- Shikoh Gitau, CEO, Qhala, Kenya
- Dimeji Onafuwa, Principal UX Research Manager, Microsoft, USA
Keynote Speakers Bios
Shikoh Gitau, PhD.
Shikoh is the CEO at Qhala Ltd, a Digital Innovation company that catalyzes digital transformation capabilities for organizations across Africa. Additionally; she is also the Co-founder and Managing Partner at Q-Ventures, a human capital fund working with subject matter experts across the continent. Q-venture boasts a portfolio of 12 ventures in early stages with a bias towards women first time founders. Shikoh has over 15 years of experience in Venture Building, Research, Design, Implementation, and Management of Digital Technologies. She has established expertise in both African and Emerging Markets specialized in solving problems in Agriculture, Education, Health, Payments, Retail and Renewable energies.
She is responsible for the set-up of Safaricom Alpha, a first of the kind corporate innovation hub in Africa. Where she worked as the Head of Products; Incharge of the Innovation Center and corporate venture capital and was acting Chief Innovation Officer. Shikoh also led Safaricom’s foray into becoming a digital company, by putting together a strategy, and cross-functional teams to execute the strategy.
Previously worked with Africa Development Bank (AfDB), where she was leading the bank’s investments in Innovation and ICT and advising governments across Africa to adopt ICT for service delivery. She developed the Digital Government Blueprint, which was a tool to enable the bank’s investments into Africa’s Digital Economy, a strategic document to guide governments in digital transformation, now adopted by Smart Africa.
She has also worked with Google and Microsoft in their emerging markets teams. She has received numerous awards in recognition of her efforts in influencing Business and Government as well as Technology.
Shikoh seats on various boards in ICT companies and contributes to a number of steering committees and think tanks on Africa and technology. Shikoh holds a PhD and MSc in Computer Science from the University of Cape Town, South Africa.
Dimeji Onafuwa, PhD.
Dr. Dimeji Onafuwa is a design research leader, artist, and educator whose interests intersect with transition design, the pluriverse, and how design can enable living together.
Dimeji earned a Ph.D. in Design from Carnegie Mellon University. His doctoral study investigated commons-based approaches to user experience on platforms, including a funded research study with the Human Computer Interaction Institute on Understanding the Needs of Prospective Tenants. Dimeji also holds an MBA in Management from University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a BA in design and studio art from Concord University. He is currently a Principal UX Research Manager at Microsoft.
Dimeji co-founded Common Cause Collective, an interdisciplinary group of designers applying transition design methodologies to wicked problems in the Pacific Northwest. He has published several papers, written a number of book chapters, and delivered keynote addresses and workshops on design and social justice. He was recently selected to give a graduation address at University of Washington department of Human Centered Design and Engineering (HCDE) graduation ceremony. He also serves on the Advisory Board at that institution. As an artist, Dimeji’s work features in exhibitions at galleries and museums, including the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Art and Culture based in Charlotte North Carolina.