Select Case Studies
Developed and facilitated two cohorts of 10 agribusiness SMEs across Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, supporting enterprises to strengthen business strategy, climate and gender performance, investor readiness and ecosystem engagement.
- Designed and delivered cohort programming and one-to-one coaching for participating SMEs.
- Supported development of climate and gender action plans and strategies
- Facilitated investor pitch events and capital-readiness processes
- Engaged governments and policy makers, financial service providers, NGOs, CSOs and other ecosystem actors to identify barriers and opportunities affecting enterprise growth and access to finance
- Built connections between enterprises, investors and the wider enabling ecosystem
Designed and led a two-day Kenya-focused process bringing together 80 agriculture SMEs to develop and pitch gender- and climate-responsive solutions to post-harvest loss challenges. In parallel, designed and facilitated a multi-stakeholder enabling-environment roundtable involving policy makers, financial service providers, NGOs, academia and researchers to identify practical challenges, opportunities and potential roles for different actors in supporting scalable solutions.
Conducted internal and external stakeholder engagement processes and synthesis of findings to update the Green Climate Fund’s global gender action plan to, inter alia, drive investment into more women-led climate adaptation and mitigation projects, including smallholder farmers in emerging markets
The Rallying Cry, in partnership with Akashinga, co-created and delivered the Leading Brave Fellowship, a transformative program designed to build the leadership capacity of Akashinga’s female rangers and leaders. The fellowship is rooted in the belief that women are powerful change agents, not only within their teams but across communities, the continent, and the world. Through this initiative, women were equipped with tools for enhanced leadership, resilience, and digital literacy, positioning them to lead confidently for themselves, in the Akashinga context, and on the frontlines of climate action in conservation.
Overview: Co-authored a flagship thought-leadership report with CoSustain and FMO, challenging industry assumptions around the women’s leadership pipeline in emerging
markets and establishing the fiduciary value of gender-diverse decision-making across high-impact sectors.
Key Highlights:
- Conducted extensive internal and external stakeholder engagements across emerging market geographies to identify key structural barriers and opportunities to advancing gender-diverse leadership.
- Analyzed leading industry literature and peer-reviewed academic studies to debunk the myth of a “pipeline deficit” and frame leadership diversity as a core driver of financial and operational resilience.
- Co-authored the published report, “Gender-Diverse Leadership: From Blind Spot to Corporate Value.”
- Successfully launched the research at the 2X Global Summit in Montreal, positioning the findings to influence global capital providers and institutional investors.
Overview: Designed and delivered a high-touch, hybrid leadership and personal resilience program for Africa-focused female fund and vehicle managers, equipping emerging financial leaders with the psychological tools and decision-making frameworks needed to navigate complex investment environments.
Key Highlights:
- Developed an immersive in-person retreat and virtual workshop series tailored specifically to the unique pressures faced by female vehicle managers across the continent.
- Facilitated core modules on Positive Intelligence, deep listening, overcoming the sunk-cost fallacy, establishing decision-making “kill criteria,” and mastering strategic pivots.
- Integrated practical wellness and personal resilience strategies to support sustainable, long-term leadership.
- Achieved a 100% “Excellent” or “Good” rating from participant survey respondents, fostering deep peer connectivity alongside actionable professional growth.
Overview: Partnered with the Graça Machel Trust’s Women Creating Wealth initiative to design and deliver a specialized climate and sustainability masterclass, equipping women agribusiness leaders across Africa with practical strategies to manage climate risk, drive sustainable growth, and access gender-responsive finance.
Key Highlights:
- Collaborative Leadership Delivery: Co-designed and facilitated by Dr. Lelemba Phiri and Carey Bohjanen, leveraging The Rallying Cry’s combined expertise in climate finance, enterprise resilience, and executive coaching.
- Climate Risk & Opportunity Integration: Guided women-led SMEs in identifying value-chain vulnerabilities and embedding climate-smart, nature-positive solutions into core business models.
- Value Chain Resilience: Delivered interactive frameworks to strengthen enterprise operations, governance, and environmental impact across diverse agricultural value chains.
- Capacity & Investor Readiness: Built enterprise capacity to translate climate adaptation and gender performance into bankable, investable business strategies.
Overview: Served as Strategic Leadership Advisor to a cohort of African female fund managers through a tailored, retreat-anchored program designed to move emerging GPs from operational survival to sustainable, long-term leadership.
Key Highlights:
- Designed and facilitated two immersive in-person retreats to bookend dedicated 1:1 leadership coaching sessions throughout the sprint.
- Focused curriculum on building personal resilience, navigating capital-raising dynamics, and strengthening executive leadership capacity.
- Developed the practical playbook “Moving from Surviving to Thriving,” providing actionable frameworks for female fund managers operating in high-pressure growth environments.
- Built peer-learning spaces and networks to support long-term collaboration and capital deployment among African women in investment.
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