Learn from people who
have actually done it

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Tasiyiwa Katie Mapondera

ICF PCC À EMCC EIA | Executive Coach & Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Builder

Q L and D LLC À Empower World À EduMESS

Tasiyiwa Katie Mapondera is a dual-credentialed executive coach ù ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and EMCC European Individual Accreditation (EIA) ù with 17 years at the intersection of entrepreneurship, education, and leadership transformation. Based in Doha, she founded Q L and D LLC, an innovation strategy and learning & development consultancy, and Q Teacher Supply ù the first registered supply teacher agency in Qatar. As Co-Director of Founder Institute Qatar and Innovation & Entrepreneurship Specialist at the University of Doha for Science & Technology, she has built and mentored startup ecosystems across the Middle East and Africa. She serves as an Advisor at EduMESS, Associate Director at Empower World, and earlier in her career managed the EdTech Innovation Incubator at the Software & Information Industry Association in Washington DC and consulted for the Supreme Committee that delivered the FIFA World Cup Qatar. In the SMI programme, Katie brings the rigour of a credentialed coach alongside the street-level wisdom of someone who has founded institutions, mentored founders through high-stakes growth, and built learning ecosystems from the ground up.

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Kehinde Ogunremi

PhD Educational Consultant | School Systems Expert, Teacher Development & Learning Outcomes

Secondary Education Board

My leadership journey has focused on helping schools improve academic outcomes, strengthen systems, develop teachers, and build positive school cultures. Through leadership, training, mentoring, and strategic support, I have worked with school owners, administrators, and educators to drive sustainable growth and meaningful improvement in schools.

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Folasade Adefisayo

Former Commissioner for Education, Lagos State | CEO, Leading Learning Ltd

Leading Learning Limited À University of Chicago Leadership and Strategy Institute

Folasade Adefisayo brings something no other mentor in this programme can offer: she has led from the school desk and the cabinet table. As the Honourable Commissioner for Education for Lagos State (2019û2023), she shaped education policy for Africa's most economically significant state. Before entering government, she spent 12 years transforming the Corona Schools Trust Council ù Nigeria's most prestigious private school network ù rising from Executive Director and CEO to Director, and leaving the institution measurably stronger. Today she leads Leading Learning Limited, hosts the Purpose-Driven School Leadership Webinar Series ù now in its 7th edition on school governance and sustainability ù and holds a Fellowship at the University of Chicago Leadership and Society Initiative. Holding an MA in Education (Distinction) from the University of Nottingham and an MBA from the University of Lagos, Folasade bridges policy, practice, and strategic leadership in a way that is uniquely valuable for school founders who want to build institutions designed to last.

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Blessing Ngozi Omosebi

Cambridge Assessment Specialist | Instructional Designer & Learning Strategist · Author

Threshold Edge Limited

Certified Cambridge educator, instructional designer, and learning strategist with over 13 years of experience transforming education and training. Has trained over 10,000 educators on Cambridge International Education (CIE), IGCSE, AS & A Level Economics and Business Studies. Cambridge Assessment Specialist contributing to global educational standards. Business Analyst Consultant at Nebiant Analytics with expertise in Agile, Power BI, and SQL. Advisory Board Member at Threshold Edge Limited. Author of Echoes of Learning and The Clarity Advantage. Top 10 Edu-Influencer of the Year 2024 (Iconic Brand Africa). Best Graduating Student MSc Management, University of Lagos (CGPA 4.87/5.00).

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Pamilerin Akabunwa

Legal Practitioner

Moroom Africa Legal Consults

seasoned legal practitioner

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Adeleke Adesina

PhD | Business Systems Coach & School Founder | Lecturer, University of Lagos

ADELEKE ADESINA COMPANY À The Rock Empire Group of Schools

Dr. Adeleke Adesina holds a PhD in Chemistry Education from the University of Ibadan, an MEd from the University of Lagos, and certifications from the UK's Systems Academy, the School of Consulting London, and Finland's School of Education ù giving him a rare blend of academic depth and global practitioner credibility. A Lecturer at the University of Lagos for over a decade, he is also the founder of five businesses, including The Rock Empire Group of Schools in Lagos, which means he brings lived school-founder experience into every coaching conversation. As Founder of ADELEKE ADESINA COMPANY, he has spent 17 years helping executives build the systems, structures, and processes that move organisations from founder-dependency to scalable performance. In the SMI programme, Adeleke equips school leaders with the business architecture their institutions need ù the workflows, operational structures, and organizational design that allow a school to run profitably and grow without the founder being the bottleneck.

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Mary Ekemezie

Lead Consultant, ME Consult

ME Consult

My Leadership Journey ​My leadership journey is rooted in corporate excellence, systemic capacity building, and a deep-seated commitment to institutional governance. I began my professional trajectory handling high-stakes corporate and commercial transactions, eventually rising to the position of Managing Associate at Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie (UUBO), one of Nigeria’s premier full-service law firms. Driven by a passion to bridge the gap between theory and practical compliance, I transitioned into entrepreneurship as the Founder and Lead Consultant at ME Consult, and the Founder of ME Academy—an NBA-ICLE accredited training and e-learning platform. ​Beyond corporate borders, my leadership spans public policy and community development. I am an alumna of both the NIA Leadership Institute and The School of Politics, Policy and Governance (SPPG). Currently, I serve on the board of the African Christian Professionals Forum, guide institutional policy within the National Assembly Business Environment Roundtable (NASSBER) Expert Network, and chair the Employment and Industrial Relations Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Business Law. ​Key Accomplishments ​Educational Entrepreneurship: Founded ME Academy, successfully designing an accredited e-learning ecosystem that bridges critical knowledge gaps and instills corporate governance in startups and SMEs. ​Industry Leadership: Recognized as a National Leader by Who's Who Legal for outstanding expertise in labour and employment law. ​Academic Contribution: Served as a visiting lecturer at Wavecrest College of Hospitality, translating complex corporate and hospitality law into actionable training for students. ​Institutional Governance: Actively shaping national policy frameworks through the NASSBER Expert Network and managing legal compliance and structural strategies for market-leading corporate transactions. Relevance to Mentoring School Leaders ​While my primary background is in corporate and employment law rather than building primary or secondary schools, my expertise directly addresses the operational vulnerabilities that face modern school administrators. Effective school leadership requires managing an institution like a thriving, compliant enterprise. My background makes me uniquely relevant to mentoring school leaders in three critical areas: ​Employment Law & Talent Management: Schools are highly staff-dependent institutions. My recognized expertise in employment relations equips me to mentor school leaders on building healthy workplaces, managing staff transitions, and navigating labor compliance smoothly. ​Corporate Governance & Sustainability: Through my work at ME Academy, I specialize in helping organizations establish robust internal systems, regulatory compliance, and risk management skills that are essential for school leaders trying to build institutions that survive long-term. ​ Experience & Youth Mentorship: Having served as a tertiary-level lecturer and as a volunteer facilitator teaching ethics and human dignity to young girls through the Women's Board, I understand the practical dynamics of instructional delivery and holistic student development.

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Jennifer Dammo

Founder and Lead HR Consultant

The HR Hub Nigeria

I lead The HR Hub Nigeria, an HR consulting practice I founded to help organizations build the people systems they depend on but rarely get right: hiring, performance management, staff development, and retention. My background is not in running a classroom, it is in the part of leadership that determines whether a school holds together: leading people. Over 8 years I have built and led my own team, advised founders and executives across EdTech, travel-tech, and SME sectors, and served as a mentor at Founder Institute. My EdTech retainer work puts me directly inside education organizations, where I see the same recurring failure point that holds school leaders back. They are promoted for instructional or visionary strength, then expected to hire well, manage underperformance, and retain good staff with no real training in any of it. That is exactly where I add value. I design practical, ready-to-use systems such as performance frameworks, hiring structures, onboarding and L&D programs, and team operating rhythms that a leader can actually run. I have built these for live clients, not as theory, and I coach leaders through using them. For school leaders, my relevance is direct. The hardest, least-supported part of their role is people leadership, and that is my entire field. I can help a school leader move from reacting to staff problems to building systems that prevent them, while developing their own capacity to lead a team with clarity and confidence.

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Ify Obidi-Essien

Founder & CEO

Tech-Savvy Teacher International

Ify Obidi-Essien is a Microsoft Global Training Partner and the founder of Tech-Savvy Teacher International, an EdTech organisation she has led for nearly a decade from Lagos with active operations across Nigeria, Dubai, Rwanda, and Kenya. Her most distinctive credential: she was among the practitioners who contextualised Microsoft's certified educator (MCE) curriculum for African classroom realities, making globally recognised teacher-tech certification accessible to educators across the continent. A Certiport Authorised Testing Centre operator and recipient of a Women and Leadership certification (Grade A, European Business University of Luxembourg), Ify bridges corporate technology standards and frontline education. Her T.E.D.A. (Tech Executive Development Academy) coaching programme develops education leaders, and her work as Project Consultant on the Charterhouse School Lagos initiative ù West Africa's first British Independent School ù demonstrates reach across elite and community education contexts alike. Ify has spoken at eLearning Africa and other international platforms, and is completing a Master's in Digital Transformation at Nexford University. She brings to SMI participants a rare combination: deep technical certification expertise, a proven system for scaling digital skills across African markets, and nearly a decade of institution-building experience.

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Toyin Sam-Emehelu

PhD | Founder, CoreSkills Transformational Academy | John C. Maxwell Foundation

CoreSkills Transformational Academy À Equip Nigeria

Dr. Toyin Sam-Emehelu has spent 13 years doing one thing: developing leaders who transform institutions. Holding a PhD in Educational Management and Planning and an M.Ed in Educational Psychology from the University of Lagos, she founded CoreSkills Transformational Academy Limited and serves as Director of Partnerships at Equip Nigeria ù the John C. Maxwell Foundation's African arm ù working with school leaders, NGOs, and SMEs across five African countries. An Accredited and Licensed Management Trainer by the Federal Republic of Nigeria (CMD), Fellow of the Pan African Consultant Association, and active mentor with the MasterCard Foundation, Tony Elumelu Foundation, and Teach For Nigeria, Dr. Toyin is among Africa's most credentialed practitioners in education leadership and human capital development. She has distilled over a decade of field experience into 33 published books on leadership, coaching, and organizational transformation.

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Ayokanmi Moriyonu-Bamidele

Chartered Accountant & Financial Services Consultant

Skyelip International Limited

Ayokanmi holds four professional certifications ù ACA, ACTI, AAT, and CFA Level I ù alongside an MSc in Finance from the University of Lagos and alumni status from the McKinsey Forward Program, making this one of Nigeria's most comprehensively credentialed school finance profiles. As founder of Skyelip International Limited, Ayokanmi has spent over five years guiding SMEs through financial planning, tax compliance, investment strategy, and corporate governance. School leaders in the SMI programme gain a practitioner-led guide to building financially sustainable institutions ù from budget management and audit readiness to tax obligations and sound investment decisions.

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Adebisi Alex Olalekan

Leadership Coach & Organizational Development Consultant

Global Leadership Transformational

Adebisi Alex Olalekan is a leadership coach and organizational development consultant who has spent 8 years building leadership frameworks for individuals, communities, and institutions in Lagos. As Founder and CEO of Global Leadership Transformational, he champions a conviction that leadership is a formal discipline ù not a subset of management skills ù and that Africa's transformation hinges on embedding it into education at every level, from nursery school to the boardroom. His background spans nearly seven years of youth pastoral leadership at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, where he developed and led community transformation programmes, combined with business management credentials from Tekedia Institute (Mini-MBA, Distinction), Accra Business School, and Miami University's Innovation and Creativity programme. In the SMI programme, Adebisi works with school leaders on the often-overlooked dimension of leadership character ù the values, influence, and internal frameworks that determine whether a school's culture outlasts its founder.

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Chisom Ekwerike

Brand Growth Strategist & Associate Chartered Marketer (CIM)

BuildurBrand

Chisom Ekwerike is an Associate Chartered Marketer (CIM, UK) and brand growth strategist whose work sits at the intersection of storytelling, consumer psychology, and data-driven positioning. Holding an MSc in Digital Communication with Distinction from the University of Chester, she has trained 100+ business owners on how to clarify brand positioning, build audience trust, and convert visibility into revenue ù delivering a 45% engagement increase and 30% conversion improvement for the brands she has led. As Senior Brand Marketing Manager at BuildurBrand and formerly a Customer Insights Analyst for Hastings Direct, Chisom brings both the creative and analytical sides of brand building. For school leaders, she addresses one of the most neglected assets in education: a school's brand ù how parents perceive it, how communities talk about it, and how it earns trust long before enrolment conversations begin.

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Omolade Olalemi

Legal

Scott's Legal

My leadership journey has basically been about volunteering my skills, talent and experience in order to contribute to other people's wellbeing and success in all spheres of endeavour. My key accomplishment has been being a part of the success story that inspires and impacts lives and livelihoods to aspire to greater heights and achieve great success. In my profession as a lawyer, I have supported individual and business clientele alike to achieve their differing goals and objectives. I intend to volunteer my experience as a leadership and change professional colored with my legal practice and experience to support school management and leadership in achieving their set educational goals

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Kenechukwu Nsofor

Director | Multi-Campus School Builder

Field Field International School

Kenechukwu "KC" Nsofor is one of the few mentors in this programme who has done exactly what SMI participants are trying to do ù build a school from the ground up and scale it. Growing up in Onitsha, KC spent his school holidays working as staff in the family's K-12 institution, learning every layer of school operations from the inside. Upon graduation, he took over its management and over the next 17 years grew it into a network of four campuses serving over 2,500 students ù earning a top 10 ranking among schools in Anambra State. As Director of Learning at Field International School, KC brings knowledge no textbook can replicate: the operational realities of multi-campus management, teacher retention, school finance under pressure, and the systems that allow a school to grow without falling apart. When school founders in the SMI programme face the challenges of scale, KC has already lived through them.

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Harmony Chris Igbala

Co-Founder & COO, EduMESS | CEO, FUCHI HUB TECHNOLOGIES

EduMESS À FUCHI HUB TECHNOLOGIES

Harmony Chris Igbala is the co-founder and COO of EduMESS ù the school management platform that powers the administrative backbone of SMI participant schools. With roots going back to 2014 when he co-founded Activescholar (EduMESS's predecessor), he has spent over a decade building the technology that helps African schools manage academic, financial, and operational activities from a single platform. As CEO and Co-Founder of FUCHI HUB TECHNOLOGIES, he brings full-stack technical capability across database management, data science, mobile and web development, and AI ù combined with 7 years of large-scale operations management with the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria. Currently completing a PhD in Leadership and Administration, Harmony helps SMI school leaders understand, adopt, and extract full value from the technology systems that separate well-run schools from struggling ones.

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Chike Okoli

CEO

EDUMESS

Chike Okoli has spent 14 years solving one problem: making African schools easy to run. As Co-Founder and CEO of EduMESS, a school management platform with 60+ features covering academic, operational, and financial administration ù he has implemented the system in hundreds of K-12 institutions across Africa and forged a strategic training partnership with Sterling Bank to help school owners build stronger management practice. A First Class Honours Computer Science graduate from Tansian University (CGPA 4.57/5.0), Founder Institute Lagos alumnus, and the subject of features in Punch, Vanguard, and The Sun, Chike also brings government-scale execution credibility ù having led the deployment of over one million biometric ID cards across all 36 Nigerian states. In the SMI programme, he equips school leaders to understand, adopt, and leverage the technology systems that allow schools to operate efficiently and grow without founder dependency.

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Omolayo Olorunsola

Legal practitioner

Ly Corporate Compliance Limited

I am a Legal Practitioner with experience, expertise, and interest in Company Secretaryship, Corporate Governance, Business Law, Taxation, Data Protection Compliance and Intellectual Property Law. I assist New Founders and existing Business Owners including teachers formalize their Business legally, obtain relevant licenses & permits to operate, ensure adequate tax filings, secure their Intellectual Property and ensure that Businesses comply with all Data Protection Laws to prevent Regulatory issues. I am the convener of the CAMA 2020 Reading Challenge with over 900 legal practitioners participation all over the world. I am a public speaker with interest in moderating/facilitating and discussing vital issues on Company Secretaryship, Corporate Governance, Data Protection, Taxation, Business Law and Intellectual Property. I am also a writer as I have written several articles and blogposts on the above mentioned areas which are currently published on @simplylaw.com.ng, other legal blogs and my LinkedIn Newsletter. I also taught Company law as a per time lecturer at a private university for 2 semesters in 2025. I am open to more facilitations and Discussion opportunities (free or paid) on the above mentioned areas of law.

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Lucy Aniagolu

Founder and Training designer

Agrodemy Technologies

I am a Learning and Development Specialist, instructional designer, and founder of Agrodemy Technologies, where I design and deliver learning programs that equip entrepreneurs and professionals with practical skills. Over the past six years, I have worked across education, entrepreneurship, and agribusiness, leading training programs, developing curricula, and supporting organizations in building sustainable initiatives. My experience in fundraising comes from securing opportunities through grants, fellowships, scholarships, strategic partnerships, and sponsorships. I have successfully applied to and been selected for several highly competitive international programs and have supported entrepreneurs and organizations in becoming funding-ready by strengthening their proposals, impact measurement, and organizational positioning. I am passionate about helping founders understand that successful fundraising goes beyond writing grant applications—it requires a clear vision, measurable impact, strong storytelling, and sustainable funding strategies. As an SMI mentor, I look forward to equipping school owners with practical approaches they can use to attract funding and build resilient educational institutions.

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LYDIA CHIBUEZE

Educational Systems Consultant

how to pitch

If someone had told me twenty-two years ago that I would one day mentor school founders, I probably would not have believed them. At the time, I was simply trying to become the best teacher I could be. Over the years, my work grew beyond the classroom. I served as a Head Teacher, worked alongside teachers and school leaders, and found myself in conversations with school owners who were trying to answer difficult questions about the future of their schools. Those conversations changed the way I see education. For more than ten years, I have watched schools begin with little more than a vision and a few classrooms. Some became schools that families trusted for years. Others struggled, not because the founders lacked passion, but because passion alone cannot build a school. Schools are sustained by sound decisions, strong systems, and leaders who are willing to keep learning. That has been one of the most important lessons of my career. Along the way, I have trained teachers across more than 30 schools. Every training reminded me that when teachers grow, children benefit. But I also came to understand that lasting improvement does not happen through teacher training alone. It happens when school leaders create an environment where good teaching can flourish. That realization is what gradually drew me towards supporting school founders and leaders. I hold a Master's degree in Special Needs Education and I am currently pursuing a PhD in the same field. My studies continue to deepen my understanding of inclusive education, but it is my years inside schools that have taught me how leadership decisions shape teachers' confidence, children's learning, and the culture of an entire school. Outside my professional role, I publish Beyond Inclusion Barriers, a fortnightly newsletter with more than 2,200 subscribers, including school founders, chief executives, school leaders, teachers, and professionals from different fields. I started writing because I wanted conversations about education to move beyond theory and focus on the everyday decisions that determine whether schools truly serve the children entrusted to them. Every edition is another opportunity to encourage thoughtful leadership and practical action. When I think about mentoring, I do not think about having all the answers. I think about helping someone avoid mistakes that experience has already taught me. I think about asking the question that helps a founder see a challenge differently. I think about being the kind of sounding board every leader needs but does not always have. At this stage of my career, success is no longer measured only by the children I teach. It is also measured by the leaders I help, the schools they build, and the lives those schools will shape long after our conversations are over. That is why becoming an SMI Mentor is important to me.

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Kate Osaze

CEO & Co-Founder | Reswitch

Reswitch

My career has been built around leading complex projects, building organisations and bringing together diverse stakeholders to achieve meaningful outcomes. I am an Electrical Engineer, Lawyer and Founder & CEO of Reswitch, a technology company helping regional communities access and benefit from renewable energy developments across Australia. Over the past 15 years, I have led multidisciplinary teams and delivered major energy infrastructure and renewable energy projects involving government, industry, local councils and community stakeholders. My experience spans strategic leadership, project delivery, stakeholder engagement, commercial negotiations, governance and organisational growth. As a founder, I have built a technology company from concept to commercial delivery, giving me first-hand experience in leading through uncertainty, driving innovation and building high-performing teams.

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Nkem Muoghalu

Lead Consultant

NovaHeights Consulting

My leadership journey has been built through over 10 years of working across the private sector, public sector, and development sector, helping organisations solve complex challenges and deliver impact. I strongly believe that success is incomplete unless we help others succeed too. This belief shapes how I lead, mentor, and serve. Wherever I find myself, I intentionally strive to ensure that people leave better than they met me and organisations are stronger because I was there. I am excited to bring this same mindset and practical experience to mentoring school leaders.