The Full Expertise
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Nine specific capabilities, built over 25 years and tested across institutions managing $150M+ in donor funding.
Financial Leadership
Strategic Financial Leadership in Research & Development Contexts
Strategic financial leadership in complex research environments demands more than technical accuracy: it requires the ability to align funding strategy with institutional mission across multiple competing priorities. Throughout my career, I have directed $150M+ in global health and development portfolios across institutions including EGPAF, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the Kenya Medical Research Institute. At KEMRI, I stabilised $24M in annual research funding while managing the conflicting reporting requirements of 10+ global donors, ensuring clinical trials remained fully funded and compliant. This breadth of experience positions me to provide financial direction that is both technically precise and strategically aligned with research mission and donor expectations.
Budget Recovery & Financial Turnaround Management
Few financial challenges demand more speed and precision than recovering a programme from a live budget overrun. Leading such a turnaround at EGPAF, I eliminated a projected USD 1 million shortfall through a rapid diagnostic, collaborative reforecasting and tighter sub-recipient controls, protecting the organisation's relationship with a key donor and avoiding pressure on unrestricted funds. The recovery also improved forecast accuracy across the country office, institutionalising financial planning practices that remained embedded long after the immediate pressure had passed. This experience demonstrates my ability to stabilise financial performance under pressure while simultaneously building the systems that prevent recurrence.
Stakeholder Engagement & Executive Reporting
Translating complex financial data into strategic insight for senior leadership and donor audiences is a skill I have refined over more than 25 years across global health institutions. At EGPAF, I partnered with the COO, Country Directors and VP-level leadership to align financial planning with institutional strategy, delivering regular performance presentations and structured reporting that built executive confidence in financial oversight. At CDC, I brokered high-level compliance reviews between USG stakeholders and local partners, resolving financial irregularities through corrective action plans that protected the agency from disallowed costs. My ability to communicate finance with clarity and authority, while maintaining technical integrity, makes me a trusted bridge between operations, programmes and leadership.
Operational Transformation
Operational Excellence & Systems Transformation
Building high-performing operational systems from the ground up is where I consistently deliver my most measurable impact. At EGPAF, I transformed a paper-heavy culture into a digital-first operation by implementing SharePoint and ERP modules, cutting transaction cycles by 40% and eliminating bottlenecks that had stalled field programmes across multiple countries. Across five country programmes, I designed replicable operational models that standardised finance, procurement and compliance systems to meet both donor and organisational requirements. The results have been consistent: improved reporting timeliness, stronger accountability structures and quantifiable efficiency gains at scale.
Shared Services Design & Cost Optimisation
Designing scalable, cost-effective support models for organisations facing declining donor funding requires both commercial acumen and deep operational knowledge. At EGPAF, I led the design and implementation of a shared services model that delivered 40-60% in operational cost savings across five supported countries, enabling continued programme delivery despite significant funding constraints. The model included a comprehensive business case, teaming agreements, defined KPIs and integrated digital workflows, and secured approval from Country Directors and VP-level leadership at headquarters. It has since been adopted as a replicable standard across the broader organisation, a measure of the institutional-level impact I consistently aim to deliver.
ERP Systems Optimisation & Digital Workflow Implementation
Technology is only as effective as the discipline and governance built around it, and this understanding shapes every ERP and digital workflow engagement I lead. Across EGPAF, CDC and KEMRI, I have worked with Unit4, BaaN, Navision, FileMaker and SharePoint, deploying them not simply as tools but as governance instruments that enforce controls, improve traceability and eliminate manual error. At EGPAF, SharePoint and ERP optimisation reduced transaction cycles by 40% and enabled the replication of a digital-first operational model in a new country office, significantly accelerating start-up timelines. The outcome is consistently a more accountable, audit-ready operation with cleaner data, faster reporting and measurably stronger financial discipline.
Governance & People
Governance, Risk & Donor Compliance
Maintaining financial integrity across complex, multi-donor environments is one of the most consequential responsibilities in global health finance. My track record speaks directly to this: at EGPAF, I secured a 98% donor compliance rate by redesigning internal audit and statutory reporting cycles, ensuring CDC, USAID and Global Fund funding remained uninterrupted and fully transparent. At CDC, I stewarded a $36M PEPFAR portfolio across 40+ implementing partners, standardising compliance frameworks to prevent disallowed costs and achieving a 100% on-time approval rate for Country Operational Plan submissions. I bring both the technical rigour and the institutional credibility to protect organisations against fiduciary and reputational risk.
Leadership & Cross-Country Team Development
Developing high-calibre finance and operations professionals across diverse cultural and geographic contexts is a responsibility I take seriously at every level of leadership. At EGPAF, I mentored a 40-person cross-border team, moving them beyond transactional accounting and toward strategic business partnership by equipping them with analytical frameworks, data literacy and the confidence to influence programme decisions. My leadership has extended across Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Eswatini, Malawi, Lesotho and Zimbabwe, where I deployed finance and operations staff to mentor local teams and strengthen financial discipline across the portfolio. Results have included measurable improvements in forecast accuracy, budget utilisation and team morale, as well as successful staff promotions in supported offices.
Sub-Recipient & Implementing Partner Management
Managing sub-recipients and implementing partners effectively is essential to protecting programme integrity in complex, multi-stakeholder environments. At CDC, I provided end-to-end financial oversight for a $36M PEPFAR portfolio across 40+ implementing partners, designing capacity-building workshops that improved partner audit readiness by 30% and standardising proposal review frameworks to ensure 100% pre-submission compliance with CDC budget guidance. At EGPAF, I strengthened sub-recipient controls and reporting timelines, contributing directly to the elimination of a projected budget overrun and the sustained improvement of donor confidence. My approach consistently combines rigorous financial oversight with practical capacity building, creating partners who are not just compliant but genuinely capable.