Dr. Angela Gichaga

Dr. Angela Gichaga has years of experience working across civil service, management consulting, non-governmental organisations and academia.

She has lived and worked in nine countries: Australia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Uganda and United States of America.

Angela has an undergraduate degree in Medicine, Masters in Health Economics and Policy, and Fellowship in Public Sector Management which have seen her serve from frontline clinician, through administrative and policy making positions, to consultancy.

She is a member and gender equity panelist at the African Women in Leadership Network (A-WILN), a leadership speaker, coach, mentor, gender advocate and advisor on millennials in the workplace with Akad Education Group Africa. She is also a Commissioner for Gender, Rural Economy and Agriculture at the African Youth.

In her current role as CEO of the Financing Alliance for Health she engages governments in Africa in building sustainably financed resilient health systems at the community level. She leads a global team in strategy development and fundraising, initiative development and oversight, stakeholder engagement, public relations and structuring of innovative financing solutions.

She previously worked at McKinsey & Company Africa Delivery Hub. Angela’s commitment to diversity, gender, women and youth empowerment saw her co-develop the McKinsey Women All in East Africa initiative. She spearheaded the McKinsey Women Connect forum where women in senior management shared their experiences and advice with young/lower tenure women within the firm to guide them in navigating the unique pressures and opportunities that women face within the firm.

In addition, Angela pitched and won support to institute the ADH Bambanani mentorship programme across the Lagos, Nairobi, Addis Ababa and Johannesburg offices, providing a platform where colleagues draw upon each other’s knowledge, skills and experience to build one’s personal leadership toolkit, so as to enjoy a healthy and productive career life within the firm.

   

Chris Harrison – Founding Partner

Chris is the Africa Partner of The Brand Inside (www.thebrandinside.com), a consultancy which works inside major organisations to align staff behaviour to deliver the brand promise.

Chris founded The Brand Inside in Africa in 2015. Before this he was a marketer and an adman for 20 years, starting as a Brand Manager with Bass plc and ending with Young & Rubicam Inc., where he was the Executive Chairman for Africa with responsibility for 22 markets.

The Brand Inside began life in the UK fifteen years ago, and Africa has seen its most vibrant geographical expansion. With offices in Nairobi and Johannesburg, the consultancy already has clients in five countries and is changing internal cultures in a range of critical economic sectors including ICT, Financial Services, Tourism, Logistics, Manufacturing, Trading, Agriculture and INGO.

For nearly a decade, Chris has written weekly columns on branding and culture in Africa’s national newspapers. His observations may be found on www.companycultures.guru.

Chris served as a Council Member of the Marketing Society of Kenya and was Chairman of the Advertising Practitioners Association of Kenya for many years. He was Chairman of the charity British Legion Kenya, and remains Chairman of The Kenya Fly Fishers’ Club. He also serves as a non-Executive Director at Mayfair Insurance.

Speaking of his vision for Amalgam, Chris says: “This is Africa’s time. And for this time Africa needs a new generation of leaders in business. Men and women with broader skills and greater self-awareness. Leaders who set bold agendas. Leaders who inspire change and growth. Leaders who are equipped to release the full potential of their employees.”

Chris holds a Master’s Degree in History from St. Andrews University in Scotland, and is a graduate of the McCann Global Leadership Programme at Columbia University, New York. He served in the British Army Reserve for fourteen years attaining the rank of Major. He is married with three children and balances his working life with active interests in drama, pottery and fly fishing.

   

John Waibochi

John Waibochi is the Founder and CEO of Virtual City – a Mobility Solutions Company specialising in Supply Chain Automation, Knowledge Management and Interactive Solutions. He has over 10 years’ experience in the technology industry.

John’s goal is to develop innovative mobility solutions that simplify lives!

Virtual City has become a formidable force in East Africa because it is not only transforming logistics management for big companies but also pioneering mobile business solutions for smaller traders.  Its contribution has been recognised by a series of global awards.

In 2007 Virtual City was one of the 6 companies that received the Legatum Pioneers of Prosperity Africa Award. The Legatum Africa Awards programme recognises and rewards business leaders who serve as role models for Africa’s aspiring entrepreneurs.

In 2010 the company received The World Summit Award on Mobile content 2. The WSA seeks to reward, with international recognition, excellent mobile content developers in eight categories including m-Business,  m-Government,  m-Learning , and m-Tourism.

Also in 2000, Virtual City won on the Nokia Innovation Challenge Award, and a cash prize of US$1 million.

John’s passion lies in designing innovative technology solutions to the everyday challenges found in doing business in Africa. Through the use of mobile phones, mobile money and unique business models John and his team have been able to provide real solutions that do simplify lives and impact communities along entire value chains.

John holds a Bsc. in Electrical Engineering from Michigan State University.

   

Lenny Nganga – Founding Partner

Lenny is the CEO of the Omnicom media group in East Africa, the group comprises 2 leading media agencies Saracen OMD and Saracen PHD in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

Lenny co-founded Saracen OMD in 2002, and PHD in 2007 Prior to taking his entrepreneurial leap of faith, He worked for global advertising agencies Ogilvy and Mather and McCann Erickson, where he created and executed communications strategies across East and West Africa for a total of 8 years.

He has worked across most Sub-Saharan Africa markets, earning the HK McCann Global Leadership Award for his passion in media along the way, as well as managing multi-country businesses for over 19 years.

In actualising his determination to give back to the industry that enabled him to make a living, Lenny served as the Chairman of the Association of Practitioners in Advertising from 2014 to 2018, and continues to serve as Chairman of the oversight committee of the Kenya Audience Research foundation, a position he has been holding from 2010.

The key motivator for his getting involved in Amalgam is “A desire to help fellow CEO’s realise their full potential, as they are the greatest catalysts to transformational change. Plus I hope we can alleviate the loneliness at the top that is very real, by connecting CEO’s to a supportive network of like-minded peers”

Lenny holds a BA in Political Science and Philosophy from the University of Nairobi as a base upon which he has layered multiple professional courses in advertising and leadership. He is married with two children, enjoys golf, scuba diving (occasionally) and computer gaming in his spare time.

   

Martin Kiarie

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Martin Kiarie, a Techpreneur, is the Co-Founder and CEO at Bean Interactive Limited, the Digital and Integrated Solutions Director at  Saracen Media Group and a Board Member of Nellions Moving and Relocations.

He has a decade’s experience in the Kenyan Digital Advertising space. At Bean Interactive he has worked with brands such as Safaricom, KCB, Standard Chartered, Google in developing their digital marketing agenda. Martin has also been involved in the “Shared Services” programme for client HEFCE. To date Bean Interactive has won a number of nominations and awards and has built a strong reputation in digital transformation.

Martin is driven by a deep desire to be part of the growth of the digital movement in Kenya. The company’s day to day running takes guidance from his entrepreneurial ethos: to build an established and dynamic organisation. A fulfilling by-product of this has been the opportunity for him to develop his communication skills, interpersonal relationships, oratory skills and, of course, grow both personally and professionally.

His educational journey started in 2006 with a User Support Professional Course from the Institute of Advanced Technology in Nairobi, Kenya. He then advanced to a Bachelor of Computing and Information Systems from the University of the West of England, where he graduated with First Class Honours Bachelor’s Degree in Computing and Information Systems.

   

Ndirangu Maina – Founding Partner and Chairman

Ndirangu is the Managing Director of Consumer Insight Africa, which owns Consumer Insight , a market research company, Gap Marketing, a trade marketing firm and Voices Africa , a pioneer online research panel, and one of the largest in Africa.

In 1998 he founded Consumer Insight. Before that he was an adman for 10 years, starting with Saatchi & Saatchi and ending at McCann-Erickson, where he was the Deputy Managing Director for Kenya and Strategic Planning Director for Africa.

Consumer Insight is now a leading African market research company, with offices in Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Kampala, Lagos and Addis Ababa. Consumer Insight conducts research in over 30 countries in Africa. The company specialises in understanding the drivers of consumer behaviour.

Over the years Ndirangu has created a portfolio of proprietary branded studies to enhance his research company’s understanding of consumer behaviour. These include Dama (a study on women and their socio-economic impact), Digitalk (a Pan-African research on usage of digital media), Holla (a study on youth lifestyles and trends) and Wakenya (a survey on the changing psyche of Kenyans).

He is a Commonwealth Association for Corporate Governance Certified Trainer, and is a recipient of both Marketing Society of Kenya Warrior Award and the H.K. McCann Leadership Award. He has served on the Council of the Marketing Society of Kenya, and the Boards of  Kenya College of Accountancy and HIV-Free Generation.

Speaking of the concept behind Amalgam, Ndirangu says: “Business, and indeed life, is about continuous learning. I am excited that Amalgam is contributing towards this process”

Ndirangu holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Delhi University and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from United States International University Africa.

   

Richard Boro (‘RB’) Ndung’u

Richard, or ‘RB’ to his friends, is a Founder Director of Veritatem (Kenya) Limited, a financial advisory, training and consultancy company.

Previously, RB was the Regional Head of Tax & Corporate Services in KPMG East Africa for 18 years and then served as their first Kenyan Chief Executive Officer & Senior Partner.

In this role, RB was a Founder & Co-Chairman of the Top 100 Mid-Sized Companies Awards – a much-lauded joint initiative of The Business Daily and KPMG. Their survey identified and celebrated Kenya’s fastest growing mid-sized companies. Showcasing business excellence by highlighting the country’s most promising entrepreneurs.

RB co-convened the East Africa Business Summit between 2004-2008, an informal body bringing together East Africa’s top CEOs and key public-sector players, to stimulate true economic transformation in East Africa.

RB has served on many Boards and Committees, including:

• Council Member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya
• Advisory Board member on the establishment of the KACC Directorate Founding Trustee of the KCA University, the successor to ICPAK’s Kenya College of Accountancy.

In 2005, ICPAK recognized RB’s contribution to the profession with an Appreciation for Distinguished Service to the Institute, and then awarded him a Fellowship of the Institute in 2009

RB is a graduate of the Faculty of Commerce of the University of Nairobi. He attended the IESE Business School – University of Navarra Pan-African Advanced Management Programme, hosted in association with the Strathmore Business School Lagos Business School, and the Gordon Institute of Business Science in South Africa.

Outside work, RB is rekindling his passion and drive for the great game of golf.

   

Timothy Oriedo

Tim Oriedo  is a blockchain and big data consultant; a training provider, lecturer, columnist, speaker and researcher.

He has over 15 years’ experience in the Financial, Media and Marketing industries. He worked at Royal Media Services as Group Digital Assets and Partnerships Lead, then served as the GM of  Nation Media Group’s Broadcast Division. He is a Chief Data Scientist founder of Treplex Data Hub, a lab that creates predictive models and algorithms for various industries. Through this he was recently appointed to the Advisory Board of Metropol Corporation – a Licensed Credit Reference Bureau. He has also developed a digital transformation tool to enable businesses to reposition into the digital posture.

Tim is an Executive and Business Coach, certified by International Coaching Federation and World Association of Business Coaches . He is an Executive Coach and Big Data Instructor and Advisor at Strathmore Business School;  Adjunct Post Graduate Lecturer in Digital Strategy at United States International University and Executive Trainer on business data analytics with  ABMC International and the Chartered Institute of Marketing. He is a regular speaker at blockchain and big data events.

Academically, Tim is a certified data scientist from Massachusetts Institute of Technology with competences in data strategy, digital transformation and data value business generation. He is currently  undertaking a certification in blockchain strategy from Oxford University. He holds a Degree in Mathematics and Psychology and a Masters in Organisational Leadership and is pursuing Ph.D Studies in Corporate Governance. Tim is also a Chartered Marketer, holding two Post Graduate Diplomas in Marketing and Public Relations from UK institutions.

   

Dr. Yolande Coombes

Dr. Yolande Coombes is the Managing Director of Mann Global Africa Consultants that offers technical assistance in strategy and planning, training and workshops, knowledge capture and exchange, emotional capacity building, therapy and coaching.

She is also a Board member of Sanergy, Board member of Kamili and a Board member of Ujamaa.

She has formerly held positions at the World Bank, Marie Stopes International and Population Services International. In addition to this she has more than twenty years of experience in research, monitoring, evaluation and results for development. Her research, consulting and program management experience has been gained in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, United Kingdom and Zimbabwe.

She gained her PhD in Public Health from the University of London and has held academic positions at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and College of Medicine in Malawi.

   

Carolyne Gathuru

Director Strategy and Business Development, LifeSkills Consulting

An accomplished customer experience, brand, marketing and service delivery strategist and leader, Carolyne is a successful leader and business optimization specialist with over 20 years of experience across a broad range of disciplines. She specializes in effective communication for service delivery and has an in depth knowledge of developing practical strategies to improve the customer experience. She has an innate ability to assess and understand the behavioral dynamics across various groups, gained from work with corporate organizations to develop interactive and effective customer experience delivery tools and platforms that inspire behavior change among targeted stakeholders; be it employees, management, or partners in the business. She is passionate about creating personal and professional transformation in Africa by enabling brands deliver on their promise to customers and for professionals to create dynamic personal brands in their personal and professional capacities.

As the founder of Life-Skills Consulting she is an ardent and passionate customer experience practitioner with practical experience in the areas of customer service strategy and training, business development, marketing, branding, public relations, corporate communications and corporate social responsibility programmes.

She sits on the board of The Institute of Customer Experience in Kenya that sets customer experience standards for organizations and champions the customer experience agenda in the country. Through various management roles from Symphony Group as the Career Consulting Manger, Afsat Communications Ltd as lead Marketing and product support, The Nairobi Hospital as the Marketing and Customer Service manager and Seven Seas Technologies as the Brand and Marketing Manager, she has repeatedly led teams to successfully deploy transformational service delivery and create delightful customer experiences to inspire passion for their brands. She is also the founder of iSpeak –a programme for children from underprivileged communities that seeks to inspire them to speak with confidence, and articulate themselves with grace, to enable them to become holistic members of society.

Carolyne is also a seasoned public speaker, master of ceremonies and facilitator with a track record for crowd engagement, smooth programme facilitation and seamless event flow as well a mentor and life coach.

   

Loise Mboo

People have described me as being many things. I am a friend, a leader, miss boss lady, a sister, a mother, a mentor & a coach. I am known to push people out of their comfort zone(s), catalyze growth and help them believe in the power of possibilities. I am authentic and I shoot straight with toughness and gentleness. I am a great communicator who easily engages and connects with people at all levels. You will therefore find me in class teaching, training/facilitating workshops, speaking, mentoring or facilitating coaching sessions. I am passionate about two things: people development & customer experience. I am a unique visionary who has the ability to think big picture whilst also focusing on the operations which makes me good in setting up systems and structures for sustainability.

My days at work are spent at a Not for Profit organization where I consult as the director of team wellness. I am also the founder of ADIRA, a social movement that seeks to empower young people with the knowledge, skills and tools to lead self, lead their communities and organizations. In addition, I am an accomplished and experienced organizational development specialist with over 18 years experience across the fields of consulting, private and public sectors. My key focus is customer experience and people development. Over the years, I have been successful in establishing and heading teams as well as leading organizations to performance based operations that are embedded in a customer centric culture.

I have developed and implemented customer service & communication policies, stakeholder & staff engagement programs and contributed to talent management through staff learning & development programs. During my tenure in the public sector, I served as the Head of Customer Service and consistently maintained a 95% rating score in service delivery matrix under Kenya’s government performance contracting. I am a certified leadership/career coach and an exemplary trainer who has trained over 10,000 participants in Africa & Europe. I hold an MA in corporate communication and an undergraduate in communication-public relations, both from Daystar University; A certificate of proficiency in people management from the Call Centre School and Strategic Leadership Development Program (SLDP) from Kenya School of Government. I have also served as a part time lecturer at Daystar University, Pan African Christian University, YALI East Africa Regional Leadership Centre and have had numerous speaking engagements across different organizations and audiences. I am also a board member of the Institute of Customer Experience (ICX) Kenya.

My values of excellence, authenticity, creativity, impact and sustainability are reflected in my work, brand and daily engagements and my motto is life is twofold: Why walk when you can fly: Progress not perfection.

   

Mark Kaigwa

Mark Kaigwa (34), is an African entrepreneur, author and professional speaker. He is the Founder and CEO of Nendo, a research and marketing consultancy focused on delivering insights that drive income and impact for clients such as Safaricom, Population Services International, NCBA Bank, among others. Kaigwa is widely regarded as an expert on social media, digital transformation, and the online habits of Africans.

As an author, he is a contributing author in books such as Doing Ideas, ON! The Future of Now (with Seth Godin, Jonah Perretti et al.), 10 Open Innovations (published by GIZ), Africa & China: How Africans and Their Governments are Shaping Relations with China and Digital Kenya - An Entrepreneurial Revolution in the Making. His chapter From the Cyber Cafe to the Smartphone: How Social Media Zooms in on Kenya and out to the World is among the nation’s most accurate portrayals of the history of Kenyans on Twitter.

As part of his work at Nendo, Kaigwa has authored several impactful publications including The State of Mobile Data 2019: Context, Consumption, and Control in 2019. The report examined how Kenyans use prepaid mobile data and was featured on the front page of the People Daily, Kenya’s most widely distributed daily newspaper. In 2020, Kaigwa authored and published a well regarded 2020 Trend Report where six of the trends predicted came true despite the unexpected Coronavirus pandemic. As part of Nendo’s corporate social responsibility, Kaigwa published a free 10-sector report on COVID-19 examining drivers and disruptors of demand in Kenya’s digital economy.

As a speaker and facilitator, he’s built up a repertoire speaking to a combined audience of tens of thousands giving keynote speeches and talks in over 37 countries around the world (before COVID-19). Kaigwa has found acclaim in sharing stories on the African continent’s potential thanks to technology, innovation, and the continent’s youthful population.

Mark Kaigwa has been recognised for his work including among Forbes Africa’s inaugural 30 under 30 Best Young Entrepreneurs in Africa in 2013, the Business Daily’s Top 40 under 40 men of 2019 and Yahoo! Finance’s Top 20 Marketing Influencers of 2019.

Mark has been featured on The New York Times, BBC, CNN, El Paìs, Deutsche Welle, CCTV, Al Jazeera and The Guardian not to mention publications such as Fast Company, WIRED, The Atlantic, among others.

Mark Kaigwa lives in Nairobi, Kenya with his wife Dr. Wanjirũ Kaigwa and their three children. He is an ardent follower of Italy’s AC Milan Football Club.

Connect with Mark on LinkedIn and Twitter and follow his firm @Nendo254.