Pamella Sittoni on why women leaders should not change who they are
Pamella Sittoni, a veteran Kenyan journalist, reflects on her three-decade career and leadership philosophy. She emphasizes the importance of authenticity, empathy, and a 'care and growth' model over authoritarian management styles.
Why it matters
It provides a blueprint for inclusive leadership in the media industry, particularly as newsrooms navigate the challenges of AI integration.
When Pamella Sittoni was starting out in journalism, she was told she was too polite to make it. More than three decades later, that memory has become part of the story she tells about leadership, femininity and the temptation to change oneself to fit an idea of authority.
The criticism did not put her down. In fact, it strengthened her resolve. “I was not going to change who I am just to fit a certain bill. And I was not going to give up on journalism because she said so,” she said.
She chose instead to prove herself through her work. And the work took her a long way. Pamella became an icon of women’s media leadership in Kenya, spending more than two decades at Nation Media Group (NMG) from November 2003 until July 2024, when she left while serving as Group Managing Editor.
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