Over the years, I have worked with dozens of CEOs, some newly appointed, others seasoned veterans. They lead complex organizations through uncertain markets, evolving regulations, and rising stakeholder expectations. But when board meetings loom, it’s not the volatility of the market or the aggression of competitors that keeps them up at night. It’s the board itself. Not the board’s oversight. But it’s unpredictability, its politics, its blind spots. And most frustrating of all — its unwillingness to listen and learn. Walking on eggshells in the boardroom In private, many CEOs are remarkably candid. They are not disengaged but quite the…

Course description: The Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) Training Program equips participants with the essential skills to detect, deter, and prevent fraud in various industries across all sectors of an organization. By completing this comprehensive course, participants will gain an in-depth understanding of fraud investigation, ethical practices, legal frameworks, and the implementation of effective fraud prevention strategies. This certification not only boosts your career prospects but also enhances your marketability, job security, and earning potential. Upon completion, you will be prepared to confront fraud in both private and public sectors, develop professional investigative reports, and mentor others on the significance of…

What am I good at? I was once an Internal Auditor at Nile Bank, now ABSA. One day, I witnessed a colleague being terminated for lacking qualifications. That moment cut deep. I went home shaken, not because it happened to someone else, but because it could have been me. So, I did what the comfortable never do. I began reading. Studying. Becoming. Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA. Then Certified Public Accountant (CPA). Then, Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA). Then Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH). Then, Certified Hacking Forensic Investigator (CHFI). Then, Master of Business Administration (MBA). Then Certified Fraud Examiner…

This month (July) 2025, I had the honour of briefing a high-level Board. It always feels nice to engage at the board level. Management had requested that I attend, not as a visitor, but as the one who facilitated the entire strategy planning process. My task was clear: to help the Board understand the process we followed and present the key breakthrough ideas shaping the new strategy. You know, at this level, management must own the strategy. That is why they present it to the Board, not the consultant. My role was to provide an overview of the process behind…

Consultants see a lot. Some time back in 2016, I worked with a bank whose strategy sounded perfect on paper. Five pillars. Fancy PowerPoints. Consultants paid. Town halls held. But six months in, nothing had changed. Just busier people and louder meetings. Why? No data discipline. No execution muscle. Everyone had opinions. No one had facts. Execution is not about shouting louder. It is about measuring tightly. When I came in, I asked one question: “How do you know you are winning?” Blank stares. We started with the basics. Every objective got a scorecard. Every initiative got a weekly dashboard, not a…

I once facilitated a board risk retreat for a fast-growing financial services firm. They had just crossed the 500 billion shilling mark in assets. Celebration everywhere. Balloons. Banners. Speeches. But I noticed something odd in the boardroom. Every risk they mentioned was either on their risk register or in their last audit report. Not one board member asked, “What are we blind to?” I asked the members to reflect: “What if your biggest risk isn’t in the room? What if it is the thing you are not talking about because it is invisible to your current systems?” That is the danger. We…