Managing Director
Dr. Jeremy Ashworth
Dr. Jeremy Ashworth was born in Kenya and educated in Kenya and UK with a BSc Zoology and a PhD Veterinary Entomology from the University of Bristol. Jeremy joined the family business in 1996 and is the founder of Vital Animal Health. An experienced CEO with a scientific background he has been instrumental in positioning the company ethos and brand values that we follow today.
Jeremy is a Kenyan citizen who has been an active company director for six companies in both Kenya, Tanzania and more recently Dubai that span the national distribution of agricultural equipment and products, the service industry, property development and primary manufacturing of animal health products.
He is actively involved in the wider livestock sector as a member of the Association of Kenya Feed Manufacturers having served as Secretary General between 2011 and 2018 and is an active member of the Kenya Bureau of Standards Technical Committee on Animal Feeds having joined the committee in 2008.
Jeremy is a member of the Royal Entomological Society and has a keen interest in wildlife and conservation, raising funds since 2006 as a participant in the Rhino Charge, a fundraising event that raises money for Kenyan environmental and wildlife conservation through the Rhino Ark charity.
Commercial Director
Michael Ashworth
Michael is a co-founder of several successful businesses in a wide variety of sectors including technology, security, energy and peace support operations.
Prior to joining Modern Ways in 2017, Michael was Chief Executive and co-founder of Track 24, a provider of technology and safety solutions to Governments (including the UK Government), major Oil companies and extractive companies. He continues to be a major shareholder in the business and a non-Executive Director.
In 2007 Michael founded Ardan Energy Services in Dubai. He ran the company for 7 years expanding the breadth of services from Security into Oil Services and Technology. In 2009 the technology business in Ardan was spun out and renamed Inquiron. Ardan Energy Services works for US State Department, Oil Companies and NGOs in some of the world’s most challenging environments. Michael remains as a non-Executive Director of the company and a shareholder.
Prior to going into business, Michael worked as a foreign correspondent for the Independent and Sunday Times Newspapers. His pieces have been published several times on the front pages and syndicated worldwide.
Michael began his career in the British Army where he served as an Officer in the Parachute Regiment. He served in operational theatres and left as a Captain. Michael has a BA in English and Philosophy from Exeter University and a Masters in Business Administration from Cranfield University. Michael was born in Kenya and lived in Kenya until he was 21 years old.
Finance Manager
Chandra Vakkail
Chandra Vakkail is a Chartered Accountant and member of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India since 1995. He is also a qualified management accountant and a member of Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), UK. In addition he has gained Certified Information Systems Auditor qualification from Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA), USA. Chandra has over 15 years of experience in various senior positions at CFO / Director level roles. He has over a decade of experience in East Africa.
Chandra started his career in Mumbai, India where he worked for a reputable accounting firm and handled statutory, internal and systems audit of blue-chip companies. He then moved to the world of corporate finance / accounting and worked in India for a short while before moving to Africa to work with Sopa Lodges / Elewana Afrika where he climbed the ladder from Chief Accountant to Director of Finance.
He joined Modern Ways Ltd in August 2018 as a part of capacity building and strengthening of the senior team. Since then he has taken a pivotal role in group’s financial / accounting activities. Going forward Chandra will continue to play a key role in senior leadership team of the company.
Human Resources Manager
Gladys Ogallo
Gladys Ogallo is the CEO and Founder of Virtual Human Resources Services Ltd, which provides HR consultancy services to Modern Ways Ltd. She has a successful track record in Human Resource Management gained over 15 years in the industry. Her experience is across the African continent, having managed Human Resources in 9 African countries. She is a seasoned and respected mentor who has guided key senior professionals in developing successful careers. Gladys is a capable decision maker and effective communicator with the ability to forge relationships at all levels effectively, which has developed working in a global environment.
Gladys has a Masters in Business Administration MBA and a Bachelors of Education (Hons). The services she and her staff provides Modern Ways include formulating and implementing efficient Human Resource Management Strategies; designing, implementing, reviewing and updating HR policies and guidelines and providing day-to-day operational support and advice on strategic initiatives to help achieve the organization’s business objectives
Operations Manager
Jason Levitan
Dr. Jason Levitan is a qualified professional who is process driven to implement change and efficiency in the working environment with an expertise in the field of environmental management. Jason is a Kenyan citizen who joined Modern Ways in October 2017 as the Operations Manager to specifically oversee the supply chain management, manufacturing operations and the distribution operations of the organisation.
Jason holds a BSc (2006) & PhD (2012) in Environmental Sciences (Murdoch University, Western Australia) with a focus on risk management associated with sewage sludge reuse. Additional formal training includes Occupational Safety and Health field (NEBOSH IGC), Anti-Bribery & Corruption Training.
On returning to Kenya from Australia in 2014, Jason worked as a Risk Advisor (Environment, Health & Safety, and Quality & Process Management) and Business Manager. As a Risk Advisor, Jason conducted assessments and reports for a number of hotels, NGO operations and agricultural operations around Kenya. These reports identified gaps in critical processes and provided sustainable solutions to mitigate the risks posed – these processes include Health & Safety, Environment, Security, and Quality Management Systems (IFC Guidelines & ISO Standards Series).
Jason has a keen interest in the environment, donating much of his free time to the Rhino Charge, a fundraising event that raises money for Kenyan environmental and wildlife conservation through the Rhino Ark charity.
National Sales Manager
Solomon Saruni
Solomon is a qualified Sales and Marketing professional charged with the responsibility of driving sales, channel-distribution management, and sales team management. He has over ten years’ experience in various departments, sales, customer service and route to market and distribution. Previous experience includes; the milk processing company Sameer Agriculture, Coca Cola Beverages Africa and in the animal feed sector at Unga Farm Care. Solomon has a Masters in Business Administration and Strategic Management from Kabarak University, a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing from the University of Nairobi and a Diploma in Business Management from the University of Nairobi.
Key National Accounts Manager
Benson Muiruri
Benson Muiruri graduated in 1989 from Government Veterinary College and is a registered veterinary paraprofessional with the Kenya Veterinary Board. He began his career in teaching and continues to have a passion for educating people about animal health and good management practice in his work with Vital Animal Health. Previously working as National Sales Manager for Bayer Animal Health in Kenya Ben joined us in 2004 when we became their distributor in the livestock sector. He is now Key National Accounts Manager delivering sales from NGOs, Government of Kenya and key customers such as cooperatives and milk processors. Ben is responsible for our participation as Continuous Professional Development providers for the Kenya Veterinary Board events and plans training of national government livestock officers and vets. He has successfully negotiated numerous tenders for both national and county government and corporate entities. Benson is very conversant with smallholder farming practices having farmed in pig, poultry and dairy on his own smallholding – putting the Vital advice into practice. He participates in TV and radio presentations discussing dairy farming best practice. Ben is an excellent brand ambassador who truly has “Vital DNA”!
Administration Manager
Mary Wairimu
Mary Wairimu is the Administration Manager at Modern Ways having joined the company in 2002. Mary’s role involves the oversight of the Sales Order Processing Workflow and the Distribution Scheduling. She also champions our Inbound Logistics Processes with a particular focus on the overseas supply chain – which represents a significant portion of our raw material items. Mary has grown with the company and continues to provide significant legacy knowledge on our customer base and the industry in general.
Fodder Channel Manager
Dr. Ruth Ndungu
Dr. Ruth Ndungu is a Veterinary Surgeon with a BVM from the University of Nairobi and MSc in International Animal Health (IAH) from the University of Edinburgh. Ruth has over nine years’ experience in the livestock sector. Ruth has previously worked Unit Manager at Farmers Choice and as a regional sales manager with Unga Farm Care.
Ruth is our Fodder Channel Manager and is charged with the responsibility of being the brand ambassador for our fodder products, more specifically the importance and impact of rumen function. Fodder is seen as a key segment within our portfolio, as the importance of rumen function is poorly understood in the smallholder ruminant sector and a lack of focus on fodder is the main cause for poor productivity in both dairy and pastoral systems.
Ruth has national responsibility to ensure that the team highlight the importance of this topic in their interactions with smallholders to ensure that we have the greatest positive impact we can on animal productivity and hence farmer livelihood.
Marketing Manager
Alex Holi
Alex is a branding and marketing strategist with an in-depth understanding of emerging African markets and a proven ability to create impactful brands and tactical marketing plans that shape market perception and behaviour.
Alex is a Kenyan citizen with extensive experience in developing marketing and branding strategies in the Agriculture, Renewable Energy, Microfinance, and FMCG sectors and has worked with companies in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Liberia and the US. In addition to this Alex has served as a strategic branding and marketing consultant on USAID, Adam Smith International and Technoserve projects.
Alex has worked with Modern Ways for the last 5 years to develop and coordinate their branding and marketing activities and roll out ATL, BTL and Digital marketing campaigns targeted towards rural and peri urban demographics. His core focus is translating brand positioning and target market knowledge into strategic marketing plans, target specific messaging and communications strategies that enhance consumer understanding and interaction. He is a key member of the senior team and ExCo and integrates seamlessly into the organisation.
Technical Sales Manager
Dr. Kibet Chirchir Kipserem
Dr. Kibet Chirchir is a registered Veterinary Surgeon and Master of Business Administration and Lean Six Sigma yellow belt. Kibet joined us over two years ago as Technical Sales Manager after 12 years being the veterinarian and manager running a busy dairy farm in Rift Valley.
Kibet has a passion for best practice and recognises that the ethos behind Vital Animal Health complements his drive to keep current with scientific trends in the industry in order to have the best impact possible on animal health and wellbeing. Kibet is an excellent trainer of both veterinary surgeons, paravets and farmers being able to connect them to his wealth of experience and authoritative knowledge of ruminant farming practices. He has financial management skills with broad knowledge in budgeting, financial planning, procurement and supplies management with knowledge in use of ERP systems. He has strong people management, team building and motivational skills and couples these with an extensive veterinary knowledge to be a formidable educator on farming best practice in a Kenyan Context.
