About Wanjiru
Dr. Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg is a visionary leader and cultural polyglot with a track record of turning bold ideas into lasting institutions. She currently serves as Managing Director for Africa at the Alliance of Biodiversity International and CIAT, part of CGIAR. In her role, she leads a team of 600+ scientists across 19 countries, shaping climate-smart, inclusive agricultural innovation.
A dynamic speaker and experienced board member, Wanjiru brings insight and executional rigor across sectors. She is the founder of Akili Dada and Black Women in Executive Leadership (B-WEL), and previously led initiatives at the Ford Foundation, Schmidt Futures, and AWARD.
Named a White House Champion of Change and one of the 100 Most Influential Africans, Wanjiru is sought after for her strategic clarity, global perspective, and commitment to stopping the waste of human potential. In addition to speaking five languages, Wanjiru is fluent in research, activism, and impact—always bridging worlds in service of creating a more equitable future.
IN HER OWN WORDS
The Leadership Journey
From Nairobi to Minnesota and back — Wanjiru on the experiences, choices, and convictions that shaped her path.
Media Kit
Wanjiru is a globally recognised leader, trusted expert, and compelling speaker whose work spans ESG, climate resilience, gender equity, and inclusive leadership. For press features, speaking engagements, or formal introductions, download her full bio and access high-resolution images below.
FEATURED IN
The New York Times
"Since earning her doctorate at the University of Minnesota, Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg, 45, has focused on helping other women reach their educational and career goals in fields including agriculture, climate and technology."
Read in The New York Times →FEATURED IN
DAILY NATION
How Dr. Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg shattered global glass ceilings — from founding Akili Dada to launching B-WEL and redefining what leadership looks like for African women worldwide.
Read the full feature →MONICA ALEMAN · FORD FOUNDATION
"Feminist leadership is often described as a value. In Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg, it is a practice — disciplined, rigorous, and institutionally consequential.
At Akili Dada, she built the argument that brilliance without structural support is a philanthropy failure, not an individual one. Through B-WEL, she extended that conviction into one of the most underfunded spaces in the sector: the wellbeing of women leaders themselves. These are not parallel projects. They are a coherent feminist theory of change, executed across decades.
What sets Wanjiru apart is her expertise in philanthropy itself — not as a recipient navigating the system, but as someone who understands how funding decisions are made, where they fall short, and how they can be redesigned for more equitable outcomes. She has sat on both sides of the table, and she uses that vantage point to ask harder questions of the sector.
At the Ford Foundation we work with leaders willing to hold power accountable — including the power held by institutions like ours. Wanjiru has that courage. For any organization serious about gender justice as a transformative agenda, she does not merely model the vision. She advances it."