profile

Volante Consulting Kenya

Supporting leaders when it's tough: A new chapter I'm building

Published about 1 year ago • 2 min read

Launching a portfolio career with Volante at its heart

Dear Reader

Reconnecting with Purpose

After stepping down from my role as CEO of Living Goods six months ago, I took a short but much need pause. That time gave me the opportunity to reflect on what kind of impact I want to have next. One thing became clear: leadership can be profoundly lonely - especially during moments of change, when the stakes are high and the path ahead uncertain. That's the space I now feel called to step into - walking alongside other leaders as they navigate growth, complexity and transition.

With over 30 years in leadership across the private and nonprofit sectors, I'm now building a portfolio career with Volante at it's heart.

Introducing Volante

Volante is a strategic advisory and mentoring practice designed to support purpose-driven leaders, funders and boards through pivotal moments - whether that's scaling up, resetting direction, navigating transitions or simply needing a trusted perspective at times of uncertainty.

Volante evokes movement, momentum and lift - because great leadership lifts others, navigates complexities and creates forward momentum.

I've been in the seat when funding fell through, when the team wasn't aligned and when growth outpaced culture. I've also been there when we secured game-changing investment and had to rapidly ready the organisation for scale. I've led strategic pivots and reworked business models. I've shifted the centre of gravity to Kenya and built a board to match a bold new vision. I know how isolating and energising these inflection points can be. That's why I now support leaders, boards and funders with practical, grounded insight - rooted in real experience and tailored to the moment.

How I can help:

  • Leadership Support: Strategic and personal guidance for CEOs and senior leaders navigating pivotal moments such as new roles, business model shifts, leadership transition, scaling challenges and tough calls. Includes mentoring, leadership team development and values-driven culture work.

Outcomes: aligned leadership, resilient culture and confident decision making through complexity and change.

  • Strategy & Scaling: Collaborative support to clarify direction, test and adjust business models and design adaptive strategies especially in times of uncertainty or rapid change. I help pressure-test plans, build alignment and ensure organisation readiness for intentional, sustainable scaling.

Outcomes: clear strategic direction, adaptable business model and strong foundations for scaling impact.

  • Governance & Funder Insight: Support for boards, funders and investors seeking sharper oversight, stronger alignment and deeper on-the-ground perspective. Includes board development, CEO-board dynamics and trusted insights for better investment and governance decisions.

Outcomes: effective oversight, aligned leadership and better informed decisions that drive impact.

Warm regards,

Liz

Strategic Advisor | Former CEO | Founder, Volante

Kenya- based, available globally

Let's stay connected!

I would love to reconnect. If you are working through a big shift (or know others who are), seeking new perspectives or just want to catch up, I'd love to hear from you. The next phase is about collaboration, curiosity and contribution. If you're in the thick of change or on the edge of one - or simply need a sounding board, I'd love to hear what's on your mind.

You can learn more about Volante by visiting my website

Or book a call

Thanks for reading and here's to finding new ways to work on tough problem together.

Volante Consulting Kenya

Read more from Volante Consulting Kenya

Leaders don't have to have all the answers On the leader we think we should be, the value of thinking space, and why leadership can still be lonely Dear Reader, I recently came across a quote that has stayed with me: “Your leadership style is the projection of the movie you are playing in your head.” I thought: wow. And then I started wondering what movie was playing in my head when I first became a CEO. I think, for quite a long time, it was some version of fake it till you make it. Possibly...

2 days ago • 3 min read

What are we changing, and what are we losing? Some reflections on AI, early career learning and what we are really looking for when we hire leaders. Dear Reader, I was talking with someone recently about the start of my career, which was, slightly alarmingly, more than 30 years ago. I was on a graduate scheme with a multinational food manufacturer. One of my first jobs was dealing with customer complaints. People would sometimes send the actual product back, and I had to work out what had...

9 days ago • 2 min read

We may be making hiring harder than it needs to be Better hiring isn't about eliminating risk. It is about getting better evidence and learning from the decisions we make. Dear Reader, Last week, I wrote about some of the hardest people decisions CEOs face once someone is already in the organisation. This week, I want to look at what happens before they get there. Hiring is one of the hardest parts of leadership. It is also something I think many organisations make more complicated than it...

16 days ago • 3 min read