WILFRED OMONDI OPIYO

Senior Consultant – Associate

Wilfred holds a MSc in Entrepreneurship and Innovations Management from the University of Nairobi; a BSc in Hotel and Restaurant Management (with a concentration in Hospitality Planning and Development); and a graduate of Kenya Utalii College with a Diploma in Hotel Management.

Wilfred has over 20 years in the hospitality industry, having started his career with Serena Hotels, holding different management positions in the lodges, town hotels and beach resorts. Wilfred left Serena Hotels in 2009 to venture into business and founded Wilomo International events, a corporate events and experiential marketing company.

Wilfred has over 10 years working in consultancy roles with small and medium enterprises in the hospitality sector, advising clients on development projects, coordinating refurbishment projects or driving operational performance with tailor-made solutions which enhance the guest and employee experience. The sectors worked in include Lodging & Residential (including Purpose-Built Student Accommodation); Recreation; Conference & Events and Food & Beverage.

Wilfred has recently undertaken a hotel operations excellence audit project which also involved a mystery guest survey for a 5-star hotel and convention centre.

GOTTHARD FRICK – TOURISTCONSULT– SWITZERLAND

Associate

Mr Frick is the Founder and CEO of TOURISTCONSULT Gotthard Frick of Bottmingen, Switzerland. He was key in the planning, establishment, management of Kenya Utalii College, Nairobi, and followed with technical assistance on behalf of Swiss and Kenyan Governments. He has worked on assignments in more than 100 countries on all continents. His clients include governments, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), specialised United Nations bodies (UNDP, ILO, and WTO), International Finance Institutions (World Bank, ADB, IDB etc.) and private clients.

He was the lead in the establishment of IHTTI (International Hotel and Tourism Training Institute), a subsidiary of TC , which offers o cial British Bachelor and Diploma courses and the establishment and management of SIB Swiss School of International Banking and Finance School which he later sold. He establishes and manages relationships with local partners of Hotel and Tourism Management Schools in Australia, Greece and New zealand as well as Management of large resorts and hotels.

Mr Frick is the Founder and CEO of TOURISTCONSULT Gotthard Frick of Bottmingen, Switzerland. He was key in the planning, establishment, management of Kenya Utalii College, Nairobi, and followed with technical assistance on behalf of Swiss and Kenyan Governments. He has worked on assignments in more than 100 countries on all continents. His clients include governments, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), specialised United Nations bodies (UNDP, ILO, and WTO), International Finance Institutions (World Bank, ADB, IDB etc.) and private clients.

Mr Frick was an officer with Zurich Insurance Company and later the Swiss Bank Corporation. He was the Authorised Officer for Suiselectra of Basel and the Group Secretary for four of the largest Swiss Engineering Companies. This involved acquisition of large infrastructure projects such as thermal power plant in Bangladesh, Large irrigation project in Morocco and Establishing the Power system in Iraq. He is also the Founder and CEO of Civil Defence Consultants (CIDEC), which deals with international defence service contracting

TONNY MUIRURI MUTUNGU (TMM)

Associate

Tonny Muiruri Mutungu, commonly known as TMM, became an associate of PIE consultancy shortly after founding Turnkey Marketing & Management in Hospitality (TMM Hospitality Ltd), early in 2016.

TMM is a graduate of Kenya Utalii College, where he obtained his Diploma in Hotel Management and of Florida International University, where he obtained his BSc in hospitality Management. He is also qualified as a Chartered Marketer and Certified Internet Marketer (CIM) - (UK).

TMM has over 25 years in the hospitality industry, locally and regionally. Having launched his career in hospitality as student and later as a lecturer at Kenya Utalii College, TMM moved into the industry, starting with the Tamarind Group, Block Hotels, Imperial Hotels, Uganda, Jacaranda Hotels, and finally as Director of Sales – Tribe Hotel, Nairobi. TMM has horned his skills in Strategic Hospitality Marketing, management, New Product Development, International Marketing Partnerships, Project Management and NGO negotiations

TMM left employment in 2016 to venture into business, by founding TMM Hospitality Ltd, a firm that focusses on providing advisory services to SME projects in the hospitality industry. He is also Founder and Strategy and Marketing Director of Holiday Link Africa an East African in bound tour operator.

TMM continues to be involved in education and training, and served as member of the Tourism Industry/Kenya Utalii College Liasion Committee. He also served as Secretary of Kenya Utalii College Alumni Association from 2012 to2014. In 2014 TMM was appointed a member of the mentorship board of the Association for the International Exchange of Students in Economics and Commerce (AISEC) for Kenyatta University.

On the professional and social front, TMM is also National Secretary of Skal Kenya and a former Chairman of Skal Kenya Nairobi (2012 – 2014), as well as member of the Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers (KAHC) Marketing Sub-committee. TMM also served as President

OSCAR YUSTE – YUSTE & PARTNERS – SPAIN

Associate

Oscar Yuste is the CEO and Founder of Yuste and Partners, a global consulting firm based in Spain. He has over 22 years of quality experience in International Business, Tourism, Property and Business Consultancy. He has lived and worked in England, Kenya, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Israel. He is in possession of multiple degrees in Marketing from the Oxford Centre, Valencia, International trade from the Chamber of Commerce, and Real Estate from ESINE, Madrid.

In the tourism sector Oscar has run a XVII boutique Palace hotel and established his own safari company “AFRICA INÉDITA” since 1996. He has also been a close advisor for the National Spanish Television and featured in collaborations for the prestigious National Geographic. Oscar has worked as Special Representative for Kananga, a Spanish International tour company in its subsidiary in Zanzibar and also led several expeditions as a tour leader in over 14 countries.

In the property sector, Oscar was the managing director of “Iniciativas Inmobiliarias CM” in 2007 and has recently founded an innovative real estate franchise named “GRUPO YP” . With the aim of diversifying his knowledge, he has worked in the international press sector as the Company supervisor for France Media in Cyprus and Egypt and while in England he worked as the Communications and Export manager in the motorcycle industry.

HAGINSON MUTUKU – SPAIN

Associate

Haginson an Associate of PIE is the Founder of Clicksafaris, where he has solely designed a product aimed at marketing Kenyan tourism companies abroad, an innovative idea aimed at improving the way companies mingle with the source market in a practical and cost effective manner

He is an energetic, hardworking and open minded person who has through the years achieved a very solid experience especially in the tourism and hospitality industry. He acquired his diploma in Tourism Studies at the Spanish Tourism School in Madrid and afterwards joined the Rey Juan Carlos University for Post Graduate studies majoring in Management of Tourism Companies.

Previously he had worked for Worldin Tours while in Kenya and in Spain he worked for Tierras de Africa travel agency, and collaborates as an associate with Africa Inedita up to date. In the hotel industry has worked for international hotel chains; the Westin Hotels, The Leading hotels of the World and Preferred hotels in various positions.

NANCY WAKARINDI MAINA

Associate

Nancy holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree specializing in Operations Management from the University of Nairobi. She has worked for over three years with PIE on numerous assignments.

Her most significant assignment was Head of Research and Analysis in an engagement where PIE, through its Principal Consultant, Ambassador Mwakai Sio, was engaged by the Private Sector Foundation of Uganda, as Technical Advisor, for the development of the Uganda Hotel and Tourism Training Institute (UHTTI), during the period 2018 to 2019. This was a project funded jointly by the Government of Uganda and the World Bank.

Apart from Business Consulting she also handled assignments in Finance, Business Operations, Customer Experience and Sales and Marketing. She enjoys working with data and coordinating teams. Her very vibrant personality is a great asset in working with people of diverse backgrounds.

Vincent Junior Kerongo

Associate

Vincent is a graduate of Applied Mechanical & Electrical Engineering (Plant option) from the Kenya Power & Lighting Co. - Training School. He further acquired his Diploma in Project Management from the Kenya Institute of Management (KIM) and a Diploma in Electrical Engineering (Power option) from the National Youth Service Institute. He has also attained specialized training like Computer Aided Design (CAD) from Turkey, 3D Studio Max, MS office Project among others.

Vincent has immense experience in the hospitality industry having worked with reputable firms in various capacities both locally and internationally as a Design Engineer, Site/Project engineer, Services engineer and finally as Project Manager. He has been involved in small and medium and turnkey projects such as the Olkaria IV-Unit 3 Geothermal Plant, the Nairobi hospital, the Kenya School of Monetary Studies (KSMS), Lake Naivasha Resort, and the Glee Hotel, amongst others.

His sought-after skills range from concept design and build for commercial kitchens and laundry setups to Quality Control, Project Management, MEP services and Facilities Management.

Alice Kang’arua

Associate

Alice is graduate of Kenya Utalii College, where she studied Housekeeping and Laundry. Alice worked in the Hotel Industry after graduating from KUC and later in an equipment distributor firm where she has gained immense knowledge and experience in the area of whole range of Kitchen and Laundry equipment, providing solutions to the Hospitality Industry and other related institutions. She rose from the rank of a Sales Executive to Assistant General Manager.

Alice has attended several training workshops both locally and internationally including factory training, seminars, and trade shows. She is therefore widely travelled.

Alice is an expert in the provision of Laundry Solutions for small and turnkey projects from equipment selection, sizing, layout, recommendation on equipment maintenance, workload calculations, laundry hygiene practices etc. She is also well versed in the area of Housekeeping Operations in hotels.

Victor M. Shitakha

Associate

Victor M. Shitakha is the Managing Director & Lead Consultant of Shitakha & Shitakha Consultancy, a company he founded in late 2021 after having had a 30-year exciting and successful working experience in the hospitality Industry including working in the Eastern and Southern African countries with a small stint in Europe. Victor has been an active Skal member since 2000 and is a Past President of Skal Kenya Coast, leading it for 3 successful terms.

He serves as Chairman of the Kenya Coast Tourism Association KCTA (former MCTA), the voice of tourism in the six counties of the coast and was also appointed to the Board of Mama Ngina Water Front to enhance sustainable experiences at the Kenyan beach front. He has also served as the Chairman of the Mombasa County Liquor Board. He was appointed as a member of the KTB Board of Directors w.e.f 10th March 2023.

BEATRICE MAKAWITI

Senior Consultant

Beatrice Makawiti MBS is a Senior Consultant at PIE and a Director at ihti (international hotel & tourism institute). She has had an illustrious career spanning over 20 years in the tourism industry in academia, consulting, and leadership.

She holds a Master of Business Administration (Marketing) from the University of Nairobi, a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management (Dean’s List) from Florida International University (Miami, USA), Diploma in Hotel Management from Kenya Utalii College and a Certificate in Balanced Score Card.

Beatrice also lectures at the Technical University of Kenya and United States International University. As the Managing Director, at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) for a period of three years, she transformed the organization to excellence nationally, regionally and internationally. Prior to this she was the Deputy Principal at Kenya Utalii College where she also excelled and a visiting lecturer in management at International Hotel and Tourism Training Institute (IHTTI) in Neucatel, Switzerland in 1997

Beatrice sits on the Academic and Management Board of Kenya Wildlife Service Training Institute and is the Vice Chair. She is also the second Vice Chair of the Machakos Investment Promotion Board. She was a member of the Steering committee of the Education and Science Council, United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) representing the African region for a period of two years. She has been an accreditor for the Association of Hospitality Schools in Africa (AHSA). She is widely travelled.

THOMAS DUDAH

Senior Consultant

Mr. Thomas Dudah is a Senior Consultant at PIE and the former Principal of ihti (international hotel & tourism institute) where he specialized in all aspects of Hospitality planning and management.

Dudah is one of the premier graduates with an Advanced Diploma from the Kenya Utalii College. He further obtained his Bachelor of Science Degree in Hospitality Management from the Florida International University in Miami, USA in 1988. He has also pursued several Executive Management Programs at the School of Hotel Management, Cornell University, including Leadership and Motivation and Managing People. Dudah joined the Kenya Utalii College as an Assistant Lecturer in 1977 and rose through the ranks from Lecturer until his retirement in 2008 as Principal.

Dudah has strength in Front Office Operations, Organizational Management, Negotiation, Administration and Human Resource, Corporate Governance, Organizational Conflict Resolution, Training, Standard Operational Procedures and Curriculum Development. He has also been a key player in many projects relating to tourism development and policy, including membership in several Kenya Government delegations to negotiate and formulate strategies for Tourism Co-operation within the East African Community, and a number of African countries.

Fredrick Okeyo Okeng’o

Senior Consultant

Mr. Fred Okeyo is a Senior Consultant at PIE and the Principal at ihti (international hotel & tourism institute).

He holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Nairobi, Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management from Florida International University, Miami, Florida and Diploma in Hotel Management from Kenya Utalii College. He has extensive global exposure in tourism and hospitality training and professional practice. He is a member of the Tourism Professional Association (Kenya) and Marketing Society of Kenya.

Fred was employed at the Kenya Utalii College in 1987 as an Assistant Lecturer and rose to the position of a Senior Lecturer. He conducted many workshops for Industry in Kenya and other African countries, capacity building trainings for Small and Medium Enterprises in the Tourism industry supported by the European Union. He also actively participated as a panel facilitator in the Conference on the Way forward for Kenya’s Tourism in 2000.

He joined The Kenya Tourism Board in 2001 as a Regional Marketing Manager responsible for Emerging and New Markets (Asia, Middle East, Africa, and Domestic). In this role he was instrumental in developing entry strategies into these markets. During this period Kenya was granted the Approved Destination Status by the Chinese Government in 2004 and hosted the first “Japan Mission for Increased Tourism to Kenya”. He also served in other Markets such as the Americas of which the United States and Canada were key markets. At the end tenure in KTB in 2022 he was heading two key directorates of Market Development and Marketing Development Services.

Fred has been part of the development of Destination Crisis Management, National and Regional Tourism Strategies (EAC, COMESA and IGAD) and more recently the COVID -19 Intervention Strategies. He has great passion for Hospitality Management, Strategy, Tourism Marketing and Branding and Product Development.

SAMUEL MBUGUA

Consultant

Samuel is a Consultant at PIE and an expert in the field of Tourism Management specializing in Tours and Travel with over 10 years’ experience in the complex tourism industry in Kenya. He is a Graduate with a Diploma in Travel and Tourism Management from the Kenya Utalii College and is due to complete his Bachelor of Science Degree in Tourism Management from the Kenyatta University.

In tandem with his various consulting engagements, he is currently the Executive Director of Conqueror Safaris Limited , a well-established Tour and Travel Firm headquartered in Nairobi where he deals with Itinerary Planning, Lectures on Wildlife and Conservation as well as Packaging and Branding Kenya as a destination to traditional and new tour source markets. He is a member of several professional bodies including the Kenya Association of Tour Operators (KATO), ECO Tourism Kenya and the East Africa Wildlife Society (EAWS) among others.

Samuel is a highly sought after professional both locally and internationally owing to his rich consultancy and entrepreneurial skills. He specializes in Destination Audits for sustainable tourism and travel activities, Development of Tour and Travel circuits, Packaging of Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE), the Domestic Travel Scene and Entrepreneurship.

PHENETAH OWINO AWOUR

Consultant

Phenetah Awour is a graduate of Kenya Utalii College with a Diploma in Hospitality Management She also holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management from the Kenyatta University. She has also pursued several Executive Management Programs including Leadership and Motivation, Design Thinking for Innovation and Hotel Industry Analytics.

Her industrial work experience was gathered from star rated hospitality establishments such as Serena Hotels, Alliance Hotels, and Welcome Inn Hotels.

Phenetah has worked at the prestigious international hotel & tourism institute (ihti) as a Lecturer in Hospitality Management since 2014. She rose through the ranks to the position of Dean of Studies.

Phenetah’s strengths lie mainly in Front Office Operations, Organizational Management, Administration and Human Resource, Hospitality Marketing, Training, Standard Operational Procedures and Curriculum Development.

GETRUDE NYAMBURA

Consultant

Getrude Nyambura is a Lecturer at the international hotel & tourism institute (ihti) in Kileleshwa, Nairobi and a Consultant at PIE. She specializes in Finance, Management Accounting and Research.

Ms. Getrude is a graduate of Kenya College of Accountancy (KCA) University with a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) Degree. She is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Finalist.

Getrude has work experience is from various establishments such as Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KENGEN), where she was an intern, and Batians Peak Serviced Apartments, where she was the Assistant Accountant.

Getrude Joined ihti in 2019 as a Lecturer in Accounting and Financial Management. Apart from lecturing, Getrude is also in charge of Financial matters. She is also a member of the Budget Committee.

Getrude has excelled in Finance Management, Management Accounting, Research Methods, Budgeting, Financial Analysis and Reporting among other areas.

CHEF JIMMY KIPROTICH LANG'AT

Consultant

Chef Jimmy Lang’at is a graduate of Certificate in Food Production from Kenya Utalii College. He further acquired his Diploma in Business Management from Nairobi University. He has also pursued Kingdom Leadership training from the Joshua Generation Trust in Nairobi, Kenya.

Chef Langat has gained work experience from several hospitality establishment such as: Utalii Hotel in Nairobi, Nyali Beach Hotel in Mombasa, Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi, Tamarind Group (Tamambo Restaurant) and Batians Peak Serviced Apartments and other properties as well. He has been served international hotel & tourism institute (ihti) for the last 10 years.

Chef Lang’at has been the Head of Department, Culinary Arts at the ihti, since 2015. He has a wealth of experience in the art of preparation and presentation of diverse cuisines. He is strong in Kitchen Management, Training and Mentoring, formulation of Standard Kitchen Operational Procedures and in Kitchen Layout and Setups.

MARY NJOROGE MUTHURE

Consultant

Mary Muthure is a graduate of Kenya Utalii College with both Basic and Advanced Certificates in Food & Beverage Service and Sales. She also holds a Diploma in Psychological Counselling from Kenya Institute of Professional Counselling. She is currently pursuing a Degree in the same field at the Presbyterian University of East Africa.

Mary has specialized in Food & Beverage Operations, Organizational Management, Administration and Human Resource, Youth and Family Counselling. She has good experience Managerial Skills in the hospitality industry having worked with leading establishments in various capacities including Safari Park Hotel, The Lord Erroll and Collingham Gardens, among others. Mary is currently the Head of the Hospitality Management program at ihti.

Mary’s strengths lie in Food and Beverage Operations, Hospitality Training, and Planning & Management.