Lydia Karingithi

Lead operations and strategic market entry for Nexford University in Kenya, developing and executing growth strategies, managing partnerships, and ensuring regulatory compliance to enhance brand visibility and position Nexford as a leader in online higher education.

Nexford University is a next-generation university, and its mission is to enable greater social and economic mobility by providing an affordable high-quality education that will positively impact millions of lives around the world. Achievements - Led operations and strategic market entry for Nexford University in Kenya, driving 20% month-on-month growth in student enrollment and securing 20+ strategic partnerships, while ensuring 100% regulatory compliance to position Nexford as a leader in online higher education. - Set up a local entity for Nexford University to support their community of learners & alumni. - Led the strategic skills gap study in collaboration with the Federation of Kenya Employers, providing actionable insights to inform workforce development and align educational offerings with industry needs. - Led the university’s local recognition with the Commission for University of Education under the Ministry of Education.

In addition to leading the Business Development and Learner Engagement teams, the scope of my role has expanded to include Innovation, and I’m responsible for leading the collection of ideas, collaborative input to assess those ideas, give feedback and strengthen Generation global and Kenya’s collaboration in the creation process of new programmes. Achievements - Vetted and led implementation of innovative initiatives to support learner and alumni engagement and growth. - Launched the Freelancing Program, enabling youth to expand income opportunities through digital skills and entry into the gig economy. - Led the publishing of a psychosocial support for learners and alumni in Kenya that was adopted by all Generation entities globally.

Managed the Business Development, Marketing & Communication functions at Generation which is the world’s largest, fastest scaling youth employment program, providing young people with the opportunity to launch successful careers. Achievements - Multiplied the number of paying clients by 3x thus contributing to the organization’s financial sustainability through increased revenue. - Grew our alumni placement impact metric into meaningful jobs with 15%. - Established and led successful Business Development & Learner engagement functions and managers. - Launched a new innovative program – Digital Customer Service that placed 90% of our alumni into meaningful employment in the BPO sector.

Shortlist is a data-driven technology company that helps employers in East Africa & India to build and develop great teams. The platform screens candidates using customized screening questions and aptitude tests allowing candidates to demonstrate their skills and ability to do the job. Achievements - Devised and implemented Shortlist’s sales & marketing strategy. - Achieved 10% revenue in their 1st year of operation in Kenya - Implemented best practice in business development and partnerships and documented this in a playbook. Shortlist acquired Spire Education in November 2017.

A Corporate training Company that builds learning programs that enable employees to cultivate the professional skills and attitudes they need to be successful on the job. Spire was acquired by Shortlist in November 2017. Achievements: - Successfully established a P&L whose objective was to stop reliance on grant funding. - Led in building the management and strategy of the organization coming from a corporate background, which played a pivotal role in the acquisition of Spire Education by Shortlist.

A multinational market research, analysis and advisory firm that specializes in information technology, telecommunications and consumer markets. Achievements - Achieved 40% of all upselling and cross-selling revenue, earning recognition as the top account management in my tenure. - Increase market penetration by 10% through expansion of current products within major accounts and identifying new business opportunities.

A multinational ICT services and solutions provider that uses its technology expertise, global service delivery capability and entrepreneurial spirit to accelerate the business ambitions of its clients. Achievements - Managed the sales team driving demand for Microsoft Solutions and Services among SMBs in East & Southern Africa, achieving 60% lead generation and 40% conversion rates, positioning us as the best-performing tele sales team in the region. - Delivered consistently against assigned revenue quota/target and manage, inspire and motivate a team of client-facing and high-performing sales people.

Achievements - Championed account management for Microsoft’s Education customers, driving 60% of upselling and cross-selling revenue and earning top education account manager recognition for two consecutive years. - Engaged across 100% dedicated accounts while prioritizing the top 20% high-revenue potential customers, implementing a solution selling framework that contributed to a 30% increase in qualified opportunities.

1. Country of Origin Information, Research & Organization 2. Collection of Bio Data 3. Scheduling & conducting of Refugees interviews