Business
Dr. Christine Martey-Ochola’s Journey from Chemist to Business Advocate
Christine Martey-Ochola, Ph.D., has a diverse career that one just can’t confine to limits. “I’ve been trying to find a box to fit in, but I don’t quite fit,” she says as she reflects on her path to becoming the co-founder and president of the Sub-Saharan Africa Chamber of Commerce.
Not one to shy away from new experiences, Martey-Ochola started her career as a food science technologist in Kenya and immigrated to the United States to further her education. Her studies quickly led her to becoming a chemist and professor, yet she never suppressed her entrepreneurial spirit. Rather than embracing the fear that often comes with risk-taking, Martey-Ochola chose to pursue all of her interests, from science and higher education to business development in Africa.
When Martey-Ochola isn’t advising investors in African countries, she can be found talking to college students on issues of trade and investment in Africa, consulting university officials on education policy, or doing research for pharmaceutical companies. Illustrating that there is no clear or single roadmap to success, Martey-Ochola’s leadership at the Sub-Saharan Africa Chamber of Commerce is influenced by her varied career journey.
In a chat with BlackEnterprise.com, Martey-Ochola discussed her experiences and how they have influenced her global work with businesses.
BlackEnterprise.com: What did you draw from your career background in science when transitioning into being an entrepreneur?
Christine Martey-Ochola: I started off as a food science technologist in Kenya. When I look back now, I think it was a key driver in who I am today. In studying food science technology, I had to think about economics, production scaling, food and sustainability. I had a curriculum that was quite robust in science, technology and economics.
After that, I worked at the Kenyan Bureau of Standards and that gave me the opportunity to look at commercialization and standardization because I was working with products from companies that had been able to scale up. That was my first taste of what it’s like to interact with big businesses. At the same time, I had my own business; I used to make (and sell) organic fruit juices and that was how I was able to pay for college in Kenya.
I realized that even though my background was in science, I was an entrepreneur and have always been in that nexus.
