In partnership with Dutch entrepreneurial development bank FMO and CoSustain, The Rallying Cry convened a roundtable of 30 gender-lens investors and ecosystem leaders at the 2X Global Summit to launch and discuss the landmark report, “Gender-Diverse Leadership: From Blind Spot to Corporate Value.”

Moving the global conversation from why gender-diverse leadership matters to how to implement it, the report explores a critical market paradox: while women hold 28.3% of board seats globally, they occupy just 19% in emerging markets—where DFIs and impact investors hold significant influence. The convening focused on identifying key structural barriers to advancement (such as sponsorship gaps and board recruitment practices) and actionable mechanisms for investors and companies to drive systemic change.

Key Report Highlights:

• Beyond Diagnosis: Provides practical tools and interventions—ranging from technical assistance to reimagined board recruitment—to move from making the business case to making leadership equity the universal standard.
• Reframing Fiduciary Value: Establishes the link between gender-diverse board governance, risk management, and long-term financial performance.
• Call to Action: Invites global development finance institutions and impact investors to actively embed gender-diverse leadership across their portfolios.

Carey Bohjanen served as lead facilitator for an intimate, highly participatory fishbowl deep dive at the 2X Global Summit, creating a safe and candid space for leaders to explore

institutional and personal resilience amid shifting geopolitical headwinds and market dynamics.

Designed to break down traditional hierarchies between speakers and participants, the interactive format encouraged open, fluid dialogue on what it takes to show up courageously when the stakes are high. The session was highlighted by Summit participants for its depth, authenticity, and actionable insights on sustaining impact—both publicly and behind the scenes.

Ignite Speakers:

• Anna Stuck, Founder, Clare Foundation, Clare Ventures & AMCVT
• Jimena Serrano Pardo, Lead Officer – Gender & Social Inclusion, IDB Invest
• Jorge Rubio Nav, Global Head of Social Finance, Citi
• Ibukun Awosika, Founder & CEO, The Chair Centre Group

For the first time in the fund’s history, 27 of the 29 Resilient Futures Fund (RFF) grantees—including The Rallying Cry—united in Montreal alongside gender-lens and climate investors to build deep relationships, challenge assumptions, and align language between local enterprise reality and investor expectations.

As an RFF grantee, The Rallying Cry joined conversations focused on three critical market insights:

1. The Need for Flexible Funding: Flexible capital is essential for local intermediaries to test, adapt, and respond dynamically to market needs.
2. Translating Impact & Metrics: Closing the gap between ground-level action and investor frameworks requires direct dialogue and reimagined impact metrics.
3. The Vital Role of Intermediaries: Local network organizations and emerging funds are key drivers in identifying, preparing, and scaling high-potential enterprises within their local contexts.

Held alongside the inaugural Adaptation Investment Summit for Africa (AisA), Carey Bohjanen facilitated an interactive, multi-stakeholder convening co-developed with the Collaborative for Frontier Finance (CFF) and the National Social Security Fund (NSSF).

The event brought together over 25 organizations—including pension funds, local capital providers, development finance institutions, foundations, and policymakers—to unlock the future role of African pension funds in alternative investments, particularly in small business finance through a gender and climate lens. By fostering a collaborative ecosystem approach, the session addressed practical pathways for deploying domestic capital to drive regional climate resilience.

The Rallying Cry Founder Carey Bohjanen moderated an exclusive high-level panel bringing together climate leaders, investors, and innovators to explore how an integrated ecosystem empowers women entrepreneurs to scale transformative climate solutions across Africa.

The session opened with a fireside chat with Amazon CSO Kara Hurst and 2X Global Investments Lead Elena Haba, establishing why gender-smart climate finance is no longer optional. A dynamic panel of Africa-based Resilience Futures Fund (RFF) grantees and investees, including Wanjiru Mambo, Founder and CEO of Wedgehut Foods, shared practical success stories of how catalytic grant funding bridges the gap from ideation to market-ready impact.

Speakers & Panelists:

• Kara Hurst, CSO, Amazon
• Elena Haba, Investments Lead, 2X Global
• Carey Bohjanen, Founder, The Rallying Cry (Moderator)
• Lelemba Phiri, Partner & Co-founder, ATG Samata
• Jenni Chamberlain, Partner, Altree Capital
• Anjani Harjeven, CEO, WomHub
• Valerie Labi, Founder, Wahu Mobility
• Wanjiru Mambo, Founder & CEO, Wedgehut Foods (The Rallying Cry Activator Program Participant)

Hosted by PEWIN, the East Africa Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (EAVCA), and 2X Global, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, Convene Africa 2026 brought together senior women investors, market leaders, and ecosystem builders from across Africa and beyond.

Centered around the theme Pamoja: Building and Rising Together, the evening created a dedicated space for candid dialogue, shared leadership, and deeper institutional connection across the private capital ecosystem.

Carey Bohjanen of The Rallying Cry facilitated a curated leadership session designed to foster intentional reflection, authentic connection, and peer exchange amidst the fast-moving momentum of the conference week. The event also featured a fireside conversation with Gina Din, moderated by Shruti Chandrasekhar (IFC) and introduced by Nadia Karkar (500 Global), exploring leadership in practice, navigating traditionally male-dominated industries, and leveraging relational influence to shape institutions.

Description: The Rallying Cry joins AICCRA, Alliance of Biodiversity International & CIAT, and A4IP to launch the Kenya AgriHack.

This hackathon aims to develop innovative, climate-smart and gender-responsive solutions to reduce post-harvest losses in the cereals, horticulture and dairy value chains.

The event is the first of its kind in Kenya, held in Nairobi, with $10,000 worth of awards up for grabs plus valuable mentorship and technical assistance for high-potential solutions.

The Rallying Cry leads an ecosystem discussion on how inclusive, scalable and replicable initiatives and models can shift capital into the hands of African women business leaders.

Through a success story featuring one of The Rallying Cry’s Women Business Leaders, Bupe Mulapesi, founder & CEO, Farm23 Strawberry, and Lelemba Phiri, principal & founder, Africa Trust Group, we  unearth possibilities and answer questions on how different players can work together across the ecosystem to break down silos and bridge gaps.

We also address and introduce ways to foster the collaborative partnerships needed to effectively address global challenges.

Joyce Kamande, Co-Founder & COO of Safi Organics and an inaugural member of The Rallying Cry’s Women Business Leaders Network, and our Founder, Carey Bohjanen, participate in a riveting session to unearth the challenges faced by women-led SMEs to access capital for climate innovation and food systems transformation. The discussion aims to uncover existing solutions in local contexts.

The Rallying Cry founder Carey Bohjanen co-facilitates with Simba Marekera, Head of Investment Management at Brightlight, an interactive and dynamic session on “Power, Proximity, Privilege and Proof”

The crux of the conversation acknowledges that power and privilege at a systematic level is much more influential than at the individual level.

Headquartered in Paris and with global influence, the Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society is a leading international platform highlighting women’s voices and vision and creating a more inclusive future for all.

The 2021 Women’s Forum Global Meeting shines a light on power: the use and misuse of power; the power to empower and lift others up; and the power, of course, to lead, through and beyond the pandemic. The resilience of our future economies and societies depends on our collective action now.

Joyce Kamande, Co-Founder and Head of Operations at Safi Organics, Kenya, on behalf of The Rallying Cry’s Women Business Leaders Network, joins a conversation featuring climate-focused innovators, entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs discussing challenges, innovation and resilience in the pandemic.

The conversation is moderated by Agathe Bousquet, President of Publicis France and Joyce’s co-panellists are Julie Page, CEO of AON UK and Marina Psaros, Head of Strategic Sustainability Initiatives at Unity Technologies.

Women and girls, particularly those facing intersecting inequalities, are disproportionately impacted by climate change but are also critical leaders of climate action, from local communities to global fora.

Building on the UN Women convened Action Coalition on Feminist Action for Climate Justice and the UNFCCC Gender Action Plan, this event brings together ministers, business leaders and activists, to drive progress through the announcement of new, strengthened commitments.

We showcase some of the best and brightest examples of gender equality in climate action, sending a message that the time for gender-responsive implementation is now. The Rallying Cry’s Prudence Muchinouta shares her vision for financing gender- and climate-smart agriculture in Africa, raising our call to action in the Blue Zone at COP26.