Independent Director
Mercylynate Rotich, OGW is a seasoned business leader, governance practitioner, and tea industry professional with over twenty-four years of experience spanning strategic leadership, corporate governance, risk oversight, organizational transformation, human capital management, business development, financial oversight and agribusiness. She has built a distinguished career across both the public and private sectors, earning recognition for driving institutional excellence, sustainable growth, and stakeholder value through strong governance and strategic execution.
She currently serves as the Managing Director of Prime Tea Limited, where she provides leadership in implementation of the company’s strategic vision and business growth agenda. She provides sound financial stewardship and prudent management of company resources while establishing strategic partnerships with producers, exporters, regulators, and key government institutions. A highly accomplished and certified tea professional, she possesses extensive expertise across the tea value chain, including production, processing, quality management, product development, marketing, and international trade.
In her Public Sector role at the Board, she has played a significant role in strengthening governance frameworks, risk oversight, human resource accountability, organizational discipline, and the development and implementation of Institution’s Strategic Plan. Her contributions are particularly focused on promoting ethical leadership, enhancing governance systems, and supporting the long-term sustainability of one of Kenya’s most critical national infrastructure institutions.
Prior to her current role, she served as a Management Consultant specializing in strategic planning, corporate turnaround strategies, organizational change management, and business development. She also held senior leadership and management positions at Centreline Tea Limited and began her career as a Management Trainee with the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA), where she later served as a Production Manager in several tea factories attaining excellence in factory operations and management.
Her commitment to continuous professional development has seen her undertake advanced training in corporate governance, strategic leadership, audit and risk oversight, public-private partnership (PPP) financing models, human resource management, artificial intelligence applications in business and board effectiveness. Notable programs include the Board Audit Masterclass by ICPAK, Effective Board 360 by the Institute of Corporate Governance, Effective Boards Programme by the Institute of Certified Secretaries, Strategic Leadership by the London School of Business Administration, Human Resource Management by the International Business Management Institute (Germany), and specialized international training in tea science, quality evaluation, and market development.
Mercylynate is an active member of several professional and governance institutions, including the Institute of Directors (Kenya), the Institute of Human Resource Management (IHRM), the Kenya Institute of Management (KIM), the International Association for Strategy Professionals (IASP), the Women on Boards Network (WOBN), and the East African Tea Trade Association (EATTA). She also serves as the Executive Secretary of the Purple & Specialty Tea Association of Kenya and has previously chaired the Planning Committee for Tea Expo Africa. In addition, she serves as Head Judge of the Africa Specialty Tea Competitions, contributing to the advancement of quality standards and innovation within the tea industry.
In recognition of her distinguished contribution to Kenya’s tea sector and national development, she was awarded the Presidential Honour of the Order of the Grand Warrior (OGW) in 2023.
Mercylynate holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Strategic Management from the University of Nairobi, a Bachelor of Business Management (First Class Honours) with a specialization in Financial Management from the University of Mysore, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing Management from the Kenya Institute of Management.