Our Staff
Our people are the beating heart of what we do, and every part of ygap – from our staff to our board to the partners that support us – make what we do possible.

Carol Kimari

Albert Kimani

Periz Odhiambo

Mercy Munene

Palesa Mabidilala

Hazel Mkwanazi

Natacia Gwebu

Talei Goater

Ruth Ravai

Hanna Guy

Kaitlin Tait

Katleho Tsoku

Kat Crowley

Nooreen Dossa

Mark Harwood

Max Hunter-Rogers

Meeti Shah

ygap Kenya Country Director
Carol Kimari
Carol leads on the strategic direction of the ygap Kenya office, manages the delivery of the ygap Kenya Program, and represents the program throughout the East Africa ecosystem. A serial entrepreneur, Carol has started several businesses across different sectors. An avid book lover, Carol started Grab a Book, a social enterprise that sets up libraries in slums, with an aim to bring reading and library services to thousands of Kenyan children. Carol is a former Stockbroker on the Kenyan Stock Exchange. With over ten years of experience as an entrepreneur, she brings a wealth of knowledge on East African social enterprise. Carol is an alumnus of the ygap Kenya program and an Unreasonable Institute fellow.

ygap Kenya Program Manager
Albert Kimani
Albert has over 10 years experience advising start-ups, SMEs and corporates across East Africa. A key component of his work has been to support organisations to grow their efficiency and effectiveness in their respective ecosystems. Predominantly, this has involved Albert helping enterprises understand their markets and their customers,helping enterprises refine their MVPs and their value propositions,and helping these ventures develop impact and performance tracking frameworks for continuous improvement. Albert holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Statistics & Computer Science and a Diploma in Business Studies. In addition, Albert is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Strategic Management.

ygap Kenya Impact Officer
Periz Odhiambo
Periz is responsible for the implementation of ygap Kenya’s impact strategy including supporting ygap Kenya’s portfolio venture’s to conceive, prepare and fine-tune their venture-specific impact strategies. Periz provides input through comprehensive data collection and proactively advises on all aspects of impact tracking to the portfolio ventures of the ygap Kenya program.In the first 4 years of her career, she has spent time in research roles tracking social change with leading development intervention programs. She holds a Bachelors of Arts, specializing in Economics and Sociology.

ygap Kenya Business Development Officer
Mercy Munene
Mercy is a diligent and hardworking lady serving as ygap Kenya’s Business Development Officer. She has a passion for supporting African youth and women in enterprising.She is an International Relations student at United States International University, Africa.Prior to joining ygap Kenya in 2021, she had and continues volunteering with the Catholic Youth Network for Environmental Sustainability in Africa as a core team member in Kenya, mobilising and sensitising young people to care for the environment. Her greatest drive is to see more African women entrepreneurs emerge at early ages.

ygap South Africa Country Director
Palesa Mabidilala
Palesa is the Country Director for ygap South Africa. The last ten years of Palesa’s career is a testament to her passion for entrepreneurship and expertise in the sector. After experience with both Deloitte and Ernst & Young (EY), Palesa headed up Entrepreneur Services at Endeavor, a global organisation accelerating high impact entrepreneurs. In addition, Palesa founded EnziAfrica, an entrepreneurship development organisation focused on assisting entrepreneurs to build sustainable enterprises. Palesa holds a Bachelor of Commerce Information Systems Degree, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Enterprise Management both obtained from the University of Cape Town.

ygap South Africa Program Manager
Hazel Mkwanazi
Before joining ygap, Hazel worked on the USAID Government Capacity Building and Support Project with a focus on Social and Behaviour Change Programmes for the Department of Social Development. She has worked for several NGOs in environmental management, public health, food security and child protection. Hazel is passionate about inclusive and sustainable development that enhances the lives and livelihoods of communities. She holds a Master of Social Science and Postgraduate Diploma in Development Studies and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Development Studies.

ygap South Africa Program Assistant
Natacia Gwebu
Natacia Gwebu is the Programme Assistant at ygap South Africa. Natacia joined ygap South Africa as an intern in 2019 and soon after became a permanent member of the team, providing administrative and research assistance. Over her career, Natacia has worked in administration roles in various industries including Mott MacDonald, a Management Consultancy company, Procet Freight, a logistics company and Save the Children, an international NGO. Natacia is very passionate about entrepreneurship, which led her to start her own entrepreneurial ventures including the Vegetables Agency, a food packaging company that served established clients such as Salsa, a large restaurant franchise company in South Africa. She also co-founded the Rapid Growth Events company which involves hosting a variety of events in her community. Natacia is currently studying a degree in Industrial Organisational Psychology at the University of South Africa.

Senior Program Coordinator
Ruth Ravai
Ruth has a passion for working with people and providing support to strengthen overall objectives. Having started her career within an SME 10 years ago and running her side-hustle of bespoke crafts, Ruth has a lived experience of the hardships that small businesses face in Fiji. She went on to work alongside robust leading women within different sectors, who guided, nurtured and empowered her to break discriminatory barriers. Because of this, Ruth is thrilled to be able to directly contribute to the development and inclusivity of women entrepreneurs, as well as being able to provide support towards a small part of their entrepreneurial journey. Ruth holds a Diploma in Management and is currently completing her Bachelors of Commerce with a double major in HRM, Employment Relations and International Business and Marketing.
During her down time, Ruth enjoys the adventures of the outdoors with her little family; whether it’s at the beach, hike spots or camp sites around Viti Levu. Nature to her, provides the best mental reset to take on any challenge.
Email:ruth.ravai@ygap.org

Australia Program Manager & Technical Adviser (Sustainability)
Hanna Guy
Hanna’s passion for creating practical and actionable social change through enterprise developed throughout her career working in and supporting community-driven initiatives and progressive companies in Cambodia, Australia and The USA. Complimented by her personal experience of founding and scaling a sustainable fashion company in Cambodia, Hanna has a deep understanding of the systemic challenges facing impact-driven enterprises and a pragmatic approach to tackling them.
Hanna’s combination of experience in business, circularity and sustainability allows her to help companies and organisations measure, design and implement sustainable practices.
When not at work, you will find Hanna exploring Melbourne’s backstreets by bicycle, or out of town surfing and hiking.
Email:hanna.guy@ygap.org

Head of Learning Design
Kaitlin Tait
Kaitlin has over a decade of international development experience including nearly two years in East Africa working with grassroots development organisations before she launched and grew the ygap model across Africa and the Asia Pacific. She has designed and delivered Acceleration programs and resources that have facilitated the growth of hundreds of social ventures and now leads all learning design and content development for ygap and ygap’s clients. Having led and contributed to various women’s entrepreneurship initiatives over her career, including creating ygap’s yher Accelerator program, she is extremely passionate about supporting and championing the next generation of women entrepreneurs and leaders.

Technical Advisor - Gender and Capital
Katleho Tsoku

Campaigns Manager
Kat Crowley
Kat has over 10 years’ of experience in fundraising & events in the Not-For-Profit Sector, has worked for a number of charitable organisations and on some of Australia’s leading fundraising campaigns. She is a Member of the Fundraising Institute of Australia (FIA) and is on the Victorian FIA State Committee. She has a passion for fundraising and making an impact as well as mental wellbeing and social responsibility. Kat is a lover of vintage inspired clothing and dogs and is often spotted enjoying high tea with her flock of fabulously vintage dressed friends in Melbourne.

Philanthropy and Partnerships Manager
Nooreen Dossa
Email:nooreen.dossa@ygap.org

Chief Executive Officer
Mark Harwood
Having joined ygap in March 2020 as the CEO, Mark is responsible for overseeing the organisation’s overall direction and ensuring strategic alignment towards its mission. Mark started his career as a management consultant with Accenture working across multiple continents supporting both Government and private sector clients for six years before pivoting to the for-purpose sector with World Vision where he led the Social Entrepreneurship & Economic Development (SEED) unit. Mark is extremely passionate about the role of entrepreneurship in helping to achieve both equitable and sustainable outcomes and is proud to work alongside his ygap colleagues to ensure entrepreneurship is more inclusive, in and of itself, as are the outcomes being achieved. When not at work, Mark loves to get creative with his two young children or taking them out on family bike rides on his preferred form of transport – an electric cargo bike.


Our Board
Our board is comprised of experts across the fields of entrepreneurship, development, finance, law, education and business – just to name a few.

Nima Sedaghat

Luyen Duong

Tim Middlemiss

Catherine Scalzo

Kate Gilkison

Kristy Graham

Yih-Jeh Teen

Simba Marekera

Chairperson, Audit and Risk Committee
Nima Sedaghat
For over 15 years, Nima has been advising entrepreneurs, business owners, executives, and Australian and foreign investors, on restructures, mergers, acquisitions and investment transactions. He has been appointed to senior roles in various leading professional service organisations and is currently a capital partner and management advisory committee member of law firm HWL Ebsworth. Nima is a co-founder of WayFinder Capital, a specialist fund manager investing in entrepreneurs seeking to acquire and operate businesses in the mid-market sector. Nima brings his extensive transactional M&A, investment and fundraising expertise to the ygap board.

Chair - Audit and Risk Committee
Luyen Duong
Luyen is a senior Audit Director with Deloitte Australia with over 15 years’ experience in providing audit and accounting services to a wide range of large global and local companies, as well as publicly listed companies on the ASX. During her career she spent six years working in Ottawa, Canada and New York, USA. There she led large multi-national integrated engagements under the SOX reporting and PCAOB accounting standards. As a result she has a deep understanding of the regulatory reporting and governance environment. Luyen brings a suite of skills to the ygap board, including financial accounting, controls, analysis and audit governance. Luyen specialises as client focused in the retail and business consumer sector, and enjoys challenging responsibilities in the audit and assurance practice. She has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Melbourne and is also a member of the Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.

Chair - People, Culture and Nominations Committee
Tim Middlemiss
Tim was a founding director of for-purpose creative studio, Agency, which partnered with domestic and global organisations, businesses and civic bodies to deliver impact-driven campaigns, including the United Nations World Humanitarian Day. Agency was named New Agency of the Year 2015 and one of Westpac’s Businesses Of Tomorrow in 2017. Tim was also the creator and presenter of World Vision’s youth leadership conferences globally, presenting to tens of thousands of young people. Tim was previously Head of Communications and Engagement for impact investment firm Leapfrog, and is now focused entirely on Ripple which he co-founded – a digital platform of tools and opportunities for young people to develop purposeful careers. Tim was also named as an inaugural Obama Foundation Leader for the Asia Pacific.

People, Culture and Nominations Committee
Catherine Scalzo
Scalzo Foods is one of Australia’s largest privately owned food companies, but it’s Cathy’s experience as the head of the company’s social impact arm that has brought her further into the world of business for good. As a trustee of the Grace and Emilio Foundation, Cathy has supported charities such as Eat Up, and ReachOut, and invested in social businesses like HireUp. Cathy’s expertise lies in business, impact investing and profit for purpose, and she has a strong background in governance, as a Director on the boards of the West Melbourne Economic Alliance, Kids in Philanthropy and the Social Studio Organisation.

Company Secretary
Kate Gilkison
Kate Gilkison works in project coordination for an ARC Centre of Excellence based at the University of Melbourne. With postgraduate qualifications in International Development and Business, Kate has worked across the education sector, in project management, evaluation and facilitation, including several years spent living and working abroad. Kate has a passion for volunteering and has previously volunteered with non-profits such as Australian Red Cross, Climates and AMES Australia. In 2019, she participated in the Observership Program, joining the Oxfam Australia Board of Directors as an Observer. Kate joined ygap as Company Secretary in March 2021.

Audit and Risk Committee
Kristy Graham
Kristy is the inaugural Executive Officer of the Australian Sustainable Finance Institute. Established following the collaborative effort to develop the Australian Sustainable Finance Roadmap, ASFI works to create a financial system in Australia that can support a sustainable, resilient and prosperous future for all Australians. By working across the finance sector, with government, regulators, research institutions and peak bodies, ASFI drives implementation of the Australian Sustainable Finance Roadmap. With a background in sustainable finance and impact investing across the public and private sectors, prior to ASFI Kristy led the Australian Government’s work with private and institutional investors to mobilise capital for climate and social impact in Australia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific. In this role she established the Australian Government’s first impact investment fund, designed to build sustainable and inclusive financial markets in Southeast Asia. She was also a special advisor on the Prime Minister’s Social Impact Investing Taskforce in 2020. She has previously worked in Australia, Latin America, the UK and in global roles for large and small organisations, driving global progress on sustainability issues. She holds a BSc (Environmental) and a Masters in Environmental Law from the University of Sydney and an MBA (Social Impact) from AGSM at UNSW.

Audit and Risk Committee, People Culture and Nominations Committee
Yih-Jeh Teen
Yih-Jeh is a social impact innovation leader with over 15 years of global experience in strategic business and technology transformation working with large international organisations, ASX listed companies and not-for-profits. She has worked across Asia, the Pacific Islands, North America and Australia. Currently, Yih-Jeh is the Product Manager Leader for the deposit portfolio at Bank Australia, and previously worked for The Fred Hollows Foundation as Head of Innovation, and Save the Children Australia as Head of Strategy and Business Consulting. She started her career and worked for over 12 years with Accenture specialising in the Financial Services and International Development sector. Yih-Jeh brings a unique blend of business, innovation, digital, technology, strategy, organisational transformation and governance experience to the ygap board.

Simba Marekera
Simba Marekera is an impact investing executive who specialises in innovative financing and blended finance across a variety of Private Markets asset classes including infrastructure, real estate and credit/private debt both in developed and developing markets. Simba is active philanthropist focused on empowerment of beneficiaries. He co-founded New Africa Foundation, a charitable organisation that exists to empower African communities through targeted philanthropy and promoting local impact businesses with a focus in education, healthcare and entrepreneurship. He also co-founded EdFin, a fintech company that provides affordable and responsible education financing for international students, migrants and other financially excluded members of the Australia community. He holds a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from Yale University, Masters in Social Change Leadership from University of Melbourne and Masters in Applied Finance from Western Sydney University.