Date/Time
Date(s) - 05/04/2017
5:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Location
2nd Floor, SPIRE Offices

Categories

• Peer Learning Event

Welcome to an independently organized Women in Tech Africa Event. This is a Women/girls only forum dubbed Bridging the Gender Gap in Technology that will be a candid discussion on issues affecting women in Entrepreneurship, Technology and Leadership.

The date of this event is 5^th April 2017 and will be held at Daykio Plaza, Ngong’ Road, next to Prestige Plaza, 2^nd Floor, SPIRE Offices. It starts at 5:30pm and ends at 7:30pm

This event seeks to Expose Women to technology related fields, encourage women in entrepreneurship to engage with diversity persons in order to encourage equal opportunities, recognize/appreciate key players in technology within our society and emulate them, encourage women to introduce key performance indicators among their employees to help gauge their achievements, to encourage formal to private entrepreneurship for the ladies and finally the discussion will expound on the need for women to take up leadership positions in the society.

The main objectives of this event is to;

• To get women who are ready to venture into businesses and join leadership positions.
• To encourage women to take up STEM courses and jobs in the market.

The target group is mainly women and from the signup, this are people who hold mostly Diploma and Degree Courses in various fields and would like to learn how to integrate their professional knowledge to everyday running of issues in the society.

This Women in Tech event is organized by Josephine Sitawa Wafula, a lady working in ICT at Directorate of Immigration & Registration of Persons since 10^th April 2007, the Founder of Breast Cancer Kenya, a non-profit Organization registered here in Kenya whose Vision is a Breast Cancer free Nation and Mission is To offer Support, create awareness provide information, screening and education on breast cancer. I am also a Mentor both in the Health sector and in technology where she mentors patients going through breast cancer and girls taking Technology causes respectively. She has a BSc in Business Information Systems with a keen interest in Databases as well as Data Analytics. I planned for this event because as part of a job application as Global Champion that I made to Women In Tech Africa, I was shortlisted for second assessment which runs from 13th March to 7th April, in which I am to come up with at least 2 events targeting women to show how to bring tech to the society.

The Panelists in this event will include:

1. SHARON ADISA 

Sharon Adisa is a Kenyan and Founder of Kendesk Digital Services, a Social Media, Branding and Customer Support Platform for Businesses and Busy Professionals. She’s also a branding taskforce member of Kakamega County and a Project Planner for Aberdare Hills Golf Resort.

With a well-established background in management Information Systems and Digital Management, she formally worked for The ServiceLine as a Digital Manager and Customer Support Specialist, Women in Tech Africa as a Social Media Manager and a Lifestyle Technology Blogger registered with Bloggers Association of Kenya.

Her professional interest focus on customer support services encompassing people, process and technology.

Her passion for women empowerment compelled her to create Shaboard, an organization that seeks to keep girls in class.

2. CATHERINE N. MUCHIRA 

Organization Capacity Development Consultant, Coach and Writer.

Muchira carries out assignments in organization capacity development specifically strategy, structure and processes, plus customer service.

Muchira is a creative, enterprising and people service oriented person with over 18 years work experience in various areas including crafting strategy, operationalizing this strategy; establishing and transforming processes by designing strong back end functions; customer service; training, mentoring and passing on knowledge and skills; all to achieve organizational goals and stakeholder satisfaction.

She is attracted to assignments that allow for a high degree of contact with people, requires a lot of creative thinking and innovation to spot new opportunities.  The chance to serve the needs of customers and the public in general also relates to this interest pattern, which she is passionate about.

She has worked in higher education, software [service desk] sales and implementation, the payment card industry, storage business plus non-governmental organization. She has also consulted for a utility company, government and regulatory authorities, parastatals, telecommunications, insurance, banking, project management, education, health and manufacturing sectors.

She have carried out assignments in Kenya and Somalia and holds a Master of Information Management from the Charles Sturt University, Australia.

Muchira is a life coach with a focus on relationships and a writer running a personal blog at http://notyetpunditik.blogspot.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/notyetpunditik/

Muchira’s area of Expertise is;

• Governance
• Program Management
• Program Evaluation
• Operations
• Administration

3. WAMBUI MBESA 

Wambui Mbesa is a Kenyan with MBA Strategic Management,Post. Grad. Dip. in Computer Science, B.Ed Business Studies & Economics.

Is an individual with a diverse and rich foundation. Successful entrepreneur having built and run an             IT business for over 8 years; Leadership as country head of a Danish multinational, 6 years at Microsoft as East and Southern Africa and IOI Lead; Country Director of an African IT company; and Currently CEO/Regional Director of a leading European IT company; A base for adding value to  any organization she works for/with. Has People management skills with a s/o control (between 8 to            over 100) in various leadership roles in IT companies.

Her strengths include areas like:

• Leadership,
• Entrepreneurial and Strategic thinking
• Diverse and rich foundation
• Sales
• Intercultural sensitivity and exposure
• Communication skills

Her Core Value Proposition Includes;

Drive for Results with others

In all companies I have worked with – CEO/Regional Director for II EA, Country Director for Techno Brain Kenya, Microsoft Corporation, WECA, Uganda  Country Director for AkiliAfrica (a company I set up and co-owned for 8 years), Country manager Carl Bro East Africa (Uganda); Successfully leading teams across my various assignments.

Rich and Diverse Background

Educator, working with international/multinational organizations (European, American, Asian, African); IT professional and entrepreneur; proven record for building businesses and organizational capacity and growing channel in Africa (East and Southern Africa and Indian Ocean Islands). Change agent; Successful setup of Intrasoft International EA Subsidiary in Kenya.

Leadership and Ingenuity

Proven ability in driving growth amidst tough, cut throat, highly competitive business environment, tough economic and political situations and cultural challenges. Good at leveraging my strengths in sales, relationship management and consultancy skills that saw me run two companies at the helm. Business turnaround.

Sales and business development

Turnaround of AkiliAfrica (formerly Carl Bro EA) from loss to profitability; Proven track record in Microsoft with passion for customers and partners that saw businesses grow, many winning awards and companies thrive and profitable. High NSAT results

4. MARGARET ONDENG’ (Email: adhiambo.ondeng@gmail.com)

Margaret Ondeng is a Kenyan with a bachelor’s Degree in Software Engineering and is currently pursuing her Masters in Computational Intelligence.

She has 3 years of vast experience in the Telecommunication Industry ranging from Mobile Money to Value Added Services. She currently works with Inmobia as a Software Engineer. She has previously also worked with Mahindra Comviva as an Airtel Money Integration Engineer.

Her passion for tech has seen her win several awards including IBM Master the Mainframe Champion in NewYork, and Facebook GraceHopper Scholarship in Texas.

Margaret also leads the Google Developers Group and Women Techmakers Nairobi through which she has been involved in several activities that aim at bridging the gender gap in tech.

The attendees will be offered drinks and snacks and this gives us a budget of 20,000 KES i.e US$ 200 and entrance is free.

The venue of the event was sponsored by SPIRE, a technology and talent development company.

Volunteers for this event includes;

1. Carolyne Sila from Spire, working on Logistics
2. Terry Mwanzi and Barbara Mwamburi on Photography and Hospitality.
3. Juliet Otieno from Eneza Education, Marketing and social media

The Host Josephine Sitawa is coordinating all the above activities including public relations and communication.

Bookings