Her Excellency, Dr. Justina Mutale has been globally acclaimed as one of the most influential and inspirational African women. In 2012, she was named African ‘Woman of the Year’, sharing a platform with various African Heads of State.  Dr Mutale is a global impact visionary leader with over 30 years experience working in the diplomatic and international development setting. She is an international development expert, a human rights activist and gender advocate, in addition to being a philanthropist, international leadership expert, international keynote speaker, international guest lecturer and #1 international bestselling author of: “The Art of Iconic Leadership: Power Secrets of Female World leaders” and co-author of the highly cerebral book: “Women on Corporate Boards: An International Perspective”, in addition to contributing to several other global publications and books on leadership, gender, equality, diversity and inclusion, including FORBES Magazine.

Dr Mutale has for years consistently advocated for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. She is Founder and President of the Justina Mutale Foundation and its Scholarship Programme for underprivileged African young women. She is also Convener of the World Summit on Women and Girls and serves on various Boards across the globe, including the World Leaders Forum Dubai, headquartered in the United Arab Emirates.  In addition, Dr Mutale serves as Vice-President of the United Kingdom’s National Alliance of Women’s Organisations based in the UK; and also serves as Global Envoy for Gender Equality Ambassador at the International Women’s Think Tank headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia in the USA. Through her Foundation, Dr Mutale advocates for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in political leadership and economic empowerment by providing leadership and entrepreneurship training, mentorship and coaching. Her Foundation also advocates for the retention and completion of tertiary education for young women and girls from rural and disadvantaged communities in Africa by providing them with university scholarships to access tertiary education around the world.

Dr Mutale has been a consistent contributor, delegate, speaker and official parallel event convener at global platforms that address political, economic, social, African and gender issues, including the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women; as well as the African Union High Level Panel on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment held in the wings of the African Union Heads of state Summit; the Commonwealth Women’s Forum held in the wings of the Commonwealth Heads of state Meetings; the European Economic Congress and European Economic Forum; in addition to various other fora across the globe. She is a member of the Invite-Only ForbesWomen Forum, an exclusive space that brings together the best and brightest female minds and female leaders to forge connections, share ideas and exchange dialogue.

Prior to founding her own organisations, Dr Mutale worked in the Gender Section of the Commonwealth Secretariat, a prestigious international and inter-governmental organisation based in London, dealing with women’s economic, social and political empowerment, including Gender & HIV/AIDS; Gender & Trade; Gender-based Violence; Gender, Peace Building & Conflict Resolution; Women’s Political Participation; and Women’s Social & Economic Empowerment.

When the UK held the Presidency of the G8 in 2013, Dr Mutale served as Diaspora Ambassador & Spokesperson for the ENOUGH FOOD FOR EVERYONE IF Campaign, a coalition of over 400 leading UK development organisations working to end world hunger, which was supported and endorsed by world personalities and celebrities including Bill Gates, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, David Beckham and many others.  In her capacity as Diaspora media spokesperson and regular Speaker on social, economic, political and gender issues, Dr Mutale has been featured in the same television programme as former British Prime Minister, David Cameron talking about poverty and world hunger.  She has also addressed the U.S. National Congress of Black Women in Los Angeles, the most powerful women’s organisation in the USA, which has been addressed by U.S. President Barack Obama and First Lady, Michelle Obama.  Justina has also addressed the European Leadership Conference at the UK Houses of Parliament in London in addition to various other high profile fora around the world.

In 2014, Dr Mutale took the baton from Cherie Blair, wife of former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair to launch the “BECAUSE I AM A GIRL” Report in the presence of the Irish Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in Dublin, Ireland.  Mrs Blair had launched the 2013 Report, which is annually prepared by Plan International to review the state of girls around the world.  In 2015, Dr Mutale joined Hollywood actress, Meryl Streep, together with other celebrities from Hollywood and other parts of the world, in the U.S. Premiere of the movie documentary “INDIA’S DAUGHTER” in New York, held in the wings of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. She also joined the United Nations Secretary-General, together with the First Lady of New York, Director General of UN Women, and various other dignitaries and celebrities in the 2015 historic March for Gender Equality held at Time Square in New York.

A recipient of the MANDELA 100 Prize, Dr Mutale is listed on various WHOs WHO lists, Power Lists; Influential Lists; and Halls of Fame around the world, including the World Book of Greatness; 100 Most Reputable People on Earth; 100 Most Reputable Africans in the World; 100 Most Influential African Women; 100 Most Influential Black People in the United Kingdom; and the Black+100 Hall of Fame, an Exhibition and Legacy of the top 100 Black Achievers in modern Britain.  Dr Mutale has been honoured for her outstanding and phenomenal leadership qualities as a Stateswoman; Global Woman Leader of the Year; and Iconic Woman Leader of the Decade. She has been honoured several times by both the U.S. State Senate and the U.S. Congress, and has been accorded Special Recognitions from Governors and Mayors of various states and cities in the USA. Dr Mutale has been awarded 10 Honorary Doctorate Degrees from various institutions across the globe, bestowed upon her in recognition of her leadership qualities and outstanding contributions to public life.

She  has four times been honoured on the same platform as the first President of the Republic of Zambia Dr Kenneth Kaunda on various platforms around the world, including the Voice Achievers Awards in the Netherlands and the Global Officials of Dignity (G.O.D.) Awards held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. She shares various other accolades with various world leaders and was honoured as “African Woman of the Year” on the same platform as various outstanding African personalities and leaders including, the Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, former Chairperson of the African Union, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, former President of Malawi, The Rt. Hon. Joyce Banda, late President of Ghana, Professor John Atta Mills; former President of Tanzania, His Excellency, Jakaya Kikwete;  female Deputy Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, The Hon. Thokozani Khupe.

Dr Mutale serves as President, Patron, Ambassador, Trustee, Board Member, Advisor, Expert, Consultant and Mentor to various humanitarian, charitable and community organisations in the UK and overseas. Among others, Dr Mutale serves on the Boards of the World Leaders Forum (Dubai);  British Award for African Development (UK); National Alliance of Women’s Organisations (UK); Africa Advancement Forujm (Africa); Young CEO’s Global Forum; African Achievers Awards (Africa); Resource Alliance (UK); WEforWE Global Campaign for Women (India); Young African Leaders Forum (Africa);  She served as Honorary President of the Martial Arts Academy (France); and acts as Advisor and Mentor to the Young African Leaders Forum. She serves as Expert, Consultant and Mentor at the Hult Prize, the world’s number one global accelerator programme, organised by the Hult Foundation in partnership with the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton’s Global Initiative and the United Nations Office for Partnerships to bring together university and college students from across the globe to pitch their best business ideas that tackle social issues.  Dr Mutale has also served as a Judge at PITCH@PALACE Commonwealth hosted by the Duke of York to showcase inspirational and aspiring Entrepreneurs from Commonwealth countries.

Dr Mutale has been featured as a Hero in the Capital Finance International  Journal, which brings coverage and analysis of the drivers behind change by combining the views of leading multilateral and national organizations with thought leadership from some of the world’s top minds.   Having gained global recognition for her ability, as a public personality to use her status to potentially influence the thinking of both Africans and non-Africans alike, Dr Mutale is featured among Africa’s most respected names, well-known faces, and influential voices who inspire the future, motivate the young generation, and raise the profile to positively alter the perceptions of Africa and Africans around the world.

Listed as one of Africa’s game changers who are changing the game, changing the rules and changing the future, Dr Mutale is  a member of the “POWER 14″ a consortium of African Diaspora Women Leaders selected for their phenomenal leadership qualities and achievements in community development.  The POWER 14 are part of the top 100 Diaspora ChangeMakers,  an international network of influencers and innovators from every field and background and a beacon for enlightenment values, which undertakes influential and varied research projects and combines thought leadership with social innovation to further human progress. The Diaspora ChangeMakers Network is a project by the Royal Society of Arts with support from DfID’s Common Grounds Initiative, Comic Relief and Unbound Philanthropy, that seeks to identify and bring together the UK’s most promising individuals of African origin with a desire to support African communities in the UK and Africa.   In addtion, Justina is a recipient of the  2013 WAF-MDG Award from the Women Advancement Forum, presented in recognition of her efforts towards the  actualization of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

Dr Mutale’s award winning HIV/AIDS global organisation,  POSITIVE RUNWAY: Global Catwalk to Stop the Spread, is a worldwide HIV/AIDS response campaign which spans 6 continents spread across the globe. POSITIVE RUNWAY is registered on the United Nations Department for Social and Economic Affairs (UNDESA) Civil Society Database and boasts membership and affiliation of various other international and global organisations including the Bond Network, which represents the largest household names in the UK International Development Sector, who influence key decision-makers at national, European and global levels; and the People’s Global Action on Migration, Development and Human Rights. POSITIVE RUNWAY is also a member of the ENOUGH FOOD FOR EVERYONE IF Campaign, a coalition of  leading UK development organisations working to end world hunger.

A recipient of numerous awards and accolades from around the world, Dr Mutale has been hailed as one of Africa’s shining beacons, a great Diaspora Role Model and Diaspora Woman of the Year 2012 and 2013. In addition, Dr Mutale is featured in the BLACK 100+ Hall of Fame, an Exhibition and Legacy of the top 100 Black Achievers in modern Britain.  She is featured on the Black Women in Europe PowerList; the AFRONews Top 12 List of Remarkable African & Caribbean Women in the UK.

Dr Mutale has been honoured as an Ambassador for Peace recognised by the Universal Peace Federation, a global alliance of organizations dedicated to building a world of peace in consultative status with the United Nations.  She has also been honoured as Africa Global Goodwill Ambassador in Los Angeles, California.   In addition, Justina has been honoured as a Global Officials of Dignity  and  Humanitarian Ambassador in the Global Officials of Dignity (G.O.D.) Awards held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.  The G.O.D. Awards honour individuals including members of ancient kingdoms, empires and royal dynasties from across the globe who have are involved in humanitarian work and have outstanding civic and charitable stewardship and have significantly improved the quality of life in their communities through their expertise, talents and skills.  She is one of the few African women tipped to be featured in a UK Television Series on “Eminent African Women” and also in a TV Documentary “The Travelling Princess: The Joureny of Hope, Love and Humanity produced in Hollywood, which would feature recipients of the Global Officials of Dignity (G.O.D) Awards, who include members of some of the world’s ancient kingdoms, empires and royal dynasties who are involved in humanitarian work across the globe. Dr Mutale has been approached to be featured in a book on “Women Who Are Contributing to the Sustainable Development of the World” published in Paris; and another titled: “Women who Changed Africa”, published in New York.

As Diaspora Ambassador and Spokesperson, Dr Mutale was one of the influential personalities driving the ENOUGH FOOD FOR EVERYONE IF Campaign, a coalition of over 200 leading UK development organizations and charities working to end world hunger by appealing to the G8 to revise policies that accelerate hunger.  She has been a Civil Society delegate to the United Nations General Assembly on the High Level Dialogue with UN member governments on International Migration and Development, (POST 2015 Development Agenda).

Dr Mutale served alongside  the Deputy Prime Minister of Zimbabwe on the Advisory Board of the African Achievers Awards. She also served alongside American boxing legend, Evander Holyfield and UK multi-millionaire anti-gun campaigner Stephen French on the Board Member of the International Peace and Global Peace Programme (IPP) aimed at taking guns and knives off the streets. In addition, Dr Mutale  serves as International Ambassador for the Global Women Inventors & Innovators Network (GWIIN);  AMFEST Ambassador ((African Music Festival); Patron and Board Member of the CARE2FEED Hunger Project (South Africa);  Trustee of the KE Foundation for Deaf and Hearing Impaired Children; and Trustee and Ambassador of Colourful Kidz Organisation (UK).

In addition to being the African Woman of the Year 2012 and being  featured in the BLACK 100+ Hall of Fame Dr Mutale has been honoured with the WAF-MDG Award in recognition of her efforts towards the  actualization of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (Johannesburg South Africa).  She also emerged a Role Model of the Year in the  Women4Africa Awards (London); in addition to being a recipient of the African Women in Europe Awards. Furthermore Justina has been honoured as Renaissance Woman of the Year (British Virgin Islands); Pioneer Woman of the Year (UKZAMBIANS); Outstanding African Woman of the Diaspora (The Netherlands); Leading Innovative Woman (Ghana);  Business Woman of the Year (Scotland).  Award for Service to the International Community; Global Women Inventors & Innovators Award; GAB Award (Gathering of Africa’s Best); International Honorary Award; Leading Innovative Woman Award;  Women in Enterprise Award; Southern African Achievers Awards; Female Personality of the Year; Business Woman of the Year; Inspiration Award; Community Champion; Outstanding Contribution to Community; Best Beauty Pageant Director; and Best Event Promoter.  She was also nominated for the UK Sunday Times’ Change Makers Award for the most inspirational Social Entrepreneur in the UK.

Dr Mutale has worked around the world on various high profile international PR campaigns in music, film, fashion, entertainment, business, arts and politics, and has provided consultancies to a variety of clients ranging from individual personalities to international organizations; inter-governmental organizations and multinational corporations, as well as working on Presidential campaigns across the globe.

Her work has received global recognition around the world including a Commendation and Resolution from the General Assembly of the Georgia State Senate in Atlanta GA in the United States of America, in addition to endorsements from various prominent world personalities, including the Governor of Florida and the Mayor of Miami in the USA, and subsequent Zambian High Commissioners to the UK, among many others.

Dr Mutale has studied Political Science; International Relations and Public & Cultural Diplomacy, as well as Public Administration. She is a life long learner and continues to undertake various personal and professional development courses. She is a student of Practical Philosophy and lives in London with her two daughters.