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Jeanette Mwendwa Gitobu

Jeanette Mwendwa Gitobu
Nationality	Kenyan
Education	Bachelor of Arts in Economics
Alma mater	St. Lawrence University
Known for	Executive, Founder, CEO, Philanthropist, Humanitarian

Jeanette Mwendwa Gitobu is a Kenyan sustainable energy advocate, consultant, and one of Africa's leading energy sector executives with experience in leading national, international, and global multi-stakeholder transformation initiatives on a wide range of economic, energy, climate, and sustainable development related challenges. She is the current Director of the Women in Wind Global Leadership Program, a global network and community of expectational leaders with the influence, vision, and courage to drive tangible and sustainable change in the energy sector with a focus on the wind sector and markets in the Global South. The initiative is a partnership between the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and the Global Women's Network for the Energy Transition (GWNET). Jeanette also serves as Policy Advisor, Africa at GWEC.

A seasoned public speaker, Gitobu is a commentator on renewable energy access, the Sustainable Development Goals and the inclusion of women and youth in the energy sector.

Gitobu is also the Founder and CEO of Prestonwook Capital Advisors, a wholly black female owned management consultancy firm driving diversity and inclusion in business with a specific focus on the energy sector. Through delivery of advisory solutions and talent development programs, Prestonwook as a social enterprise provides approachable solutions that sit at the intersection of culture, strategy, and people to create inclusive workplaces where all individuals can succeed.

Outside of her formal employment, Gitobu is a member of the World Economic Forum Global Shaper Community and the Young African Leaders Initiative run by the United States Department of State and began by President Barack Obama.

Early Life and Education

Jeanette Mwendwa Gitobu was born in Nairobi, Kenya although she left her home country at the age 5 due to her parent's jobs as missionaries with the General Board of Global Ministries, the worldwide mission, relief and development agency of The United Methodist Church. The family served in the mission fields of Zambia and Cambodia dedicating over two decades of their lives to mission service.

In Zambia, Gitobu attended Lechwe School in Kitwe, Zambia where she spent her formative educational experience. Once the family moved to Cambodia, Gitobu attended Northbridge International School Cambodia (NISC) under its elementary, middle school, and high school curriculum where key achievements include attending the People to People Student Ambassador Program under the Leadership Track at Harvard University, served as a Mary Jean Eisenhower International Student Delegate at the People to People International Global Youth Forum in Atlanta, Georgia, and received the Global Citizenship Award by the East Asia Regional Council of Overseas Schools.

Upon graduation from high school, Gitobu secured an academic scholarship to St. Lawrence University (SLU) as an International Kenyan Scholar. Continuing with her ethos of service, at SLU Gitobu served as a Residential Assistant in addition to serving on the Student Government Executive Board as Central Treasurer of the St. Lawrence University Student Activities Fund (SLUSAF) and Chairperson of the Budget and Finance Committee. Gitobu also worked as an Analyst at The Carlye Group under their Investor Relations Department.

In her professional career, Gitobu received a scholarship from the Africa-EU Energy Partnership (AEEP) to purse an executive education course titled Financial Modelling for Utility Tariff Setting at the University of Cape Town's Graduate School of Business.

Career

Originally driven to purse a career in finance, Gitobu made the decision to return back to her home country of Kenya after decades abroad.

Upon her return to Kenya, Gitobu's career took an unexpected turn into the energy sector after securing a role at the government parastatal Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) where she worked under the Corporate Planning and Enterprise Risk Management Departments and played a key role in the writing and publication of the 2016/2017 KPC Integrated Risk Management Report published as part of the KPC 2017 Annual Report.

In 2017, Gitobu was hired by Vivo Energy Kenya (Shell Licensee in Africa) where she worked as a Supply Assistant in their Supply and Trading Departments focused on demand & supply planning, contingency planning, operations planning and review, management operations and systems, stocks accounting, and entry management.

2018 was a pivotal year in Gitobu's career when she shifted from the oil & gas industry to the renewable industry after being hired as a Project Developer by Windlab, a global renewable energy development company based out of their Nairobi office. While at Windlab, Gitobu had the distinct opportunity to work on Meru County Energy Park, Africa’s first large scale hybrid wind, solar photovoltaic and battery storage project.

Gitobu currently serves as Director of the Women in Wind Global Leadership Program (the Program) and Policy Advisor, Africa at the Global Wind Energy Council. As Director, Gitobu is responsible for designing and implementing the curriculum of the Program while working across partners to deliver a diverse and multidimensional program for the participants to benefit from. Her work involves creating and executing the Program’s growth strategy, advocacy, production of industry data analysis, media, PR, fundraising, and other activities.

Part of her work also includes engaging with institutions such as the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), UNFCCC, UN (Various agencies), Philanthropic entities, and many other bodies to help raise awareness towards gender equality in the energy transition and provide S.M.A.R.T solutions to ensure the energy transition is a Just Transition.

Awards and Honors

For Gitobu's contributions in the energy space to improve her community, country, and continent:

Year	Title	Issued By	Metro Area	Location	Theme	Description
2022	GreenBiz 30 Under 30 2022	GreenBiz	Global	Global	Leadership, Sustainability	Now in its 7th year, GreenBiz's 30 Under 30 list celebrates young sustainability leaders who are making strides in their corporate sustainability efforts or influencing the business world through startups and nonprofits they have founded or through roles at intergovernmental organizations. What they have in common is setting their minds to making a sustainable impact on fields as diverse as banking, fashion, food, transportation, venture capital and waste management.
2022	HERoes Ethnically Diverse Women Role Models	INVolve, HSBC	Global	Global	Leadership, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion	The HERoes Ethnically Diverse Women Role Models list supported by HSBC celebrates twenty women role models across the globe who are striving to create businesses where everyone can succeed and climb to the top.
2021	Top 40 Under 40 Women	Business Daily Africa	Nairobi	Kenya	Leadership	Business Daily is Kenya’s foremost business newspaper. The Top 40 Under 40 list is the newspaper’s annual selection of the most influential and progressive personalities who have left a mark in corporate Kenya and in business.
2021	Young Energy Professional of the Year	Energy Institute	Global	Global	Leadership	Winner of the sixth edition of the Energy Institute's Young Energy Professional of the Year award. This award is given to young professionals who are the next generation of energy leaders contributing to the energy sector via innovation, drive to deliver, and passion to make a change and impact in their respective fields
2021	HERoes Top 100 Future Leaders	INvolve, Yahoo Finance	Global	Global	Leadership, Gender Equity	The 2021 HERoes Future Female Leaders list celebrates 100 inspirational women who are not yet senior leaders in an organization but are making a significant contribution to gender diversity at work.
2020	Power Gaga Award	Africa Queen of Energy Awards	Nairobi	Kenya	Leadership	This award is sponsored by the Kenyan Ministry of Energy and given to women under the age of 30 who have made a mark in the energy space either through career advancement, business, or innovation that has brought change in their space and society.
2020	McKinsey Women Achievement Award	McKinsey & Company	Nairobi	Kenya	Leadership	The award is given to women leaders who are recognized for improving their communities.
2020	Power Africa's Young Women in African Power	Power Africa, Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI)	Nairobi	Kenya	Leadership	The Young Women in African Power leadership program brings together the next generation of African leaders from different African countries to learn, collaborate, and support USAID and Power Africa's aim to double the access of electricity in Sub-Sahara Africa by 2030.
2018	Special Recognition Award	Vivo Energy	Nairobi	Kenya	Leadership	Project Optima - An award to recognize individuals who go above and beyond the call of duty to ensure the successful implementation of the project.
2012	International Kenyan Scholar	St. Lawrence University	Canton, New York	USA	Education	Awarded on merit to outstanding students from Kenya
2011	Global Citizenship Award	East Asia Regional Council of Schools	Phnom Penh	Cambodia	Cultural Understanding, Humanitarianism	This award is presented to a student who embraces the qualities of a global citizen. This student is a proud representative of his/her nation while respectful of the diversity of other nations, has an open mind, is well informed, aware and empathetic, concerned and caring for others encouraging a sense of community and strongly committed to engagement and action to make the world a better place. Finally, this student is able to interact and communicate effectively with people from all walks of life while having a sense of collective responsibility for all who inhabit the globe.
2010	International Student Delegate - Global Youth Forum	People to People International	Atlanta, Georgia	USA	Youth Leadership	Founded by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, People to People International was created in 1956 to bring together a network of culturally knowledgeable global citizens to be an active force in creating, and sustaining a more peaceful world.

Selected Articles, Blogs, Podcasts, & Presentations

Magazine Features

• Jeanette Mwendwa Gitobu - Leading Renewable Energy & Creating Sustainable Futures
• The 5 Most Influential Business Leaders to Watch in 2022; Jeanette Gitobu: Redefining the Women’s Role in the Renewable Energy Industry

Podcasts

• Energy in Remote Communities: In this episode, host Mathias Steck, Service Area Manager for Renewables Northern Europe at DNV, is joined by Jeanette Mwendwa Gitobu, Director of Women in Wind (WiW) at the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), to explore the role renewable energy mini-grids are playing in supporting the energy transition and how they’re providing greater energy security in more remote communities across the world. Jeanette shares her insights on the framework that’s needed for renewable mini-grid projects to be a success –  including understanding the energy needs of different communities, creating affordable tariffs, and the need to upskill the local work force – and the positive impact of mini-grid solutions on job opportunities.

Public Speaking

• Launch of Nigeria's Energy Transition Plan - The public launch of the Nigeria Energy Transition Plan will showcase the country’s pathway to achieving net-zero emissions by 2060 and their leadership role in enabling a just and equitable climate future for Africa, with the ultimate objective of mobilizing the finance required to jumpstart implementation of the Plan.
• Unlocking Africa; Live from Hamburg - In 2021, the African Region recorded its best year ever, for the second year in a row. In total, 14 GW of new capacity is expected to be added in Africa/Middle East in the next five years (2022-2026), which is primarily driven by growth from South Africa (5.4 GW), Egypt (2.2 GW) and Morocco (1.8 GW) in Africa, and Saudi Arabia (1.3 GW) in the Middle East. While wind is expected to play a role in Africa’s energy mix of the future, there are still a number of questions that the industry needs to work through. In this session, a panel of experts with interest in projects in Africa and the Middle East will tackle the big industry questions relating to Africa’s power needs and wants, international collaboration, and climate change.
• The Big Issues: Diversity and Inclusion - The wind industry has a responsibility to play a federating role in the just transition. As the world moves away from a reliance on fossil fuels, displaced workers from sunsetting industries will gravitate naturally towards the economic value that wind power creates. Ensuring that there are visible pathways for transitioning into wind and making sure that the abundant opportunities in the wind industry are accessible to all regardless of gender, nationality or ability is paramount. There are several industry initiatives dedicated to ensuring diversity and inclusion remain at the forefront of the industry and this session will focus on two such initiatives: Windclusion and Women In Wind.

Personal Life

Gitobu is a citizen of Kenya and speaks 5 languages - English, French, Swahili, Kimeru, and Khmer due to her global upbringing.

She is also an avid paraglider in her personal time and a trained pianist.