Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Accomplishments
Languages
Timeline
Generic

Wambui Odhiambo

NAIROBI

Summary

I am an experienced Communications professional with a solid track record in creating and implementing strategic communication plans. Proficient in fostering strong team collaboration and achieving meaningful results. Expertise in media relations, content creation, and crisis communication, while adapting flexibly to evolving needs. Recognized for dependability and consistently delivering results in fast-paced settings.

Overview

10
10
years of professional experience

Work History

Communications Manager: Executive Communications, Media and Digital Channels

African Wildlife Foundation
09.2024 - Current
  • Develop and manage the CEO's communications strategy, ensuring high-impact messaging across speeches, media, and digital platforms
  • Craft thought leadership content positioning AWF as a leading voice in conservation
  • Support senior leadership (VPs, Country Directors) with strategic communication materials
  • Lead AWF's media engagement strategy, fostering relationships with African and global media outlets
  • Oversee press releases, op-eds, and interviews, ensuring AWF remains influential in conservation discussions
  • Manage external media agencies to enhance brand visibility
  • Drive AWF's digital presence, overseeing social media strategy, content creation, and engagement
  • Analyze audience data to refine campaigns and increase engagement
  • Innovate digital storytelling, leveraging multimedia formats to amplify AWF's impact
  • Collaborate with donors, governments, and partners to strengthen AWF's advocacy and influence
  • Ensure internal teams align messaging with AWF's strategic goals
  • Lead crisis response strategies, ensuring proactive and effective messaging
  • Develop rapid response frameworks to address reputational risks

Senior Executive Communications Specialist

African Wildlife Foundation
04.2020 - 08.2024
  • Lead media relations activities across Africa, including fielding incoming press calls, providing media with requested information in a timely fashion
  • Proactively develop relationships with media (including reporters, producers and editorial writers), building their understanding and knowledge of AWF and our unique value proposition
  • Pitch and place stories
  • Schedule interviews and prepare spokespeople for interviews
  • Draft, edit and distribute high-quality media relations and other communications materials, including news releases and statements, op-eds, letters to the editor, editorial memos, talking points, and other relevant content
  • Plan and execute events such as press conferences, media briefings and editorial board meetings
  • Develop a media culture within AWF, ensuring that all relevant senior staff are trained, practiced, and ready for interviews and other media opportunities
  • Develop and execute media plans for major AWF events across Africa, in Europe and in China as needed
  • Listen, monitor and track news globally as it relates to conservation and development across Africa, ensuring the PR & Corporate Communications and team is aware of developing stories
  • Posts news releases to the AWF News Center
  • Consistently coordinates with stakeholders across the organization to ensure the media tracking and analyses are informing and enhancing our communications needs
  • Work collaboratively with Country Office teams and Field Communications team to provide media training and support with communications planning
  • Support Corporate & Foundation team in identifying, cultivating and landing strategic media partnerships to amplify and build AWF brand
  • Develop the CEO's personal brand, and refine his executive presence and voice
  • Research key relevant issues - To inform AWF and CEO positions, talking points, speeches, social media, etc

PR Account Manager

Oxygène Marketing Communications Ltd.
08.2016 - 04.2020
  • Liaising on a daily basis with clients and the media, often via telephone and email
  • Relationship building and networking with colleagues, clients and the media
  • Monitoring the media, including newspapers, magazines, journals, broadcasts, newswires, social media sites and blogs, for opportunities for clients
  • Working as part of an account team to develop client proposals and implement the PR activity; preparing regular client reports and attending client meetings
  • Researching, writing and distributing press releases to targeted media
  • Promoting news stories and features to the media, known as 'selling in'
  • Collating, analysing and evaluating media coverage
  • Event management, including press conferences and promotional events; attending and promoting client events to the media
  • Assisting with the production of client publications, such as in-house magazines
  • Commissioning market research
  • Coordinating studio or location photography
  • Undertaking research for new business proposals and presenting to potential new clients
  • Managing the PR aspect of a possible crisis situation

Corporate Communications Officer

Population Services International
09.2015 - 08.2016
  • Writing and editing stories for the Internal and External Publications,
  • In charge of Media Monitoring and conveying the information to the Staff via the Company Intranet.
  • Taking videos and photos for use in the Internal and External Publications,
  • Uploading content on the various county profiles on the PSK intranet
  • Communication management of corporate events in terms of organization, photography, and story delivery
  • Updating the existing databases and creating new ones if need be
  • Tracking communication support in the various departments
  • Creating and developing show reels for event showcasing of PS Kenya adverts, products, services, and campaigns
  • Managing office and corporate branding & Archiving of program photos, videos, and the necessary material.
  • Updating the relevant social media pages with behaviour change communication material in visual or written forms.

Corporate Communications Intern

KCB Bank Group
05.2015 - 08.2015
  • In charge of Media Monitoring and conveying the information to the Staff via the Company Intranet
  • Editing stories, videos and photos for the Internal and External Publications
  • Uploading content on the various county profiles on the PSK intranet
  • Communication management of corporate events in terms of photography and story delivery
  • Updating the existing databases and creating new ones if need be
  • Tracking communication support in the various departments
  • Managing office and corporate branding
  • Archiving of program photos, videos and the necessary material
  • Correspondence
  • Editing and publishing the daily KCB bulletin
  • Generating Newsflash editions
  • Uploading content to the KCB intranet
  • Media monitoring, editing of internal and external publications, handling corporate wear and merchandise, event organising, pictorial analysis and generation

Education

Master of Arts - MA - Communication and Media Studies

United States International University - Africa
01.2025

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) - Journalism

United States International University
01.2015

maryhill Girls' high school
01.2009

Skills

  • Crisis Management
  • Creative Strategy
  • Message Development
  • Executive support
  • Content development
  • Media relations expertise
  • Customer relations
  • Crisis communication
  • Team leadership
  • Multimedia storytelling
  • Relationship building and management
  • Strong verbal communication
  • Employee engagement
  • Content creation strategies

Accomplishments

    • Expanded organizational media presence by establishing and nurturing direct relationships with key journalists and editors across prominent media outlets in East Africa, West and Central Africa, and Southern Africa.

    • Elevated the organization's thought leadership profile through securing numerous interviews and feature opportunities with leading international media platforms such as CNN, BBC, The Guardian UK, Al Jazeera, The Independent UK, CNBC Africa, and Voice of America.

    • Achieved a substantial annual increase of 23% in CEO's online brand engagement through strategic and organic initiatives, enhancing visibility and credibility.

    • Led the development and implementation of tailored media training programs for senior executives, equipping them with the skills and confidence needed to excel in media interviews and engagements, thus enhancing the organization's overall media readiness and effectiveness.

    • Led the mobilization efforts and meticulously planned the Africa Protected Area Congress in 2022, resulting in the successful convening of stakeholders and the adoption of the Kigali Call to Action, advancing conservation efforts across the continent.

    • Supported the policy team by providing critical assistance in various engagements with the African Group of Negotiators during climate change negotiations, contributing to the formulation of impactful policies and agreements.

Languages

Spanish
English
Swahili
French

Timeline

Communications Manager: Executive Communications, Media and Digital Channels

African Wildlife Foundation
09.2024 - Current

Senior Executive Communications Specialist

African Wildlife Foundation
04.2020 - 08.2024

PR Account Manager

Oxygène Marketing Communications Ltd.
08.2016 - 04.2020

Corporate Communications Officer

Population Services International
09.2015 - 08.2016

Corporate Communications Intern

KCB Bank Group
05.2015 - 08.2015

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) - Journalism

United States International University

maryhill Girls' high school

Master of Arts - MA - Communication and Media Studies

United States International University - Africa
Wambui Odhiambo