2018 Tutu Fellow Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg PhD has founded and launched a Fellowship for Black women in executive leadership - B-WEL - and it held its first convening in the last quarter of 2023 at the Rockefeller Foundation in Italy. The inaugural cohort comprised 17 women from across the globe.
Wanjiru describes B-WEL as a new global initiative focused on improving the numbers, experiences, and impact of Black women in senior and executive leadership. The fellowship of women seeks to collect, collate, and curate Black women's wisdom on leadership, creating connected communities of Black women leaders and collaborations for change.
Wanjiru the inaugural Executive Director at Rise. Rise is an initiative of Schmidt Futures and the Rhodes Trust – the anchor program of a $1 billion philanthropic commitment by Eric and Wendy Schmidt. Rise is a talent programme designed to increase opportunities for exceptional young people. She is also the founder of African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD), which is working towards inclusive, agriculture-driven prosperity for the African continent by strengthening the production and dissemination of more gender-responsive agricultural research and innovation.
Wanjiru is assisted by another Fellow and leader in promoting women, 2019 Tutu Fellow Marcia Ashong. Marcia founded TheBoardroom Africa, an initiative that champions women in executive leadership to improve female representation in boardrooms and investment committees.
Read more at the B-WEL website.
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