Greece is Justine Kosgei’s, CEO of AAR Insurance, idealised destination, his “hidden gem”, the place he just can’t get enough of. If God made anything better than Greece, he kept it for himself.
But Kosgei also has a thing for Cape Town, where, “if I get some good money, I must buy an apartment.” And he doesn’t bother with clothes, “Clothes are the same everywhere,” he says.
What he wants is to get to the destination, feel the town, and satisfy his customary, if not cultish, love for greens, stew, and ugali, sometimes chapati, and then it is the sun, the wind, the moon, and the stars.
For now, he makes do with an expansive office and its fish-eye sweep of the Nairobi skyline.
What never makes it to your CV?
I don't put a lot of my hobbies on my CV. I love cars. I like the wide variety of cars, and it just shows you how dynamic the world is. I am also into running and golfing.
Did you grow up around cars?
I grew up admiring them. My dad had some old vintage cars back then. But I generally admired cars in newspapers and magazines because in the village we didn't get to see the new variety of cars that we see now.
How did you pick up running?
Most of the world champions come from the school I went to, like Ezekiel Kemboi. Naturally, in our school, when we reported, we were supposed to run; it was a priority [chuckles]. I didn’t hate it or like it.
Later on, I valued being fit and the correlation between feeling great and fit, which is how you remain fresh and collaborative. 12 years back, I started working on products that combined wellness and health insurance and rewarding people, and I started creating running groups, and that’s how I became more involved in running.
I have an official running group that's been there for about 10 or 11 years.
What's something you know about running that an outsider generally wouldn't?
It's like life in a way; you do the pace the way you feel, and you have to be consistent to be able to achieve it. Sometimes you procrastinate about things, and wish you did it differently, so running for me is like life; if you fail to run, you feel like you've missed a lot, and when you run, you moderate how you put in your effort and how you measure your energy, when to accelerate or slow down, and the strategy you apply.
Sometimes people burn out because they start on a very fast pace for the first two or three kilometres and complain the rest of the kilometres [chuckles].
You've been doing this for a long time. Does running still surprise you?
Yes, there are days in which you come psyched up, and those are the days you thought you had all the energy, and you really don't do as much. You can find that the weather is different or your body is not ready, but you have to remain focused on the goal.
Every run is a different experience. It’s just like golf; there are good days and some meh days. In our group, after every run, we have some tea in a restaurant, but there are people who go directly to the restaurant. Our goal is ‘Show Up’, and in life, I think that is the key: to show up and try something.
Is golf the final step toward becoming a CEO?
Interestingly, when I started running 10 years ago, my employer then gave me the opportunity to join a golf club, but I felt I was young, my children were young and I didn't want golf to take too much of my time.
But I've come to learn golf is for everyone, I should have juggled golf and running and my life. There are many lessons for CEOs, because golf gives you lots of curveballs and tests your patience, grit, and willingness to expect the unexpected.
Golf teaches you that not every variable is under your control, but it’s how you respond to these elements that matters most. Mike Tyson said, ‘Everyone has a plan until they get hit in the face.’ [chuckles].
Are you a competitive golfer?
I am an average to good player, but I like to punch above my weight. I play with the pros who stretch me to my best level.
I have participated in so many tournaments, yet I have played for just a few years. I like to be among the top in anything I am doing, whether at work, in sporting activities, or whatnot.
Have you introduced your children to golf?
I have two boys and a girl, and they love golf, which they are also training for. My boys love football too, but they have been interested in golf since they saw me playing it.
What's your top parenting secret for the festive season?
Being present for the kids. Across my career, I have spent a lot of time at work. I don’t think you can do a work-life balance, but you can blend or combine.
I realised that one of the best ways for my children to feel like I'm not working a lot is that I tend to work with them around me.
We travel together, if possible, I golf with them or get an activity for them when I am running, and I get to know their strengths, their weaknesses, what they're struggling with, and how I can help them.
Which part of fatherhood is stretching you presently?
Haha! My firstborn is turning 13, and actually getting them to be their best, but you don’t know whether their best is to be like you? [chuckles]. I am pushing them to get their best grades, spend time off gadgets, and behave in a certain way.
What they want to be in life without you deciding for them is the most challenging part for any parent.
Do you have a family tradition for the holidays?
Where I come from, most Christmases, we have to be in the village all of us. It’s also the time we can identify children in the village who we need to support as they go back to school. Before or after that, we travel to other places now as a nuclear family.
What are you secretly good at?
I am very good at picking people who help me in one way or the other. I've probably mastered how to get more familiar with people quietly and build relationships that last really long.
What have you had to unlearn this year to become a better Justin?
I have seen situations where we have relied on data, but technology and data change so fast. I have learned that a skill you had six months ago might be obsolete six months later.
What has been this year’s most unexpected gift?
I won the CEO of the Year Award from ThinkBusiness. I thought that would happen three years down the line but it has shown me you don’t need to take a lot of time to be felt.
As a business, we have also grown; we are licensed now to do General Insurance in Uganda, car insurance in Kenya, and we have signed up partnerships in DRC.
When you look back over the year, what feelings come to you?
I am not quite emotional when it comes to work; I remain sober, listening and observing. The year has been rough for many sectors due to competition and economic factors, but I have seen people remain resilient and focused.
I am an optimist, and I do not allow emotions to cloud my judgment, but I remain positive even when people are too excited or not.
What is a personal resolution you made that you have kept?
To always get better. Not to stop doing something.
What have you gotten better at?
My work, my family, and my schooling. I have earned many certifications throughout my life, and I never want to stop.
Give me a holiday tip.
When you go for a holiday, rest. For me, I don’t overthink, I get there, enjoy myself, and relax. Whenever we go to a new country, when the people I have gone with are thinking of shopping, I feel that clothes are the same everywhere, so I will go to a restaurant and enjoy the view of the town. Enjoy the moment [chuckles].
Do you follow a diet on holiday?
I have the same diet everywhere. Whenever I travel, I like to have the same food that I do in Kenya, which is greens, stew and ugali or sometimes chapati. I try and recreate that everywhere I go, which is a challenge. [chuckles].
