To the casual observer, she is the embodiment of the “Nairobi A-List.” But for those who look closer, Wangari is something far more significant: she is a pioneer of human-centred architecture who has turned the act of “design” into a tool for continental transformation.
Sharon Wangari represents the ultimate bridge. She is the living proof that a woman can lead the charge in heavy-hitting STEM sectors like logistics and fintech, while simultaneously reigning as a tastemaker in the luxury lifestyle space.
Sharon’s journey did not begin with a silver spoon; it began with a relentless “hustle.” In 2013, fresh out of high school, she was working front-office administration at a small college, searching for a path that matched her internal drive. The trajectory of her life shifted when she discovered AkiraChix (codeHive), a revolutionary program designed to shatter the glass ceiling for African women in technology.
While her classmates were often lost in the binary logic of back-end servers, Sharon was drawn to the surface of the interface where the human meets the machine. In her 2014 class, she realised her superpower wasn’t just in the code, but in the user.
“Design was a different space,” she recalled of her formative years. “I like seeing what the consumer will see. I didn’t find coding very exciting. I wanted to see more things happening, seeing something created was exciting.”
This wasn’t just an aesthetic preference; it was the birth of a UX visionary. Sharon recognised early on that technology in Africa often fails not because of bad code, but because of a lack of empathy for the end user. She spent her nights at the iHub UX Lab, apprenticing under global mentors and obsessing over the “Human” in Human-Centred Design (HCD).
The world truly took notice when Sharon stepped into the engine room of Sendy, the logistics giant that was attempting to map the unmappable. As a Senior UX Designer and Chapter Lead, Wangari wasn’t just making an app pretty; she was architecting a solution to one of Africa’s most sensational infrastructure puzzles.
In a region where street names are often non-existent and “the blue gate after the corner” serves as a GPS coordinate, Sharon applied rigorous Systems Design to ensure that goods moved efficiently. Her work allowed small-scale merchants to reach urban markets, bridging the gap between rural production and city demand. This is the story often used to highlight the rise of women in STEM: it isn’t just about the technology; it’s about using user-centric design to solve the physical hurdles of a continent.
Later, as she moved to lead initiatives at Paystack, the mission remained the same: making the complex feel simple. She proved that when a woman leads in STEM, the focus shifts toward inclusivity and accessibility, ensuring that the digital economy doesn’t just serve the elite, but everyone.
But Sharon Wangari refuses to be confined to a cubicle. As her professional influence grew, so did her role as a Luxury Brand Ambassador. Whether representing the prestige of Johnnie Walker Blue Label or the craftsmanship of the Diageo luxury portfolio, she treats every brand interaction as a “user flow.”
To Sharon, the transition from designing a fintech interface to curating a high-stakes luxury event isn’t a pivot; it’s the same craft. The way a premium spirit is presented is a touchpoint in a sophisticated user journey. She has become the “Architect of Aspiration” because she understands that luxury, like a good app, is about how it makes the user feel: seen, empowered, and elite.
She has mastered the art of being a top designer who lives the very lifestyle she architects. Her social presence is a masterclass in brand storytelling, proving that high intelligence and high fashion are not mutually exclusive.
Today, Sharon stands as a beacon for the next generation of African creatives. She represents a new era where the Designer is the brand, the strategist, and the visionary. She remains grounded in the belief that the continent’s future won’t be saved by better algorithms, but by better empathy.
As she looks toward the next horizon of African innovation, her philosophy serves as the ultimate quote for anyone looking to build their own legacy:
“I am a strong believer in the value of placing people first when designing from an end-user perspective. Design has the potential to transform careers, organizations, industries, and people’s lives in general.”
For Designer Tribune, Sharon Wangari isn’t just a spotlight; she is the blueprint for the modern African professional: refined, revolutionary, and relentlessly human-centric.
