Festus Were

Festus Were has a diverse range of work experience, primarily in the fields of DevOps and information technology. Festus started their career as an Information Technology Assistant at Kenya Pipeline Company Limited in 2011, where they supported the IT officer in managing and administering support operations. In 2012, Festus worked as a Business Development Associate at Bright Technologies Limited, where they specialized in POS sales and business solutions. Festus then joined Ghafla Kenya as an Information Technology Officer in 2013, focusing on IT and cloud administration, as well as network security administration. Festus went on to work at Sponge Group in 2014 as a Lead Technical Officer, contributing to brand development, website traffic growth, and advertising revenue. In 2014, they also took on the role of Senior Software Engineer at Radio Africa Group, where they developed brand strategy and statistics systems, advised new businesses on formation and drafted privacy policies. Festus later became the DevOps Manager at Radio Africa Group in 2016, leading DevOps deployment and orchestrating deployments for worldwide application upgrades. Festus also developed and troubleshooted continuous integration build environments for research and development teams, as well as integrated monitoring capabilities into enterprise application suites. Festus's most recent role is as a DevOps Lead at Cellulant since 2019, where they demonstrate a strong knowledge of various programming languages and provides expertise in creating, researching, and architecting ideas. Festus is responsible for building the DevOps deployment architecture and deploying upgrades for world-wide applications across multiple systems.

Festus Were obtained a bachelor's degree in Business Information Technology from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) from 2010 to 2012. Prior to that, they received a certification as a Certified Computer Programmer (CCP) with a focus on Java and Visual Basic from the Institute of Advanced Technology from 2008 to 2009.

In addition to their formal education, Festus has obtained several certifications in various areas, such as CISSP from O'Reilly in 2024, Developing Applications with Google Cloud from Google in 2023, and Adaptability & Resilience from McKinsey & Company in 2022. Festus has also completed certification programs and courses in technology, management, and communication skills. For example, Festus has certifications like Google Adwords Certified from Google in 2014 and Giving and Receiving Feedback from the Project Management Institute.

Overall, Festus Were has a strong educational background in Business Information Technology and computer programming, complemented by a range of additional certifications that demonstrate their commitment to professional development and acquiring diverse skills.