A Year of Co-Leadership

In June 2024, Womankind appointed Disha Sughand and Diana Njuguna as its first Co-CEOs. This marked a significant shift in leadership structure. The appointment was led by the Board of Trustees and involved members of staff in various stages.  

This transformative shift reflects Womankind’s commitment to embed decolonial practices, while embracing the power of shared leadership and the richness of diverse perspectives. By deliberately moving away from hierarchical models of leadership that have historically dominated organisational structures, Womankind is demonstrating its commitment to decolonising our practice and creating more inclusive systems of governance.   

The co-leadership model serves as a powerful embodiment of genuine feminist collaboration, founded upon principles of mutual respect, sustained equity in decision-making processes, deep-rooted trust in shared capabilities, meaningful engagement with intersectionality in practice, and an authentically shared feminist vision to guide organisational actions and decisions. 

“For us, co-leadership represents a paradigm shift in leadership and decision-making. It’s not just about sharing responsibilities; it’s about modelling a feminist collaboration based on mutual respect, equity, trust, intersectionality, and a shared feminist vision.  

Our commitment to feminist principles and values is central to our vision. By championing these values, we will realise our feminist future and our vision: “A world where all women, girls, and people of all genders enjoy equal rights and freedoms, living with joy, choice, and dignity.” Leading by example, we commit to champion gender equality and equity in every decision and strategy and accepting when we have not and readapting. We hope that our leadership will reflect the diversity we support, proving that diverse leadership is not only possible but beneficial.” 

Diana Njuguna and Disha Sughand