Gedion Kimutai, the country human resources manager at Fresh Del Monte Kenya, sees HR as a bridge between people’s aspirations and organisational goals. His approach to HR blends systems with soul, ensuring that policies serve people, not the other way around.
Twelve years into his career, Gedion still describes himself as “a student of people.” His humility is disarming, his focus unwavering. His dream is to create HR systems that empower rather than restrict.
People First Always
“Every day, I learn something new from someone,” he acknowledges. “Sometimes it’s a worker in the field teaching me patience. Sometimes it’s a manager teaching me strategy. That’s what keeps me going.”
Gedion views his role not as an enforcer of rules, but as a bridge between employees’ aspirations and the organisation’s goals. For him, productivity thrives when people feel valued and supported.
“Empowered employees are productive employees. When people feel seen, they give their best,” he underscores.
He speaks passionately about creating a culture where every worker, from a field labourer to a factory technician, feels valued.
“You cannot manage people effectively if they think you don’t care about them. You have to walk with them,” he maintains.
That approach, he says, is vital in the agricultural sector, where employees often face difficult conditions. Understanding those realities has helped him shape initiatives that strengthen morale and foster mutual respect.
“If you take time to understand their struggles, you’ll know how to motivate them. Sometimes, empowerment is not about money. It’s about respect and recognition,” he says
With over 7,000 employees under his care, Gedion oversees a vast network that spans fields, factories and offices. Managing such scale requires structure, but also an understanding of what truly drives human motivation. He believes technology can enhance HR systems, but it must never replace human connection.
“You can’t manage that number manually,” Gedion explains. “We have digital systems for payroll and are exploring AI-driven solutions for performance management and recruitment.”
Balancing Tech Realities
However, agriculture brings unique challenges that technology alone cannot solve.
“We work with seasonality,” he observes. “Rainfall affects production, which affects labour needs. Sometimes you have to hire hundreds of people within weeks, and a few months later, you have to scale down.”
That volatility, he admits, makes full automation impractical. Yet Gedion remains optimistic about technology’s role in improving HR efficiency.
“AI can predict trends,” he says, “but it can’t predict accurate rainfall.”
Gedion hopes to deepen his work in developing people and strengthening ethical leadership. He believes the future of HR lies in strategy and vision, not just compliance.
“HR must evolve beyond administration. It should lead to a strategy. How we treat people determines how far we go as organisations,” he observes.
The HR executive spends his weekends on the move, driving to new towns, hiking and discovering Kenya’s hidden landscapes. Exploration, for him, is more than leisure; it mirrors how he approaches his career. That same curiosity and courage to venture into the unknown shape his work in human resources. Music is another outlet.
“Adventure opens your mind,” Gedion says. “You meet new cultures, new people, new ways of life. It reminds you that the world is bigger than your own environment. I enjoy rhumba and afrobeats, they keep me relaxed on the road, though I used to be more of an R&B person.”
Those road trips, he adds, feed his curiosity and keep him grounded.
“They remind me that Kenya is diverse, just like the people I work with. You realise that each person has a story, a struggle, a dream. That’s why HR is never just about systems. It’s about humanity,” he reflects.
