James Donald

Background

About James Donald

Unlocking Human Potential; I am an. I love the challenge of winning people over to work on issues that they care about through authentic communication, purpose-driven organisational development and ecosystem building. I am idealistic but pragmatic; I believe in the importance of getting things done as individuals but have faith in the power of us to change the world.(For the system nerds out there, I am an avid user of the GTD method and use collaborative operating systems like Holacracy every day…) With a passion for and an academic grounding in youth development and education, combined with effective leadership and management skills, I pride myself on being a social entrepreneur and innovator in education, adolescent health, and economic and sustainable development practices. My work experiences, academic studies, and professional networks have given me a powerful platform to co-create, support, and lead African enterprises. To create strategic initiatives whilst considering the complex problems that arise in the current fast-moving world, my objective is to continuously strive to gain the knowledge and skills needed to add value to the organisations I represent- 20 years of experience in helping the youth and the institutions that serve them - 14 years of leadership experience in different contexts from the World Economic Forum to local communities - Oversaw the design and delivery of innovative youth economic integration and health programs for demanding private and public-sector clients (USAID, FIFA, Barclays, Castrol, Nike)- Launched and scaled two enterprises in South Africa: City Year and Grassroot Soccer - While at the Harvard Kennedy School, co-authored a book chapter on African cities as innovation ecosystems with the late Professor Calestous Juma - Awarded the Conscious Companies Award for commitment to changing the way organisations treat their people and their stakeholders