The Safarini Team

We are a team of global executives, community leaders, coaches, and facilitators. We’ve led corporate teams in the energy and tech sectors, international development projects; African government offices; and expeditions across the continent’s most challenging wilderness.

No people or landscapes have inspired us like those of northern Kenya. The natural and cultural richness of these semi-arid rangelands is unmatched in its capacity to challenge and reward those seeking self-discovery.

This is why we created Safarini Leadership: to enable other global professionals to experience and elevate their leadership through this transformational power; bringing ancient wisdom into the modern world.

Oli Raison

From the UK, Oli has been founding, leading and selling businesses in Kenya for 12 years, specializing in organizational culture, people development, leadership training, and coaching. He is a fluent Swahili speaker, holds an MBA from Aston Business School, and a Certificate in Executive Coaching from U.C Berkeley. He has extensive knowledge of cross-cultural team building, international business strategy and operations, and organizational cultural development.

He worked in the UK logistics industry before coming to Kenya for a Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO) placement. He then co-founded EcoZoom in 2013 which he ran as CEO until its acquisition by BioLite Inc, where he is Director of People and Policy. In his earlier career Oli worked in the UAE and Australia as a SCUBA diving professional. He lives for adventure and in his spare time enjoys riding motorcycles and camping in the wilds of East Africa and other parts of the world.

Stephen Labarakwe

From Marsabit County in northern Kenya, Stephen is an elder in the Samburu tribe. He has extensive knowledge of northern Kenya’s various pastoralist tribes, their customs and their history. For over 15 years, he has served in local government, advocating for some of Northern Kenya’s most marginalised people. His work has directly led the construction of four schools in partnership with the Ayuda Foundation in the Netherlands.

He has also worked as a consultant for the Northern Rangelands Trust to develop tourism infrastructure in northern Kenya, leveraging his extensive knowledge of the Ndoto Mountains and Mathews Range, which run south from his home in Marsabit through the Samburu desert.

Stephen holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education from the University of Nairobi and is a qualified school teacher.

Veronicah Lekopole

From Samburu County in northern Kenya, Veronicah is a Health, Gender and Conservation Specialist who has spent 18 years leading community development programs in the region. She co-founded the Centre for Advocacy and Gender Equity (CAGE) to empower female leaders through improved education and land ownership, and has led projects with Fauna and Flora International, Kenya Wildlife Conservancies Association, Zoology Society of London, and International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Veronicah also previously served as a Health Programs Coordinator for Caritas and managed a program to prevent violence against women with the Women Resource Center in Makueni County, Kenya. 

She is a Registered Community Health Nurse and holds a MSc. in Health Economics and Policy from University of Nairobi; a BBA in Entrepreneurship from Kenya Methodist University; and a Diploma in Development Education from Kimmage Development Studies Center in Dublin.

Boris Maguire

From the US, Boris has worked in two dozen countries and lived in five. Ten years ago, he was drawn to Kenya’s “Silicon Savannah”, where he has since specialised in operational strategies for startups seeking pan-African growth and profitability. He has led teams in 10 African countries, serving as CEO for a tech startup and MD of a solar firm. He now leads global operations for Africa’s fastest growing HR fintech. He holds an MPA from Columbia University, a BA from Duke, and a certificate from the African Management Institute.

In his free time, Boris likes to move, by whatever means necessary. He has trekked the ranges of Ecuador, Ethiopia, and Myanmar; snowmobiled across Maine; and raced by bike down Africa’s second highest mountain. He now more often enjoys camping and hiking with his family in search of new challenges, inspiration, and fish. Heeding the call of the north, they are building their home in the Lolldaiga Hills.

Dagama Lenamwera

From in Maralal in northern Kenya, Dagama is an Elder in the Samburu tribe, a bush skills expert, entrepreneur, healer and adventurer. He has worked with Kenya’s leading safari and adventure tour operators, its most exclusive eco-lodge, and with the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK). He is also a qualified rock climber, and he holds certificates in health and safety, security, and wildfire prevention.

Named by his village’s history teacher for the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, Dagama has spent his life exploring the vast rangelands of the north, first as a warrior, caring for and protecting his family’s cattle, and later as a professional guide and bush skills / survival expert— sharing his traditional knowledge and culture with visitors from across the world.

Dagama’s greatest passion is sharing his culture and his homeland with the world and to ensure that they are protected and sustained for his six sons, and other future generations of his people. Like many Samburu however, he is happiest when tending to his cows and sheep.

Advisory Panel

Safarini’s team includes a panel of experts from diverse fields. They provide invaluable guidance on leadership programming, operations and logistics, and strategic direction.

Rhodia Mann

Anthropologist & Historian

Rhodia Mann is a Kenyan-born expert in the northern tribes. A Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, she has published six books on and created The Butterfly People, a documentary about the origins and practices of the Samburu. She is also a retired safari guide, founding the first safari company to specialise in intercultural experiences with indigenous communities. She worked with the National Museum of Kenya to lead the first such tours to northern Kenya.

In 2018, Rhodia donated her extensive 50-year collection of rare and historic Samburu artifacts to the Rhodia Mann Museum of Samburu Culture, which was recently moved and reopened in Westgate Community Conservancy in Samburuland. Rhodia is also an accomplished jewellery designer and bead collector. She has traveled the world in search of rare and significant beads, curated exhibitions at the National Museum of Kenya, and written a guide book on the history of beads in Africa.

David Everhart

CEO, Ionis International Ltd

David is a speaker, facilitator, leadership development expert, and CEO of a boutique provider of inclusive leadership consulting, learning solutions, and coaching services. He specializes in executives with international roles and helps organizations build their inclusive leadership capabilities. His mission is to help leaders, teams, and organizations achieve global success. He believes that increasing respectful and inclusive connectivity across boundaries is the best path to peaceful and sustainable communities.

David is a frequent speaker at conferences on international business topics. He holds multiple certifications for diagnostic assessment tools including for the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), the Kozai Group’s Global Competency Inventory (GCI), and Hogan. David holds an M.A. in East Asian studies from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s degree in history from Cornell University. He speaks Japanese and currently resides in London, UK.

Meghan Doherty

Director, ProjectNext Leadership

Meghan is a certified Coach and former Manager in Deloitte Consulting’s Leadership Development practice. She now designs group coaching and development programs, as well as senior team offsites at ProjectNext Leadership, an executive development, coaching and succession planning company focused on equipping senior leaders in high-impact roles. Meghan holds an MBA from The Wharton School and a BA in Psychology from Harvard.

At Deloitte, Meghan designed and delivered cohort development experiences, conducting executive assessments, and crafting succession planning and leadership development strategies for Fortune 500 companies and others clients across a range of industries. She also served as Head of Business Development at 85 Broads, a network for female business leaders, and as an Analyst at Hay Group, working on leadership development and executive assessments.

Dr. Karen Doll

PSYCHOLOGIST, COACH & CONSULTANT

Dr. Karen Doll is a licensed psychologist, consultant, coach, and author of Building Psychological Fitness: How High Performers Achieve with Ease. She has spent the last 26 years working at the intersection of personal and professional development as a passionate advocate for mental health and human flourishing. She currently serves as the Chair of the Harvard University Human Flourishing at Work Network, and bravely joined Safarini’s Inaugural Journey cohort.

Having spent 26 years partnering with both individuals and organizations, Karen is inspired by helping people thrive, enhance their well-being, and maximize their potential. This led her to join Safarini Leadership’s first cohort, which she described as “one of the most powerful growth experiences I’ve had.”

Karen has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Santa Clara University and a Doctorate of Clinical Psychology from the Minnesota School of Professional Psychology. However, much of her psychological fitness expertise was gained from her role as the mother to five children.