a highlight. That’s why I show up,” she explains.
She circles back to the question of women in IT. Yes, there are fewer women at the top. Yes, the system is still skewed. But no, women are not missing. She mentions a number in leading tech companies.
“The women are here. We're not hiding. We just need to tell more of their stories loudly.”
And Faith plans to do just that; she dreams of writing a book titled ‘As We Break the Glass Ceiling, What Else Is Breaking?’ It’s a question not enough people ask.
“Because things do break – sometimes it’s your health, sometimes your peace, sometimes your family time. But if we talk about it, we can prepare. We can thrive without losing ourselves,” she says.
