Dr. Karimi Ngeera’s journey to becoming Finance Director at HEVA Fund shows resilience, passion, and a commitment to providing creative entrepreneurs from all over Africa with the kind of support and resources they deserve. With a history in marketing, finance, and impact-driven work, Dr. Karimi has merged finance acumen with her love of the arts seamlessly. Hers is a story of perseverance and continuous learning towards making a difference in the creative industries.
From Marketing to Finance: A Story of Resilience and Growth
After earning her Bachelor of Commerce at JKUAT, Dr Karimi started off working in the marketing department of Standard Chartered Bank in Meru. It taught her great lessons on perseverance as she brought in new customers to the area dominated by local banks. The experience eventually served as a good foundation for future work; it made her understand resilience and adaptability.
After gaining this experience, Karimi (as known before her doctorate degree) knew that her real passion was in finance. She went out to find a new role and almost got one as an Assistant Accountant at Chuka University. However, it was during the talk by the Vice Chancellor Prof. Njoka that helped her understand the importance of further education. Her educational milestone ensured she was equipped with the appropriate credentials and instilled a sense of accomplishment and preparedness within her core values.
In 2021, Karimi transitioned into the non-profit sector as a Finance and Grants Manager at the Center for Public Health and Development. This introduced her to impact financing, where she managed budgets for projects that saved lives. The management of budgets and performance measurement for projects providing oxygen to hospitals and supporting maternal and neonatal health gave her a deep sense of purpose.
“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
Joining HEVA Fund: A Perfect Match
Karimi felt that joining HEVA Fund was a perfect match. Through her brother, who is a film producer and scriptwriter, she had personal experiences about the challenges that artists face when trying to access finance and technical support. She joined as Grants Manager for the Ignite Culture Program and then moved up to become the organisation’s Finance Director.
It was the fusion of her financial acumen and love for the arts that developed a requited match. Her initial role supported creative entrepreneurship in 14 East African countries. She leads post-investment support and partnering with creative businesses on their journey to success. This included vision-setting sessions, aligning the business goals with measurable metrics, and ensuring that both the creative entrepreneur/business and HEVA achieved meaningful impact. “When we invest in a creative business, we don’t just hand over funds and walk away. Instead, we partner with them on their journey to success,” she asserts. Karimi is deeply inspired by seeing raw talent turn into sustainable businesses. “Whether it’s a musician or a fashion designer, the ability to help someone turn their creative vision into a career that supports them and others is incredibly fulfilling.”
“The critical ingredient is getting off your butt and doing something. It’s as simple as that. A lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now.” — Nolan Bushnell
Wins and Daily Responsibilities
Karimi reminds herself of what HEVA seeks to always achieve and feels energized by, “In celebrating small, and big wins, it breeds a sense of accomplishment and encourages us to take things head-on with energy.” The daily routine for Karimi is a balance act between being strategic, working on budgets, and engaging face-to-face with creative entrepreneurs directly. She starts her day with a morning run to set a positive tone and enjoys meeting with entrepreneurs to support their growth. Part and parcel of her activities is monthly post investment sessions, mentorship, and having meetings with innovative entrepreneurs. Doing so inspires a sense of purpose that reemphasizes her desire to contribute to supporting creative industries. This brings her and the team closer and closer to meeting HEVA’s objectives by mixing daily work routines with a zeal for celebration and accomplishment.
“Start from wherever you are and with whatever you’ve got.” — Jim Rohn
Most creative entrepreneurs seek outside funding in their growth journey; Dr Karimi equips them to attract investment through HEVA or other sources. She works on bettering their financial literacy, budgeting, forecasting, and investor readiness. She helps entrepreneurs understand financial statements, create realistic budgets, develop monitoring tools for financial inflows and outflows, and teaches them to interpret financial documents for informed decision-making.
Mentorship Success and Growth stories at HEVA
One of Dr. Karimi’s greatest achievements is mentoring and nurturing the growth of her teams. It shows a commitment to leadership and mentorship, as she focuses on
empowering others to achieve their goals. Dr. Karimi is also proud of the impact HEVA has made in the creative industries through the Ignite Culture EA Program, which she steered as the Grants Manager. One of the program’s most notable successes is the curriculum development of Kenya’s first accredited poetry course by the Kenya National Theatre. Now poets can be officially certified. Successes like these show that strategic support has the power to transform, hence HEVA’s commitment to pioneering Africa’s creative industries to thrive.
“Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.” – Brené Brown.
Rising to the top: Taking HEVA to Mount Kilimanjaro
This year, Karimi is thrilled to take on the challenge of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest point. She draws similarities between this life ambition and the mission that HEVA is on. “This climb is a statement of borderless ambition and breaking barriers.” she explains, “it’s in perfect sync with HEVA’s tireless commitment to lead the way for Africa’s creative industries to scale undiscovered heights in employment creation, and economic growth, and development.”
Dr. Karimi plans to take others along on the journey by documenting her ascent of Kilimanjaro and activities that lead to her preparation. She’ll be flying the HEVA flag high when she gets to the top.
Conclusion
Dr. Karimi Ngeera’s journey is a powerful example of how passion, perseverance, and a commitment to impact-driven work can lead to remarkable achievements. As the Finance Director at HEVA Fund, she is empowering creative entrepreneurs and fostering a thriving creative economy in Africa. Through leadership, mentorship, and dedication, Karimi and HEVA are helping shape a future where creative talent is recognized, supported, and celebrated across the continent at the witness of a global audience.
