Waithiegeni is an aggregator of good ideas that are relevant to making the law and business accessible particularly for the African woman, whether in the continent or in the diaspora. She is the founder of the East Africa Women’s Investment and Business Summit (EAWIBS) which held its inaugural meeting in July 2023, reaching 200 people interested in or doing business in the regional bloc of East African Community (EAC).

She has experience in public affairs, communication, and international dispute resolution. She is a firm believer that traditional and indigenous knowledge is vitally important for our world today and must be drawn upon at all levels in order to find solutions to many of our most pressing crisis, including climate related emergencies.

Waithiegeni serves as the Global Ambassador for ChallengeAid Africa, and a Board of Trustees member of Nyumbani & The Hotcourses Foundation, both UK charities dedicated to children’s upliftment through education in Kenya. Waithiegeni advocates for open and judgment-free mental health conversations in society and convened a series of webinars under the auspices of the Kenya High Commission in London for women in the diaspora in the lockdown years.

Waithiegeni is a part-time poet and enjoys classical music and jazz. She is the wife of the High Commissioner of Kenya to the UK. She is currently serving as the President of the Association of African High Commissioners and Ambassadors (ASAHCA) in 2024.

Martyn Ryan was formerly a Partner and the Chief Operating Officer at Genesis Investment Management, a leading specialist Emerging Markets equities investment manager. He is a trustee and chair of the Audit and Risk Committee of the Welsh National Opera and also holds a number of other non-executive, consultancy and charitable trustee positions, specialising in risk and governance matters. Prior to Genesis he held positions in finance and investment banking at a number of leading financial institutions, having trained with PwC (then Coopers & Lybrand), qualifying in 1984. Martyn was born in Cardiff and educated at Penarth Grammar School and the University of Southampton, where he gained a degree in Business Economics and Sociology, and has completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants. Martyn is keen on all sports, in particular rugby union; he is a director of the Cardiff Rugby. Having been a ChallengeAid trustee for a number of years we are absolutely delighted to welcome Martyn as the ChallengeAid Chairman in 2022.

Edwin has worked for more than 30 years within financial services, with a focus on Insurance and the last 13 years on Bancassurance. Throughout the course of his career, Edwin has held senior management positions in various insurance companies and Bancassurance operations. Edwin is a a B.Sc. (Statistics) graduate from the University of Nairobi and professionally hold both Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute (ACII) of the Chartered Insurance Institute and Fellow of the Life Management Institute (FLMI) certifications. Edwin is also Chair of the Board of Management of Simbi Mixed Secondary School in Homa Bay county and has a passion for coaching & mentoring younger people and sports (Rugby & Golf).

Patrick Kariuki is Managing Director of GenAfrica. He has over 20 years’ experience in Finance, Accounting, Administration, Compliance, and Investment.

Previously he was the Chief Operating Officer of the GenAfrica Asset Managers Limited. He is a fully qualified Accountant (CPA) and Banker (ACIB) and holds a Master’s degree from the Edinburg Business School. Patrick is currently the Chairman of the Fund Managers Association (FMA)