Leadership & Team - Tilitonse Foundation

Board of Directors

Desmond Kaunda: Board Chairperson

With close to 20 years in legal, human rights advocacy, social justice, and research fields, Desmond Kaunda is the former Director of the Malawi Human Rights Resource Centre (MHRRC) – a local grants making and capacity development institution for emerging local Non-State Actors, as well as a former Commissioner of the Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC). He is a highly acclaimed social justice and human rights advocate, researcher and trainer. He has been instrumental in championing access to justice and human rights-based approaches in general and for children and women’s rights in particular through, among others capacity building of the Malawi Human Rights Commission, Judiciary, Malawi Police and NGOs, Victim Support Units and One Stop Service Centers.

Mabvuto Kapyepye

Mavuto Kapypeye: Board Member

Mavuto Kapyepye is an international consultant in Organisation Development (OD), an academic at the University of Malawi, author, motivational speaker, coach, and entrepreneur. He has worked with the Wildlife and Environment Society of Malawi (WESM), the Capacity Building Unit for Non-Governmental Organisations (CABUNGO), as Country Manager in Malawi for the Media for Development (UK) and was responsible for Development Broadcasting Unit (DBU) [now Development Communication Trust – DCT], and the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC). Now, he is CEO for Mlambe Consulting Africa (MCAf) and has conducted numerous livelihood research assignments in rural communities in Malawi among other countries.

Charity Mseka

Charity Mseka: Board Member

Charity Mseka is a professional Accountant at the Reserve Bank of Malawi with 35 years of experience in central banking and of these 12 years at senior level. She has a proven track record of success in leadership, financial and management accounting and operations, capabilities in implementing process improvements, delivering solutions within budget and timelines. She is skilled in Project Management, Financial acumen, Procurement, and Strategic planning

Thom Mtenje

Tom Mtenje: Board Member

Tom Mtenje is Deputy Team Leader for the Social Protection Program at Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). Having over 10 years of management experience as well as extensive experience in capacity building and multi-stakeholder coordination at local and national levels, within the international donor community, and various agencies of the Government of Malawi, he also worked at the Consumer’s Association of Malawi, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and Ministry of Economic Planning. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated his understanding and ability to navigate government processes and regulations as well as build and nurture strong working relationships with senior officials in Government, NGOs, donors, the private sector and academia.

Alinafe Mitiyani

Alinafe Mitiyani: Board Member

Alinafe Mitiyani is the first and only female member of Standard Bank IT management team of 11 managers. Managed to set up an IT helpdesk for Standard Bank. Appointed out of 16 IT service managers in Africa to sit in South Africa (Standard Bank Group) on two occasions and acted as IT service availability manager for 4 months and 3 months, serving 16 countries. Actively researches with university students at National college of IT on IT trends. Voluntary website administrator of Ndi Moyo Palliative Care Foundation. Appointed to support IT departments of Standard Bank in Lesotho, Swaziland on special projects.

Ulemu Chiluzi

Ulemu Chiluzi: Board Member

Ulemu Chiluzi has over 18 years’ experience in programme management, fundraising/resource mobilisation and communication in different international NGO’s like Care International, Concern-Universal, Plan International Malawi, ActionAid Malawi and currently Self Help Africa. He participated in the implementation of multi-country projects. Using Human Rights-based Approach, building networks and collaborations with like-minded organisations, working in solidarity with the poor and local organisations to achieve greater impact, he designed, financed and implemented interventions in Education, Livelihood and Food Security, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Child and Maternal Health, HIV and AIDS and Governance.

Alipo Nyondo

Alipo Nyondo: Board Member

Alipo Nyondo is a seasoned Chartered Accountant, specialising in Internal and External Audit, Advisory and Consulting Services and General Accounting. Alipo is a Fellow of Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and a holder of a Bachelor of Accountancy Degree from The University of Malawi, Polytechnic. He is also a member of ICAM. Alipo has over 20 years working experience and is currently the Head of Internal Audit for Standard Bank Malawi. Prior to joining Standard Bank, Alipo worked with PWC Ireland covering a diverse client portfolio. Other prior international experience includes secondments to Deloitte Offices in Miami USA and in Zimbabwe. Currently Alipo serves Tilitonse foundation as Director and is the Chairman of the Finance and Audit Committee. Other Board experience include a representation of Standard Bank on BAM’s Finance and Audit Committee and also a member of the Membership and Publicity Committee of IIAM

Core Management Team

Robert White
Chief Executive Officer

BSoC (Economics), MA (Economics)

Robert White is an experienced Development and Governance Expert with over 20 years working with civil society in various development initiatives. His experience and expertise are multi – disciplinary and encompasses technical and managerial capabilities with a focus on civil society organizations, donor and development partner supported projects and programmes, and public institutions. He is a holder of Master of Arts (Economics) and Bachelor of Social Sciences (Economics) with experience working in full – time employment and in consulting services. He has worked for various organizations and institutions including the Government of Malawi/UNDP 5^th Country Programme, National AIDS Control Programme (now NAC), Joint Oxfam Programme in Malawi, and the Policy Project of the Futures Group.

Robert has also run ROGANA Consulting since 2005 as Director with a focus on governance interventions. He has undertaken assignments in full time employment and consultancy in countries such as Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, South Africa, United Kingdom, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and United States of America. Robert has served in the following Boards: Chairperson of Pakachere Institute for Health and Development Communication; former Director for the Central Region Water Board; former Vice chairperson for the Malawi Economic Justice Network.

Gladney Mulima
Fund and Finance Manager

MBA, ACMA, CGMA, B.Com, CPA (M)

Gladney Mulima is an experienced Chartered Management Accountant, a member of CIMA, CGMA and ICAM. He has extensive board-level experience and worked in both the private and public sectors and has track record of embedding robust financial governance across organisations to protect cash flows and profitability/effectiveness in ensuring sustainability, assembling and managing teams, leading change management initiatives, embedding financial ownership across management teams to drive superior budgetary performance and track record of leading major cost rationalisation programs to remove non-value adding costs (business re-engineering).

Gladney has over 20 years’ experience with over seven years in implementing projects funded by the European Union (EU). He has worked as an Imprest Accounting Officer for a Malawi Government project financed by the EU. Currently he is working as Fund and Finance Manager for Tilitonse Foundation and previously worked for NICE Trust and Micro Program Project all of which were implementing projects funded by the EU. Gladney also has experience in implementing projects funded by other development partners like the World Bank, the Royal Norwegian Embassy and FCDO (formerly DFiD)

Tinkhani Khonje

Tinkhani Khonje
Grants & Partnership Manager

MA – Governance and Public Policy ( University of Queensland Australia) 2013; Australian Leadership Award Scholar (ALAS) 2012; Bachelor of Social Science- University of Malawi

Tinkhani Khonje is a seasoned Governance and Human Rights Specialist with over 18 years extensive experience in the field. Before joining Tilitonse Foundation, she worked for Trocaire as a Governance and Human Rights Advisor where her primary role was to manage and supervise the implementation of various projects. Ms Khonje also worked for Malawi Human Rights Commission as Deputy Director responsible for Education, Information and Training Programmes for the Commission where she was actively involved in designing and implementing educational programmes on Human Rights and Rights Based Approaches for both right holders and duty bearers and advocate and lobby for Policy and Legal Framework that creates a conducive environment where citizens are able to participate and contribute their views without the fear of reprisal. To this end she closely worked and interacted with members of various parliamentary Committees and stakeholders from both Government and Civil society Organisations.