Africa

Based in Kigali, John serves as CEO of Mulindi and Shagasha tea factories where he is responsible for all operations and strategic development, alongside stakeholder engagement. He has more than 25 years of experience in commercial tea field and factory operations, having served as Procurement Manager, East Africa, for Unilever’s Grow Africa Projects, Operations Manager for the Central Business Unit of Unilever Tea Kenya, as well as Field and Factory Manager for several Unilever Tea Kenya operations. He has a Bachelor of Science degree from Moi University.

Dennis is based in Nairobi and leads our strategy and social investment work, as well as our sugar sector investments in Kenya and the tea industry programme in Tanzania. He is responsible for our investment and sector expansion efforts in Africa. Dennis also leads our sustainability portfolio and oversees the results, monitoring, evaluation and learning function. Dennis is a trained economist with experience in international development, development finance, investment, and management consulting. He previously worked with the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (formerly DFID), Deloitte, and PwC. Dennis has an MSc in Economics & Econometrics from the University of Nottingham.

Based in Kigali, Elizabeth oversees finance and accounting for all tea greenfield operations in the region. She has more than 20 years of experience in finance and accounting in the commercial agriculture sector through Chief Accountant and Finance Manager positions with Kakuzi Ltd., and Dominion Farms Ltd. Elizabeth is a Certified Public Accountant (ICPAK member) and has an MBA from Strathmore University.

Jessie is a Certified Public Accountant, with a BA in Business Admin Finance and MSC in Procurement, Logistics and Supply Chain Management. She brings with her over 18 years of tea marketing and sales experience, having worked in senior positions at Unilever Tea East Africa as well as James Finlays, where she most recently served as Commercial Manager for Leaf Tea based out of Mombasa.

Etienne provides operational oversight and technical backstopping of SCON (N) and SCON (S) from his base in Kigali. He has more than 20 years of experience in the tea and coffee sectors. Etienne previously worked for the Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP) and has served as Country Manager for Rainforest Alliance, as well as Director General of the Rwandan Coffee Board. He was also the Founder and General Manager of the Rwandan Smallholder Specialty Coffee Company (RWASHOSCCO). Etienne has a Master of Agribusiness from Texas A&M University.

Filbert is based in Karongi District, Rwanda and oversees the Rugabano greenfield project. Filbert has almost 25 years of experience in agriculture in the public and private sectors, with a focus on agricultural research, management of the tea value chain, standards and certification, quality assurance and farmer extension. He previously worked with Mufindi Tea and Coffee Company and the Ministry of Agriculture in Tanzania, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Tanzania Smallholders Tea Development Agency (TSHTDA), and, most recently with the Njombe Outgrowers Services Company as General Manger. Filbert is a trained Agricultural Economist and holds an MSc in Agricultural Economics and Project Management from Sokoine University of Agriculture and University of Salford business school Manchester.

Eleanor leads operations at Shagasha Tea Company located in South Western Rwanda. She has worked in the tea industry for more than 20 years. Previously Eleanor worked with the Kenya Tea Development Authority (KTDA) and Rwanda Mountain Tea. She has extensive experience in the production of high-quality teas and the implementation of ISO standards in tea factories. Eleanor holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Forestry from Moi University in Kenya and is currently undertaking an MBA at the University of Rwanda.

Based in the Mulindi district in Rwanda, Gerald is responsible for the management of all field services for farmers at Mulindi Factory Company. He has longstanding experience in the tea sector with more than 20 years of experience in field and factory operations. Prior to joining The Wood Foundation Africa, Gerald worked with the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) where he served as the Senior Field Services Manager.

Shukrani is an accredited Farmer Field Schools Trainer and Facilitator and plays a central role in our farmer training activities in Tanzania and Rwanda. Shukrani holds a Masters degree in Agriculture Extension Services specialising in agribusiness training and is experienced in Rainforest Alliance certification, commercial extension, hybrid farming and food safety. Prior to joining TWFA in 2018, Shukrani worked with the USAID, AGRA, EU and TRIT.

Halima coordinates the finance, administrative and logistics functions for TWFA based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Her role includes supporting the set-up of new investment vehicles in Tanzania and aiding in compliance with statutory requirements.