A Change in Leadership at Mawazo: Meet the New Acting CEO

Dear Friends of Mawazo,

It is with great excitement that I announce my new role as the Acting CEO at The Mawazo Institute. This announcement comes as we mark five years since the Mawazo Institute was founded and almost a year into my role as the Director of Programmes, which I will continue to hold. I am stepping into the position previously held by Mawazo co-founder Dr. Rose M. Mutiso, who has led the organisation since its founding. We would like to take the opportunity to thank Dr. Mutiso for her dedicated service to Mawazo, in seeding our vision, overseeing a period of tremendous growth and impact, and laying a strong foundation for the future.

In the coming months, the Mawazo Board will launch an executive search process to recruit a permanent CEO. This change in leadership will help ensure that new ideas, perspectives, and skills inspire the next phase of our growth as we mark our five-year milestone, and is part of a larger strategic planning process being guided by the Mawazo Board and a team of external experts.

My focus as Acting CEO during this transition process will be to continue excelling in those areas that stay true to the vision and mission of the organisation. This means delivering high quality and high impact programmes through the flagship Mawazo Learning ExchangeFellowship Programme, which currently has 42 PhD Fellows enrolled in a one-year non-residential training and professional development curriculum, as well as our Public Engagement Programme, where we look forward to engaging experts as we add to discourse on current issues from an African perspective. Lastly, our Policy Programme, which welcomed its first Policy Fellow in 2021, will continue to advocate for evidence-informed policy making in the region.

I look forward to working with our dedicated staff, talented beneficiaries, and committed funders and partners as we continue to offer diverse programmes with positive impact on the region’s higher education and research ecosystem. My ambition is to continue putting women, science and research at the heart of Mawazo, thus remaining true to our values and our purpose: supporting the next generation of female scholars and thought leaders in East Africa. We will continue to keep you updated of any changes through our various communications channels.

I thank you for your support and continued collaboration.

Dr. Fiona Wanjiku Moejes
Acting CEO and Director of Programmes Mawazo Institute
Nairobi, Kenya