Professional
Advisory Services

I had the privilege of working with John for more than ten years during my tenure at CHS, a recipient of CDC funding for HIV/AIDS programs. Throughout this period, I reported directly to John on all financial matters. John exemplifies principled and effective leadership. He established clear standards for financial accountability while fostering a collaborative environment across CDC and its implementing partners. His technical command of financial management is exceptional. He initiated the development of the Budget Monitoring Tool (BMT) and successfully cascaded it to all CDC implementing partners in Kenya, significantly enhancing budget tracking, forecasting accuracy, and expenditure oversight. He conducted regular Business System Assessments at CHS with professionalism and objectivity, and as a direct outcome of his engagement, CHS has maintained strong internal controls and has not received any adverse audit opinions since its inception 16 years ago. Beyond his technical competencies, John is a person of remarkable character: humble, respectful, and genuinely collaborative. I recommend him unreservedly for any senior role requiring leadership in financial and grants management.

I worked closely with John Baru during his time at CDC, where he served as a Cooperative Agreements/Grants Manager supporting complex USG-funded programs. John demonstrated strong expertise in grants management, including budget review, financial monitoring, compliance with donor requirements, and partner monitoring and oversight. He provided practical guidance to implementing partners, ensuring adherence to federal regulations, strengthening accountability, and improving the quality and timeliness of financial and programmatic reporting. John combined technical rigour with a collaborative approach, working effectively with programme teams and partners to resolve issues and mitigate risks. His professionalism, responsiveness, and deep understanding of grants management made him a trusted advisor and valuable partner throughout the lifecycle of cooperative agreements.

I had the privilege of working under John Baru during my time at EGPAF, where he served as my immediate supervisor. John is an outstanding leader with deep expertise in grants management, complemented by strong capabilities in finance and procurement oversight, as well as a forward-looking approach to digital transformation. He played a pivotal role in strengthening grants management practices, ensuring full compliance with donor requirements while improving efficiency in planning, budgeting, and reporting. John was also instrumental in driving digital transformation within the grants, finance, and procurement functions, championing the adoption of digital tools and data-driven approaches that streamlined workflows, enhanced accountability, and improved real-time visibility of project and financial performance. He brings a rare combination of strategic insight, technical depth, and strong leadership, making him a valuable resource to any organisation focused on delivering impactful, compliant, and efficient programme delivery.

John Baru is a highly skilled cooperative agreement and grants management specialist with more than ten years of expertise managing intricate, high-value public health financing portfolios. In his capacity as Cooperative Agreement Specialist/Grant Manager at CDC/KEMRI (2009–2019), he oversaw a USD 36 million annual PEPFAR portfolio for over 40 implementing partners, ensuring that operational delivery and federal compliance requirements were closely aligned. He received recognition for his outstanding performance in overseeing the 2013 continuation award process for CDC implementing partners, as well as his development of cooperative agreement management procedures in response to business accountability assessments. Through precise expectations, methodical evaluations, and workable remedial measures, he continuously cultivated trust with partners and guaranteed the continuation of vital health services. John's people leadership is equally outstanding — through focused capacity-building and streamlined review procedures, he increased partner compliance and audit preparedness by 30% whilst encouraging cooperation between internal teams and implementing partners. His approach to leadership places a strong emphasis on responsibility, openness, and problem-solving, facilitating better financial governance, lower risk, and more effective administration of cooperative agreements at all implementation levels.

An exemplary operations professional. I had the pleasure of working with John Baru during his tenure as Operations Director, where he consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership and strategic foresight. His expertise in automating processes significantly enhanced efficiency across teams, whilst his dedication to mentorship fostered professional growth and collaboration. Beyond operational excellence, John brought strong capabilities in grants management and financial strategy, ensuring compliance and driving sustainable adoption of new practices. His ability to balance technical innovation with people-centred leadership made him an invaluable asset to the organisation. I confidently recommend John as a visionary leader whose skills in process optimisation, financial stewardship, and team development will add substantial value to any institution.