In this episode of Ziwani’s RISK series, host Doreen Zaki sits down with Valentine Gitoho – Kenya’s first female chartered accountant and a woman whose extraordinary 45-year career has spanned continents and countless crises. Valentine shares some of the moments that defined her – from refusing to open a company safe at gunpoint, to walking away from a prestigious promotion in pursuit of purpose. Exploring how corruption quietly corrodes not only institutions in the here and now, but families and communities for generations to come, Valentine reminds us that 'doing what is right' doesn’t start with systems or governments. It starts with you and me. Every choice, every transaction, every act of honesty or compromise shapes the world we live in. Their conversation is more than a commentary on risk – it's a call to rediscover the kind of integrity that outlasts fear, outshines profit, and ultimately reshapes the future of leadership in Africa.

In this episode of Ziwani’s RISK series, host Doreen Zaki interviews Elizabeth Ntege, CEO of NFT Consult – a highly regarded HR firm that has grown over the past 20 years to offer specialist recruitment and skills training services across 12 African countries.   Elizabeth shares how NFT’s journey has been shaped by taking meaningful risks, from moving across industries to expanding into new markets. How do you build a business rooted in integrity when corruption is widespread? How do you scale operations sustainably across borders while safeguarding culture and values? And how do you turn risk into resilience, ensuring not just jobs, but livelihoods across the continent?   Tune in for practical lessons and fresh inspiration on how wise risk-taking can grow not just a business, but a legacy of sustainable impact.

In this episode, Competition vs. Collaboration, recorded live at Ziwani's At The Lake, accomplished business leaders share profound insights into how they navigate the real dynamics of competing and collaborating, while faithfully pursuing God’s calling in the way they build and steward their businesses. Watch the video here: https://ziwani.com/what-to-watch/at-the-lake-competition-vs-collaboration

In this episode of Ziwani’s RISK series, host Doreen Zaki interviews entrepreneur Joram Mwinamo, founder of SNDBX – which since 2007 has successfully expanded from Kenya to the US, the UK, South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal. Joram shares unique insights into scaling up from Africa to the rest of the world. How do you identify the right customer? How do you navigate cultural differences? How do you resist corruption when this causes you to lose out on big deals? How do you build systems that enable rapid responses to new opportunities ánd protect long-term growth? Tune in to hear Joram’s practical lessons on building a business that scales with integrity, resilience, and Kingdom-minded purpose. Let his experience inspire you to rethink risk, embrace bold ideas, and finally take your business beyond borders.

In this episode of Ziwani’s RISK series, Kerryne Krause interviews Solomon Abiakalam, Group Director of Compliance, Financial Crime, and Conduct at Equity Bank. With 25 years of financial management experience across West and East Africa, Solomon provides insights on how effective risk management acts not as a constraint, but as an important enabler of growth – the braking system that allows organisations to move at top speed with confidence.   With clarity and warmth, he unpacks his five-step strategy for managing risk – from identifying key exposures, to building in strong controls, and ensuring honest reporting. Speaking candidly about regulatory burdens, people risks, and the challenges of micromanagement, Solomon offers a gospel-shaped vision of risk that is both deeply practical and spiritually grounded. So whether you're building a new business or managing complexity at scale, his hands-on wisdom for navigating uncertainty will sharpen your leadership, strengthen your systems, and expand your vision for what’s possible.

“It is a fallacy and a fantasy to think that you can live your life without risk. So let’s just start there, right? Life is risky – welcome to the game show!”   In this fifth episode of Ziwani’s RISK series, Kerryne Krause interviews Curt and Katrina Aitken-Laird – who have spent decades living and working in some of the world’s most fragile contexts, from Afghanistan to Somalia. Drawing from their experiences in building a billion-dollar business in frontier markets and raising a family while being on a hit list – they challenge the short-sighted models of venture capital that often dominate investment decision-making, and call on Christians to rethink the far-reaching opportunities available to them.   Be stirred by their honest reflections on joy, grief, redemptive purpose, and the Kingdom logic that dares to go where others won’t.

In this fourth episode of Ziwani’s RISK series, Kerryne Krause interviews Musyoki Muindi, a Kenyan entrepreneur in the electric motorbike market. He shares what it takes to pioneer new technology, highlighting how Enzi’s success is built on two priorities: chasing high performance through community-driven R&D, and ensuring their riders can always keep moving, no matter what.   He also offers deeply personal insights on risk and responsibility from his 17-year career at an international mission organisation, working in East Africa, the UK and the US – reflecting that God sometimes takes us on unexpected detours that only make sense in retrospect.   From lessons learned in navigating the complex dynamics of cross-cultural partnerships, to carefully calculating risk without seeing the whole picture, Musyoki’s story invites us to take a more nuanced view of risk, to value relationships, and to trust the unfolding purposes of God.

In this third episode of Ziwani’s RISK series, Kerryne Krause and Lerato Thekiso reflect on the importance of prudently counting the cost of risk as business leaders. From taking that first step as an entrepreneur to confronting corruption – they agree that good intentions must be matched with wisdom, governance and grit.   As an example, Kerryne shares a sobering story of a well-intentioned but hasty decision to comply with new legislation – one that cost her company millions and nearly shut it down. So whether you're navigating regulatory complexity, ethical grey areas, or high-pressure leadership moments, this episode will challenge you to see risk not as something to avoid, but as something to ReFrame – through courage and a Kingdom lens.

Why would you leave the promise of career success and return to the slums you came from – on purpose?   In this second episode of Ziwani’s new RISK series, Kerryne Krause interviews Emmanuel Trinity, a remarkable Ugandan entrepreneur who went from unwilling gang member to leading a thriving group of social enterprises that have created over 3,000 jobs for youth in some of the toughest communities in Kampala.   He shares the counter-intuitive decisions that have defined his journey so far – like quitting a dream job at Coca-Cola to return to the slums, shifting from primarily US and UK outsourcing clients to focusing on African markets, and launching a microfinance bank to help break the cycle of poverty.   Be inspired by his story of radical faith, redemptive entrepreneurship, and the courage to ReFrame risk through a Kingdom lens.

In this first episode of Ziwani’s new RISK series, Kerryne Krause and Rorisang Tshabalala dive into the high-stakes world of business decision-making. A blend of personal reflection, leadership principles, and business strategy – their candid conversation offers fresh insights on how to navigate those life-changing moments when opportunity, fear, risk and ambition collide. As they unpack the rewarding yet often uncomfortable journey of playing to win when the outcome uncertain, find out how to: Identify the right risks worth taking Shift from fear-based to opportunity-based leadership Take Gospel-inspired action that leads to the breakthroughs you’ve been waiting for. Tune in, and let’s explore what it means to ReFrame RISK through a Kingdom lens.

In this episode, recorded live at Ziwani's At The Lake, accomplished business leaders Sammy Rabolele, Victori Ibhawa and Emmanuel Trinity share their profound insights on the concept of Pricing, Profit & Purpose, delving into the tensions of staying profitable yet fulfuling their God purpose through business.

In this bonus episode of the Big Change series, Jonathan Wilson and Andy Crouch reflect on 'the power of power' to drastically change the world in a short period of time. Offering penetrating insights on the power of charisma, the power of money, the power of position and authority, and the power of technology – they unmask some of the underlying forces that drive our world, and explain how to use the power we have, wisely.

In this episode, recorded live at Ziwani's At The Lake, accomplished business leaders Marion Wanyoike, Peter Mukiibi, Keri-Leigh Paschal and Godman Akinlabi share their profound insights on the concept of Kingdom Culture, delving into how we as business leaders can create strategies to ensure that we lead our organisations and teams from a Kingdom perspective.

In this last episode, Jonathan Wilson and Justina Ojom reflect on the Big Change series – through the lens of her personal experiences in addressing gender-based violence in Uganda. They discuss the value of human-centred design in the problems we want to solve, and the importance of proximity to the people we want to serve. Pointing out that 'the journey is not complete until everyone has played their part in it' they encourage all of us to pursue big change through our daily work.

In Episode 11 of the Big Change series, Jonathan Wilson and renowned systems thinker Sammy Njenga analyse the apostle Paul's letter to Philemon in detail. They consider the context of slavery in the Roman Empire both as a personal experience, and as the socio-economic system that simply 'made life work'. So how can ordinary individuals such as you and me bring about change in a seemingly unbreakable system? We encourage you to listen and find out.

In Episode 10 of the Big Change series, Jonathan Wilson and Andy Crouch debate the controversial topic of the historical impact of church and missions. Pointing out that pride mixed with a proximity to power almost inevitably leads to destructive outcomes, they candidly acknowledge that sometimes the church justly deserves scorn for its bad behaviour. They also shed light on ground-breaking, secular Sociology studies that demonstrate the value of Christianity as a foundation for stable modern democracies. Definitely a must-listen-to episode!

In Episode 9 of the Big Change series, the Rev. Dr Dennis Tongoi joins Jonathan Wilson to shed light on African Traditional Religion, animism, and the experience of demonic powers. Drawing on the Biblical story of a witch doctor paid to curse Israel (Balaam and Balak) they provide a deeply thoughtful perspective on how dark powers can trap us in destructive behaviours (whether we believe in them or not), and how these are ultimately powerless against God's blessing over our lives.

Acclaimed podcaster and author Justin Brierley joins Jonathan Wilson in Episode 8 to explore why so many prominent atheists are rejecting secular materialism, and re-evaluating the merits of the Christian faith. They discuss how many of these secular elites are reassessing the perceived triumph of science over religion, as well as the fallacy that Western values such as human rights stem from the Greco-Roman world. For those seeking to live a meaningful life, Christianity is once again emerging as a compelling intellectual option. You can find Justin Brierley’s book The Surprising Rebirth Of Belief In God here: https://justinbrierley.com/the-surprising-rebirth-of-belief-in-god/

Fellow venture capitalist Mr David Harlley joins host Jonathan Wilson in Episode 7 of the Big Change series. They argue that the current state of capitalism closely resembles the feudal system it rejected centuries ago, and that there is a need in both the global North and global South to re-imagine work and wealth distribution. In response to this systemic challenge they offer a different approach of deploying venture capital, in light of a generative, non-extractive view of capital and capital growth. (We apologise for the sound quality of this episode.)

Medical technology innovator Dineo Lioma joins host Jonathan Wilson in Episode 6 of the Big Change series. They consider different approaches to solving the systemic issue of enabling equal access to quality healthcare, in a country where millions of people have extremely limited options. Their thought-provoking discussion ranges far and wide – from building a start-up, to the historical fight against the slave trade, to South Africa's proposed NHI. You can find Adam Hothchild’s book Bury The Chains: Prophets and Rebels in the Fight to Free an Empire's Slaves here: https://www.amazon.com/Bury-Chains-Prophets-Rebels-Empires/dp/0618619070