Meet our Global Campaign Board member, Serah!

Our Global Campaign Board are an incredible group of individuals. Convened by our founder, Cherie Blair CBE QC, they’ve worked to support our 100,000 Women Campaign since its launch at the beginning of 2020. Collaborating across the world, they’ve raised vital funds to make our work possible and in turn enabled us to support tens of thousands of women entrepreneurs.

Our Senior Partnerships Officer, Georgia Beattie, spoke to the new Africa Board Member, Serah Mwikali Katusya, to find out more about what motivates and inspires her as she joins our mission…

Georgia: Hi Serah! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Serah: I am a senior manager with a deep love for transforming businesses, for communication, for data. I love using insights to develop solutions that build brands and help businesses unlock growth. Beyond business, I am passionate about using data, insights and media in impacting positive change in the community I live in.

This new normal season has been a new challenge for me, consumers now demand more from brands, businesses have to go beyond the commercial objectives and craft sustainable solutions that impact the world positively.

As we use data to learn, agility is critical. This season has taught me to go beyond using data to drive commercial growth, but go deeper to solve human problems that have escalated with the current world context.

I love coaching, impacting people, and building excellent teams beyond just teams that deliver to teams that love working together.

I believe in “people first”, if we invest in building great and diverse teams, the KPIs will be met.

Georgia: In your career, what has been your favourite win?

Being part of driving over $3.64 million USD in media value for the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Africa in 2020 and supporting our governments to educate people on COVID-19.

Georgia: What is your life goal and what are you currently loving?

To build a purpose-led legacy that impacts our society today and lives on beyond me.

I’m currently loving supporting tech and social entrepreneurs in driving growth and using comms, data, and media to drive social change and activate growth.

Georgia: How did you first connect with the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, and what made you want to join our 100,000 Women Campaign?

I connected with the Cherie Blair Foundation through my friend Fadé [Ogunro]. She had such passion as she explained what the 100,000 Women Campaign is about. I immediately knew if there was ever an opportunity, I would love to be part of this remarkable work.

Georgia: What’s your role, and what do you hope to achieve?

My role as a Board Member for Africa will be to drive growth for the Foundation through my media networks, get the Foundation awareness in the region, support the team in telling better stories on the impact the Foundation has had in Africa and beyond.

I will support the Foundation in fundraising by bringing together like-minded women and men to support the work we do.

As a media expert, I believe in the power of amplifying what we are doing, in driving content that will support in opening doors of various organisations to support the foundation in making the 100,000 Women Campaign a success.

Georgia: Why is supporting women’s entrepreneurship in low and middle income countries so important?

In low income communities, women are impacted the most by poverty, they carry the burden of households, of their kids. Driving growth for women in the small business they do and sparking and supporting new and existing entrepreneurs in this segment will impact the full family unit, impact communities and more so impact the future of these countries.

If women are empowered economically, their kids are healthy, their kids get to go to school, their kids get to be successful, and their kids create a better future for themselves and for their communities.

Georgia: What needs to change so women can start, grow and sustain successful businesses without barriers?

Financing!

I believe the biggest challenge for women is financial. Access to loans and other financial products is very prohibitive for small businesses, and even harder for women.

Post COVID-19 effects have driven harsh negative impact on SMEs and mostly on women-owned businesses, according to an IFC Report of March 2021. The already dire situation has become worse.

There needs to be systems that spark entrepreneurship, an environment that offers women a good chance at making it in business and technical and financial support.

Beyond making financial support available, technical support in accounting, marketing, using digital and tech to amplify business growth. These are some of the aspects women need support in to get a fair share in the sector.

Georgia: What are your plans and hopes for the final year of the 100,000 Women Campaign?

I hope we can raise the money needed to hit the target and really escalate the support we can give women across the continent. I will commit to do my part in supporting the Foundation to meet this target.

Georgia: Do you have any words of wisdom you’d like to share with any women entrepreneurs reading this?

Be agile.

Adapt, learn, and apply the learnings. Fail, but fail fast!  Build communities of like-minded women and men. Communities will enable you to amplify your business but to also learn from others who may already have solutions for issues you are facing.

Be brave.

Ask questions. Go for that loan if you have all your plans done. Take that extra bold step that may be the winning one.

Go Digital.

It’s a new world! Use Digital to learn, to get ideas, to amplify your business, to get sales beyond your normal zone, digitize your systems. Tech enables efficiencies humans can’t deliver.

Love what you do.

Georgia: You have a very successful career in business.  What barriers did you face on your journey?

Where do I start! The challenges have been immense, and so have been the learnings.

From patriarchy to sexism to racism, being a black woman has been tough. I still find people who bring these to the fore, but I am at a place where I can speak out about it, correct, and call out the offender, and empower the women I know to always know they must speak up.

In this new normal, it has been a challenge running a business. The environment has been tougher, media and advertising were impacted by COVID-19, and creating new ways of driving revenue has now become my new normal.

I still get challenged every other day. I still fail, but I have learnt to have an open mind when faced with barriers and to always remind myself I won’t quit!

Thank you so much Serah!