Professional Experience:
I am a seasoned finance professional with over nine years of experience in senior finance leadership roles across Africa, the USA, and Europe. My career has been dedicated to driving financial excellence, optimizing operations, and building strong partnerships within large, multi-million-dollar organizations, particularly in the international development and humanitarian sectors.
In my most recent role as Finance Business Partner Manager at Oxfam International, I was entrusted with instituting and implementing a global finance reporting strategy, overseeing plans and budgets across 22 affiliates. This role required me to rationalize financial data controls, systems, and reporting dates across multiple business functions, ensuring alignment with the organization’s strategic goals. I worked closely with the Executive and Senior Leadership teams, managing affiliate contributions to a €70 million fund, guiding budgeting, accruals, forecasts, and reporting. One of my key achievements in this role was leading the transition to restricted donor funding, where I ensured meticulous compliance through strategic planning and staff training.
Digitization and data visualization are areas I’m particularly passionate about, and I led efforts to enhance these capabilities within Oxfam. This included the development of custom Executive and Board dashboards using Power BI, which significantly improved decision-making processes. My role also involved serving as a global banking liaison, coordinating financial operations across the UK, Kenya, the USA, Brussels, and Ethiopia.
Before stepping into the Finance Business Partner Manager role, I served as Finance Coordinator at Oxfam International, where I led financial planning and analysis, accounting operations, and donor audits across multiple global locations. One of my proudest accomplishments in this role was the development of a Finance Manual that is now in use across all Oxfam International Secretariat (OIS) Head Offices. I also designed a Capacity Building Program that targeted leaders at various levels, from entry-level to senior, focusing on donor and financial audit processes, trend analysis, and forecasting.
My experience also includes leading a $15 million emergency program in Ethiopia as the Drought Response Finance Manager for Oxfam GB. I ensured adequate cost recovery and donor compliance while managing the financial and administrative strategy for the program. My earlier roles at Oxfam GB included regional business support across Horn, East, and Central Africa and Southern Africa, where I played a key role in consolidating Africa’s financial reporting and streamlining disparate systems.
I hold a Master of Science in Finance (Thesis Pending) from Kenyatta University and a Bachelor of Management Science in Finance from Strathmore University. I am also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), having passed section 5 of the accounting certification.
Throughout my career, I have been driven by a commitment to continuous improvement and a deep understanding of the financial challenges faced by organizations operating in complex, multi-national environments. My ability to lead, strategize, and implement effective financial solutions has consistently delivered impactful results, and I look forward to continuing to make a meaningful difference in the finance sector.