Dr. Ken Keirstead – Chairman of Board
Dr. Keirstead is of South African origin and a graduate of the Pathology Institute in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He also graduated from two United States advanced education institutions in executive management (College of William and Mary, and Columbia University). After more than three decades of senior research and management positions with multinational companies, he specialized in public health care policy, followed by human resource development in Africa. He is widely travelled and a frequent speaker and lecturer on human infrastructure building in the developing world. His work now focuses on West Africa (Mali, Guinea, and Liberia) where he plays a key role in the development of rural human infrastructure development, and administration of programs in health care and education.
Dr. Keirstead is a board member of the Canadian Council on Africa, and serves on task forces and the boards of international pharmaceutical development companies. He is widely published, mentors graduate and doctoral students with interest or origins in Africa, and is a confirmed believer in self-help for the development of African people.
Ms. Gladys Musembi – Board Treasurer
Ms. Musembi is the Manager Custodian Services at Co-operative Bank of Kenya prior to that she was the Head Trustee & Administration Services at the Insurance Company of East Africa. Ms. Musembi has a wealth of experience in the assert management, various retirement scheme fund management. She is a part time tutor at the college of insurance, a member of the editorial committee of the AKI journal, and profile Magazine. She is also a member of the Insurance Company of East Africa Investment Services Strategy Team. Ms. Musembi has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Banking, Insurance and Finance from Sheffield Hallam University in the UK.
Ms. Fostina Mani – Founder & Secretary of Board
Ms. Mani is the founder of the Ukamba School of Business. She is currently involved in various entrepreneurship projects at the United States International University such as the Centre for Excellence in Entrepreneurship Development and IFC- Global Business School Network Case Development project which has been involved in the development of locally relevant business cases studies on leading Kenyan companies, as well as developing a training curriculum for the rural entrepreneurs. Ms. Mani is the Eastern Africa Grain Council (EAGC) Executive Treasurer where she also represents the Kenyan Traders, and heads the Marketing Information Systems Committee and is member of the Policy and Funding committee, where she is involved in coming up with strategic plans for handling the various issues affecting traders within the grain trade at the national and regional levels.
Ms. Mani has Masters Degree in Business Administration from the United States International University with special emphasis on Information Systems and Entrepreneurship and a Bachelors of Science degree from Northern Kentucky University in Information Systems.
Dr. Efia Assignon – Board Member
Dr Efia Assignon is native of Togo, West Africa. After completing his master degree in management at the “Université du Bénin” (Togo), he obtained a M.Sc. in Finance at the “Université de Sherbrooke” (Québec, Canada) as well as a Ph.D. in Industrial relations from the “Université Laval” (Québec, Canada).
University teaching and research depict most of Dr Assignon’s career. He taught in his native country at the “Université du Bénin”, in the Central African Republic at the “Université de Bangui” (as a guest lecturer for many years), and in the province of Québec (Canada) at the “Université du Québec à Hull”, the province of New Brunswick (Canada) at the Shippagan campus of the “Université de Moncton” and the province of Nova Scotia (Canada) at the “Université Ste-Anne”.
Dr Assignon has also assumed important administrative duties at the “Université du Bénin” as the Prospective and planning director and the Director of the Enterprises administration center (located in the Economic and Business faculty). Moreover, he has acted as a special advisor for the Togolese Minister of SMEs and tourism. Before joining the “Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick” (CCNB), where he is currently an International Development Advisor, he was Director of studies at the “Institut de la Francophonie pour l’entrepreneuriat” in Mauritius and taught International Business and Management at the University of Mauritius.
Mr. John Nyerere – Board Member
Mr. Nyerere is Team Leader of Initiative Consultants. He is an experienced and well respected strategic and business planning expert in Kenya with over 10 years experience in operations management and over 15 years consulting and training experience in the areas of strategic planning, performance management and business growth and development. Mr. Nyerere has served in various senior management capacity for the Kenya Railways Corporation eventually rising to become General Manager in charge of the commercial division, where he developed comprehensive re-orientation of the strategic business direction which included implementation of a performance management system focused on improved service delivery in line with the proposed privatization process with the Government of Kenya, IFC and regional partner states of Uganda and Tanzania.
As a consultant, Mr. Nyerere has advised over 50 organizations in areas of strategic and business planning in a wide range of sectors of the economy. These organizations include government, private sector and parastatals. He is particularly well versed with the water sector having prepared a detailed plan for the Kisumu Water and Sanitation Company. Mr. Nyerere has for the past 10 years been a lecturer at the United State International University (Kenya), lecturing in areas of strategic management, leadership and new business ventures. Mr Nyerere has an MBA from Ljubljana (Slovenia) and he is a Full Bright Scholar. He has undertaken several internships on strategic planning in New York and for the World Bank
Mr. Benson Kimithi – Board Member
Mr. Kimithi is the Inter Regional Business Development Manager and Head of Business and Product Development at K-Rep Bank. He is also a Mentor, Consultant and Trainer. Mr. Kimithi is an MBA holder from Nairobi university in Strategic Management with 12 years experience in the financial sector (Credit Banking Division) and Business Development and over 5 Years experience developing and managing donor funded/supported technical assistance projects. Mr. Kimithi is also a part time lecturer in entrepreneurship and microfinance (SME) sector at Strathmore university and is currently pursuing a PhD in entrepreneurship at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculure and Technology.
Mr. Kimithi is also the chairman of the national sterring committee for the Growth Oriented Women Entrperieurs in Kenya and Program Manager for IFC-KRep Banks Private Schools Financing Programme
Mr, Kimithi is passionate about helping entrepreneurs find and fulfill their enterprise vision, purpose, potential, goals and dreams, via strategic planning, so that they enjoy a full fulfillment from their hard work. He will always work with entrepreneurs to chart their path to achieving the dreams by way of formulating, owning and executing business plans.
Ms. Alice King’ori – Vice Chair
Ms. King’ori is the Legal and Regulatory Affairs Manager at Celtel Kenya Limited. She is an advocate of the High Court of Kenya, and is a Certified Public Secretary. Ms. King’ori was involved in the facilitating the acquisition of Kencell Communication by Celtel International and prior to that she was responsible for setting up the legal department and ensuring statutory compliance of the company start were in place. Ms. King’ori previous work experience includes working for the law firm of Hamilton Harrison and Mathews, and Kimani Kairu and Company Advocates. Ms. King’ori is currently finalizing her Master of Business Administration with a special emphasis in Strategic Management at the University of Nairobi, and a recipient of the Charlotte Bircher Scholarship at the Honorable Society of the Inner Temple in London.