Mr. Philip Odera
Board Chairman
Serving at SNDBX, Board Chair, Philip is a 21st century leader and has over 30 years of financial and banking experience. A banker by profession, he has covered varied top managerial assignments across different cultures and geographical locations including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Pakistan, Malaysia and Singapore.
Using his diverse cultural exposure, Philip provides advisory services to organisations facing delicate long-term investment decisions for the Africa expansion goals,
Philip also advises talented organisations and entrepreneurs in his role as Executive Partner at Titans D’Afrique - a consortium of experienced regional leaders who volunteer their skills to empower and upskill Africa’s emerging leaders. He has a first degree in Economics and an MBA in Finance from Boston and is an alumnus of the prestigious London Business School SEP Program.
Ms. Carole Wainaina
Board Member
Ms. Wainaina is a well-respected senior executive with global experience in the private and public sectors. She has been part of strategy formulation, leading multi-disciplinary teams, and driving organizational change. She is the Special Advisor to the CEO at Africa50 and has previously served as the Assistant Secretary General for Human Resources of the United Nations. She has a wealth of experience of more than two decades of senior positions at multinational corporations.
Mr. Kenneth Kaniu
Board Member
Kenneth is the CEO of Britam Asset Managers (Kenya) Limited. He has more than 16 years of experience in asset management, risk management, investment product structuring and investment innovation in East Africa and Europe. He is passionate about allocating long term capital and is a respected thought leader in structuring and executing investments into alternative assets such as infrastructure, private credit and private equity.
Mr. Conrad Akunga
Board Member
Conrad is the Director and Co-founder of Innova Limited. He is an entrepreneur and software engineer with years of experience in design, architecture and development of financial instrument management solutions for investment houses and banks (custody, fund management, pensions and unit trusts).
Dr. Mbithe Akatsa
Board Member
Dr. Mbithe Anzaya is an Executive and Systemic Team Coach and People Management expert with a doctorate in Strategic Human Resource Development. She has over 20 years global and local experience in various sectors including the airline industry, international non-profit organizations and academia. She is a member of the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council, founder of Kaskazini Coaching and co-founder of a Christian mentoring and coaching organization.
Mr. Joram Mwinamo
Founding Director
Fondly referred to as the chief entrepreneur in East Africa, with over 15 years of experience. Mr. Mwinamo has constantly been involved in policy development and championing for a better SME growth environment. His high entrepreneurial empathy and strategic mind has seen him inspire the success of many businesses. His rhetoric constantly challenges the status quo and seeks to initiate new ideas on how entrepreneurs can receive the support they need to grow their businesses. He is the co-founder and CEO of the SNDBX, and a board member of Amnesty International and a member of the Steering Committee at Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs.
Mr. Christopher Odongo
Founding Director
Chris is a strategic planning consultant and business coach with 22 years experience working with SMEs across Africa. He has top skills in business coaching, strategy development and facilitation of leadership and personal development. At WYLDE International, Christopher Odongo leads a team of brilliant consultants and associates, who have transformed more than 300 businesses, using an inspirational growth program for entrepreneurs. If you are looking to build a robust entrepreneurship ecosystem or to build an organisation from startup to growth stage or to motivate entrepreneurs or employees to achieve their goals, Christopher is the right person for the job.
Mr. Kiriinya Kithinji
Founding Director
Kiriinya is a financial services professional with over 19 years’ experience gained through serving in challenging relationships, operations, investment banking, and leadership roles in a leading multinational bank and a local private equity firm.
He has broad experience in the financial sector, having worked with various companies, chamaas, teachers and young adults, on areas such as retirement planning, company valuation, building a long term savings culture, personal financial management, and leveraging credit and working capital to grow SMEs. His top advice for individuals regarding financial wellness: "Cut off all unnecessary expenditure, then save and invest for the future."