MARTHA MGHENDI-FISHER
Social Entrepreneur, Immigrant, NED, Speaker,Philanthropist
Leading Global Tribes of Fierce & Ethical Women Going against the grain; challenging the status quo; creating change & impact.
My Story
I am originally from Kenya and migrated permanently to the Netherlands in 2008.
I was born and raised in a typical African village communal family; where the kids belonged to the community, and everyone was the other person's keeper and family. People took care of one another.
We shared the little we had. If one lacked flour, they could walk to the neighbours and get a portion of a meal. If they required milk or sugar or salt, or even such a simple thing like fire, the community always shared.
The Ubuntu way of living was so ingrained in us and is/was what makes us. All my life experience is something that drives everything I do in life. The importance and power of a community is what drives my passion.
Time is of the absolute essence, and I use mine wisely by involving myself and working with many initiatives. I do this intentionally because I can and have the capacity to.
My Journey
Fortunately, or unfortunately for me, I took over my paternal grandfather's entrepreneurship genes combined with my maternal grandmother's genes of wanting to help everyone and trying to solve everyone's problems. My entrepreneurship journey started when I was in primary school, where we used to skip school so we could harvest fruits to sell to fellow students. I always could find things to sell.
My drive and curiosity saw me start my first company in 2005- Jumboservers: a website design, search engine optimisation website and email hosting company, that specialised in helping small businesses utilise internet-based technologies to grow their businesses. We did this for a minimal and affordable fee, because in that period these services were too highly-priced for SMEs to afford. With zero training in any technology, I taught myself web design, hosting, support, etc. and had the opportunity to combine entrepreneurship with helping people.
What I Currently Do
I use technology to bring people together, create impact, help people and change the lives of people while doing things that matter. By doing so, I am now able to focus on all my initiatives including;
Where I Add Value
Based on my all-round and vast experience, I offer advisory services, consulting, Non-Executive Board (NED) services, keynote speaking, training and mentorship.
I work with financial institutions, banks, not for profit organisations, retailers, payment service providers, international organisations, governments and international organisations whose mission, work and ethics match mine.
I am a very vocal champion and advocate for children, the vulnerable, marginalised people and women.
I am also a strong advocate for equality, diversity & inclusion; something that mandates that I dedicate a lot of time speaking at conferences and events about the importance and impacts of diversity & inclusion.
There is an African proverb that sums this so well: "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." By having the charm of bringing people together and creating tribes, I, we, can go far by doing many things together as a community.
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