Advisory Board

Catherine Muraga currently works as the Managing Director, Microsoft, Africa Development Centre.

ADC is a Software Development center that builds some of Microsoft’s products used globally.

Catherine is well versed with the Technology (IT) landscape having led and worked with teams across different industry sectors; Manufacturing, Aviation, Banking, and the Technology industry. She has a career spanning over 15 years with 6 years being in executive leadership (C-Suite)

Prior to joining Microsoft, ADC, she was part of the Executive leadership and led digital transformation at Stanbic bank Kenya as Head, Engineering and at Sidian Bank as Director, IT and Operations.

Catherine is passionate about – using technology to create business outcomes and a champion for the inclusion of more women in technology.

Catherine is a Computer Science graduate from Africa Nazarene University, Oxford University – Said Business School (Fintech Programme), Columbia Business School (Digital Strategies for Business), and many other technical certifications.

Mumbi Keega is the Public Affairs Leader for Africa. In her role, she is responsible for developing and implementing integrated, multi-channel internal and external communications plans that protect, build and drive Dow’s reputation and brand with key stakeholder groups across key counties of South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt, Morocco and Algeria.

Mumbi is also responsible for supporting business objectives and priorities and drive growth; drive competitive advantage through policy and political advocacy as well as issue resolution; foster relationships and build goodwill for Dow at community levels; and drive employee engagement and alignment.

Mumbi Keega joined Dow in 2015 as Public and Government Affairs Manager for Eastern Africa. In 2017, she was selected as the first PA/GA resource to join the EMEAI Market Development Program (MDP) in Switzerland. After completing the program, Mumbi was tasked to lead Market Development, activities in Sub-Saharan Africa.

In 2018, she was elected as the vice chair of Industrialization and Enterprise Development Sector at East Africa’s largest business organization Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) and later in 2021, she was appointed as the Co-Chair of Manufacturing Taskforce, American Chamber of Commerce.

Prior to joining Dow, Mumbi worked for WPP’s Strategic Communications Consultants Hill+Knowlton Strategies in Nairobi and Kampala, where she provided strategic communications, public affairs and government relations counsel to global and local companies.

She is certified by Yale School of Management and IMD for Leading and Managing Globally, University of Bern for Essentials of International Trade Law and Policy and University of Cambridge for Business Sustainability Management.

Mumbi lives in Nairobi with her husband and their two children.

Caren Wakoli is the Founder and Executive Director of Emerging Leaders Foundation (ELF-Africa), a non-profit organization that exists to empower, support, and accompany young women and men to achieve meaningful, dignified, and impactful participation in governance, economy and public affairs at all levels of society. She also currently serves as the Interim Executive Director of Emerging Public Leaders, an organization that is driving Africa’s development by creating a new generation of public servants committed to social impact. She is a consummate storyteller and believes in the power of stories to advance authentic and empathic leadership for change in society. Additionally, she is a certified leadership coach, transformational leadership trainer, certified 7-Habits of Highly Effective People trainer, mentor, and social entrepreneur who delights in mentoring young women and men to discover their purpose and achieve their greatest potential in life. She has over 20 years’ experience in youth development work in Kenya and Africa at large.

She has taken part in various policy processes at the national and regional levels. She serves on various boards, governmental and non-governmental, where she champions meaningful youth inclusion and engagement by all actors.

Caren has received several recognitions for her commitment to youth and women empowerment, democracy and good governance, the latest being the recognition by President Obama in his speech at the Mandela Lecture in South Africa in 2018. She is the 2018 winner of a Pan African Award - CEO Global Most Influential Women in Business and Government (Civil Society and welfare category) the East African winner. She has been profiled as one of the most influential women in East Africa, by the East African Standard Newspaper in 2017. Additionally, she is an Obama Africa Leader 2018, East African Acumen Fellow 2014, and Young Female Achiever 2006 at the University of Nairobi.

She makes time to do fun stuff like nature walks, travelling, road trips, listening to music, journaling, watching movies, reading and dancing.