At first glance, Vanessa Kingori is a simple but beautiful Kenyan lady. But then you Google her and discover that she is a top tier in a multinational company. What we find most striking about Vanessa is that she is an ambassador of change. Having realized from an early age the inevitability of change, Vanessa’s awareness pushed for forward thinking and motivated her to rise to Publishing Director at British Vogue.
Vanessa was born in Nairobi to a Kenyan father and Kittitian mother. Early on, her mother moved back home, to the dual-island nation on the Caribbean Sea, and raised Vanessa and her older sister as a single parent. At age 7, Vanessa and her small family were on a plane, yet again, to another city. London was a difficult environment; the weather was different from the tropics, and with no ocean within proximity, her love for the beach was put aside. But despite this transition, she went to school and lived the simple London life.
Then puberty came, and with its magic tricks, Vanessa grew taller and taller. She didn’t pay much attention to her development until she was a head taller than her peers. Eventually, her height became a burden when she had to hunch to converse with others.
By the time Vanessa enrolled at Royal Holloway University of London to pursue a degree in Management and Sociology, she had come to terms with her height dilemma. It was here that Lady Luck saw fit to smile on her. Vanessa was scouted as a model, and the once burdening factor worked to her advantage. The modelling gigs granted Vanessa exposure, but also guaranteed her an income.
Post-campus, Vanessa sought a fulltime job, and transitioned into events. Her prior experience in the world of employment (though informal) boosted her confidence, and she flourished in both events and sales.
Soon, she felt an itch to join the publishing world. With no expertise on what to expect, but with support from a friend, Vanessa joined Evening Standard’s ES Magazine in 2002. Within four years, she’d risen to the role of acting group head. Vanessa’s time here sealed her career niche, but the inevitability of yet another need to advance took her to Esquire Magazine in 2006. Here, she wore the title of The Fashion Manager at The National Magazine Company.
In 2009, hoping to scale further in the publishing world, Vanessa took on the position of a publisher at Conde Nast under GQ Magazine UK. At GQ Vanessa focused on building the brand’s digital wealth while maintaining the print element. True to the results of hard work, on January 2018, Vanessa Kingori became the first female Publishing Director at Vogue UK – a magazine under Conde Nast.
Vanessa’s acceptance of change, love for work and evident tenacity saw her recognized beyond the office walls. In 2013 and 2016, she was listed as one of 20 most influential black Britons under 40. In 2017 she was awarded the most influential of that year’s cohort.
Being among the top tiers of an international brand has been no easy feat, but Vanessa has found success in little things such as relations with her colleagues. Her family and friends have also anchored her. As a leader, the qualities that have pushed her forward are empathy and strength. She says, “The media industry is currently at its dynamic, which is exciting, but the rate of evolution can be hard for some to manage. When you have the right team, you have to empower the right people. I never ask them to do anything I wouldn’t be willing to do myself.”
We applaud Vanessa, for breaking glass ceilings in the international scene and for showing us #PaukwaPeople do, indeed, rock!
