Our Team
Our team of Korumo Associates are experienced leaders in their field. We combine ‘soft’ skills in facilitation, coaching, and counselling with ‘hard’ skills in rural development, agribusiness, mining, and media and film. We have a footprint in Africa, and can offer services in English, French, Swahili, Xhosa.
Mo Salomon
Chief Navigator | Founder of Korumo
Strategic facilitator, coach, and yoga teacher. Passionate about people as drivers of their own development. Mo has a background in anthropology, a PhD in participatory rural development, and worked on assignments in Africa, Asia and Europe. Novice surfer, running yogi, and mindfulness blogger. Pronoun: they. Ennea 7.
Home base: Durban, South Africa
Languages: English, Dutch
Proudest achievements:
Leading the NGO that I was Director of into participatory management. Coaching a multi-country team in gender-transformative change in the agrifood system in Africa.
Leadership philosophy:
Inspiring people and organizations to explore their edges and stretch to make a difference in the world.
Atafeinam Abalo (PhD)
Coach
Coach, consultant, teacher, project manager, city councillor, and NGO president. I work for a better world. I’m Ata for friends.
Home base: Lomé, Togo
Languages: French, English, and Togolese languages (Kabyè, Ewé, Kotokoli)
Proudest achievements:
As President of the Association for Women in Mining (AFEMET) and member of grassroots network (RADEB) I managed to obtain 107 ha for young people and women to farm in Togo's ZAAP-Pya agricultural development. As Korumo gender coach in GIZ's ATVET for Women project, I carried out group coaching in Benin, making both men and women realize that gender has an economic benefit.
Became a Korumo Associate because...
As Paulo Coelho says in The Alchemist: it is an opportunity to walk with partners from diverse backgrounds towards each one's personal legend, by building a model of growth for a continent!
Leadership philosophy:
Everyone can make a difference. Often people want to hear it in a special way to boost their energy.
Thembela Njenga
Coach
Transformational coach and development practitioner. Passionate for justice. Aspiring to see women live their truth, show up authentically and take up their place without fear. Thembela is a gender coach in GIZ's ATVET4W project.
Home base: Johannesburg, South Africa
Languages: English, Xhosa, Zulu.
Proudest achievements:
When I discounted my fears and gave myself permission to explore deeper what else lied within me beyond what I was comfortable with. I walked away from formal employment to start my own organisation, Womaniko Transforming Spaces which seeks to see women thrive in and out of work.
Became a Korumo Associate because...
I believe in what Korumo stands for - inspiring people and organisations to organise for impact. When I joined, I knew this was a great opportunity to be stretched in areas I have not been before, and was proven me right.
Leadership philosophy:
You cannot lead others when you can’t lead yourself.
Akizou Bataba
Development Facilitator
Business analyst, investment officer. Thirteen years of experience in business and project analysis. Helped to set up a state-owned holding company to attract direct investments in Togo.
Home base: Lomé, Togo
Languages: French, English and Togolese Languages
Proudest achievements
Being part of the Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI) 2014 program where I launched my vision to improve young African entrepreneurs’ conditions by assisting their start-ups.
Became a Korumo Associate because....
I joined as translator and process observer in GIZ’s project on Gender Makes Business Sense.
Christine Guchu
Integral Coach
Passionate about people and real results. Great at creating space and the freedom to identify new ways of being, while remaining simple, practical and fun.
Home base: Nairobi, Kenya
Languages: English, Kiswahili
Proudest achievements:
Doing a bungee jump at the Vic Falls… Birthing and Mothering of Five Women. As WMG Management Consultants Ltd establishing the Beyond Your Edge Program - a strong and rigourous personal development program for leaders.
Became a Korumo Associate because...
We were implementing the gender-coaching program for GIZ ATVET for Women in Africa.
Leadership philosophy:
It all starts with me
Wambui Njuguna
Coach
Development professional with vast experience in leadership, development management, capacity enhancement, and value chain analysis. Strategic thinker and facilitator of multi-stakeholder processes. Worked on assignments in the wider East Southern African region.
Home base: Nairobi, Kenya
Languages: English, Kiswahili
Became a Korumo Associate because....
I joined as gender coach and process observer in GIZ’s project on Gender Makes Business Sense.
Rebecka Henriksson (PhD)
Virtual Facilitator
A Swede in South Africa who is creative, down-to-earth, diligent, positive and passionate about exploring the interface between people and the earth. A sustainability scientist with a PhD from Stockholm Resilience Centre, currently involved in trans-disciplinary research in Malawi and South Africa. Rebecka is part of the Virtual Facilitation team convening IWMI’s stakeholder engagement process for climate-resilience in Southern Africa.
Homebase: Pietermaritzburg
Languages: English, Swedish
Proudest achievements:
Raising happy and fulfilled children and completing my Doctorate thesis.
Became a Korumo Associate because...
I see Korumo as the perfect organisation to contribute to making a difference outside of my usual academic pathway.
Leadership philosophy:
To lead others by inspiring and guiding them to see their potential and achieve what they want to achieve.
Karen Engel (PhD)
Virtual Navigator
Facilitator, researcher, lecturer and project manager. Expertise in community resilience and disaster risk management, inter-organizational learning, sustainable and inclusive development, and climate adaptation. Karen is part of the Virtual Facilitation team convening IWMI’s stakeholder engagement process for climate-resilience in Southern Africa.
Home base: Pau, France
Languages: English, Dutch, Spanish
Proudest achievements:
The projects in which I was able to ensure intercultural learning on an international level, and the PhD project through which I gained in-depth understanding of earthquake and tsunami resilience and vulnerability in Greater Concepción, Chile.
Became a Korumo Associate because....
Korumo's approaches, drive, energy and values are in line with my professional outlook and pursuits. And it is a pleasure to be part of a team that can inspire, is creative and brings together ample and diverse experience and knowledge.
Leadership philosophy:
Collectivity, preparation, imagination, and improvisation.
Phumzi Manana
Virtual Navigator
An audio-visual specialist. I use media to tell stories that inspire social change. I specialise in documentary film Research, film publicity, and video editing.
Home base: Johannesburg, South Africa
Languages: IsiZulu,English
Proudest achievements
Two films that I have done research for have won international awards - “I want to see for myself” a film about Arthur Ashe as well as “A new country” a film exploring the socio-economic state of South Africa after 25 years of democracy.
Working as the directors’ key researchers and as music supervisor on the biopic about Nelson Mandela - Long Walk to Freedom
Became a Korumo Associate because...
I became a Korumo Associate because I believe in Korumo’s vision to inspire leadership and well-being. I believe my skills can benefit the organisation while I too benefit from a stimulating and mindful work environment.
Leadership Philosophy
I believe that for a leader to find balance in the world and in their work, they must first find balance within themselves.
Spring
Associate
Mo Salomon is an associate of Spring, a global organization that supports and accompanies social and climate justice leaders to thrive in complexity and and forge powerful new pathways.
International Support Group
Associate
Mo Salomon and Karen Engel are Board members of the International Support Group, an international network of experienced facilitators for social innovation and multi-stakeholder learning and collaboration.
Thoughtsmiths
Associate
Korumo is an associate of Thoughtsmiths, a coaching company that offers high quality strategic support and coaching skills training. Through this partnership, Korumo seeks to promote coaching as leadership skill in the social justice sector.
