Raising her autistic son reshaped how Hannah Karuru, CPO at Capwell Industries, sees people at work, pushing her to question rigid ideas of talent and build space for different ways of thinking. In her world, leadership is less about polished strategy and more about patience, attention and designing organisations that actually fit the humans inside them.
Hannah Karuru begins her day early, long before the pace of organisational life accelerates. Before meetings, operational decisions and strategic conversations begin to unfold, those early hours give her space to reflect, plan and align the priorities that shape her role at Capwell Industries.
“I’m very much a morning person. That’s when my thinking is clearer and I can focus on strategy. By late afternoon, the pace softens and after about 4 p.m., you probably won’t get the smartest version of me,” she says. “That’s probably when I put my ear-pods in and listen to some Amapiano. It lifts my energy again.”
Outside the boardroom, Hannah’s world revolves around her three children, two boys and a daughter. Motherhood, she says, has been one of the most profound leadership journeys of her life.
“Raising three children teaches you patience, perspective and humility,” she reflects. “Leadership, at its core, is about people.”
When time allows, she occasionally escapes on road trips with her girlfriends or her partner, moments she describes as therapeutic pauses in a life that moves quickly.
Building people and culture
Today, Hannah serves as chief people officer at Capwell Industries, one of Kenya’s leading manufacturing companies known for its strong culture of product innovation and market responsiveness.
In her role, she is responsible for shaping the organisation’s people strategy, strengthening leadership capability and building a performance-driven culture that supports the company’s growth agenda.
“At Capwell, innovation is embedded in how the organisation operates. From product development to operational excellence, the organisation constantly challenges itself to think differently about how we serve our markets. Our role in HR is to ensure we are building the leadership capability and organisational culture that allows that innovation to thrive,” she explains.
Hannah’s path into human resources was shaped early by her academic foundation in psychology.
“Psychology teaches you to understand how people think, what motivates them and how behaviour influences outcomes,” she says. “HR gives you the platform to apply that understanding in organisations.”
Her first role after university was in programme administration at an NGO, where she found herself constantly navigating people dynamics.
“My project manager told me I had a natural ability to handle people and situations,” she recalls. “That observation made me curious about the broader employee journey - how organisations attract talent, develop people and ultimately enable them to perform.”
Finding her path in HR
She later pursued postgraduate training in human resources and joined Del Monte, where she worked in employee support functions handling leave management, employee queries and feedback.
“It was foundational work that shaped my leadership philosophy. For you to build an engaged workforce, you must invest in how employees experience the organisation. Feedback should not only happen when something goes wrong. It should also focus on performance, development and empowerment,” Hannah notes.
Her career accelerated at Kenafric Industries, where she spent six years progressing from HR assistant to HR business partner and eventually HR manager.
It was during this time that Hannah developed a belief she carries strongly today: HR must operate as a strategic partner to the business.
“HR cannot function in isolation. It must sit at the strategy table, understand the direction the business is taking, and align people strategies to enable that direction,” she says.
For Hannah, this means HR leaders must develop a deep understanding of operations, commercial priorities and long-term organisational goals.
“When HR understands the business deeply, it can do more than support strategy, it can actively advise leadership on how to build the workforce required to deliver it,” she adds.
Her experience later expanded during her six and a half years at Chloride Exide before she stepped into her current role as C.P.O.
Manufacturing environments, she notes, require a careful balance of operational discipline and people-centered leadership.
“Performance discipline is fundamental to organisational growth. Organisations must define what success looks like, measure it consistently and build accountability around results,” she says.
At the same time, she believes strong performance cultures must be paired with intentional people development.
“The sky is never the limit when it comes to human potential,” she says. “At Capwell, we are investing in leadership development, mentorship and coaching programmes because sustainable organisations are built by intentionally developing leaders.”
Rethinking talent through neurodiversity
One of the most transformative influences on Hannah’s leadership perspective has come from her experience as a parent. She is a mother of three, two boys and a daughter. But it is her youngest son who has taught her the most, and it is through him that her professional instincts have been fundamentally reshaped. Her youngest son is autistic, level two.
Parenting him has fundamentally reshaped how she understands people, leadership and organisational responsibility.
“It has taught me patience and intentionality in ways I never imagined. You learn to think ahead, understand environments and appreciate that people experience the world differently,” she says.
That journey deepened her understanding of neurodiversity, an area she believes organisations must increasingly consider as they design the future workplace.
Research suggests that between 15 to 20 percent of the global workforce is neurodivergent, including individuals with autism, ADHD, dyslexia and other cognitive differences. For Hannah, this is not simply a social consideration but also a strategic one.
“Neurodiversity challenges organisations to rethink traditional assumptions about talent. Different ways of thinking often bring extraordinary capabilities,” she explains.
Hannah notes that many neurodivergent individuals demonstrate strengths in areas such as precision, analytical thinking and sustained focus, capabilities that are increasingly valuable as work becomes more complex and technology-driven.
“The future-ready organisation is one that recognises these strengths and designs systems that allow different kinds of talent to thrive,” she says.
The broader context in which organisations operate is evolving rapidly, with Hannah noting that artificial intelligence, automation and digital transformation are redefining industries and reshaping the nature of work.
The future of work
“AI will accelerate productivity, but it cannot replace the uniquely human capabilities, creativity, judgement, empathy and leadership that drive organisational performance,” she says.
As technology continues to reshape industries, organisations are changing how they approach talent acquisition.
“Traditionally, organisations hired primarily based on qualifications and past experience. Today, the focus is shifting towards skills, adaptability and learning potential” she explains.
She adds that employees who demonstrate learning agility, critical thinking and the ability to continuously evolve are becoming increasingly important.
“In a world where technology evolves faster than job descriptions, the ability to learn, unlearn and relearn becomes essential,” she adds.
For HR leaders, she says this involves rethinking talent strategies, including investing in reskilling, leadership development and continuous capability building.
“At the core of my leadership approach is empowerment. Empowerment is not a slogan, it is about building systems that enable people to realise their potential,” she says.
She also encourages individuals to take ownership of their development.
“I often tell people that you cannot be the same person you were in December as you are now. Growth must be intentional. Learn something new every year, even if it’s outside your profession. That potential can be expanded when people are supported and given opportunities to grow,” she adds.
