Kim-Andrée Potvin

Meet Mawazo's New Board Chair

Dear Friends of Mawazo,

It is with great excitement that we announce Kim Potvin's appointment as Board Chair of the Mawazo Institute. This announcement comes as we celebrate five years since the Mawazo Institute was founded by Dr. Rose M. Mutiso and Rachel Strohm. In our first five years, the institution has experienced tremendous growth - and change. Speaking at the end of her term, outgoing board chair, Rachel Strohm had this to say;

"I'm really proud of everything that we've accomplished since Rose and I dreamed up the idea for Mawazo. We've also been lucky to have great staff who've stayed with us since the beginning, as well as building a volunteer board, that brings together Kenyan and international expertise in organisational management."

Kim-Andrée Potvin has served on the Mawazo Board since its inception. A native of Canada, Kim has over 20 years of experience in finance in various C-level roles in asset management, private banking and fund administration services in Europe. She is currently the Head of Operations at Bamboo Capital Partners.

Prior to joining Bamboo, she was the Chief Operating Officer of Swiss Private Bank Landolt & Cie and for over 15 years at BNP Paribas, in roles such as Chief Operating Officer in Switzerland, Head of Asset and Fund Services in Luxembourg and Head of Internal Audit Benelux. Kim is a dedicated conservationist, humanitarian and advisor to entrepreneurs in Europe and Africa, where she is involved in numerous Boards on these continents. Kim says:

"A Board member since inception, I have witnessed first-hand the growth of the inspiring idea and work of Dr. Rose Mutiso and Rachel Strohm. The Mawazo team and Board will continue developing their vision and dedication in creating a supporting environment for women researchers that address development challenges with innovative solutions."

You can read more about Kim on the Mawazo website.

Meet Carolyne Tunnen

Carolyne Tunnen - Communications Manager

Carolyne Tunnen is a Communications and Advocacy specialist with over seven years experience engaging in governance, human rights, development and research at the national, regional and international level. Trained in journalism, information science (with a major in publishing and media studies) and international relations, she is an accomplished writer, editor, and web content manager, and has experience formulating, implementing, monitoring and evaluating; strategic plans, programmes and communications and advocacy strategies.

The Nairobi Ideas Exchange

Gender Lens Investing

Gender Lens Investing (GLI) is a strategy or approach that takes consideration of gender-based factors across the investment process, in order to advance gender equality and better inform investment decisions.

The Mawazo Institute hosted a discussion for researchers and other stakeholders, where we debunked some investment myths and gained insight into the investment process, with the goal of inspiring women to commercialize their big ideas. The panel was comprised of experts from Bamboo Capital Partners, Persistent Energy, and Kenyatta University.