Biography
Ferial Nathoo was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the American Chamber of Commerce, Kenya in June 2013. Her role includes restructuring the Chamber to ensure that the Chamber is the voice of US business in Kenya, and strengthening US-Kenya commercial ties by providing high-quality business information and resources.
Ferial is Canadian-Kenyan and graduated from York University in Toronto, Canada with an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. She has 14+ years of management experience in New Business Development,
International Relations, Commerce, Fundraising, Event Management, Public Relations and Marketing. She has lived in Kenya, Canada and the United States, and her accomplishments include solely managing the Patient Welfare Programme in Regional Africa, a programme that caters to raising money, institutions and specialized equipment for people who cannot afford specialized care.
Ferial steadily increased funding and assistance from 40 patients in 2006 to 1,600 patients in 2011 with over $2,000,000 disbursed in aid. Other accomplishments include creating the first braille magazine for local distribution in Kenya, and organizing the first ever Terry Fox Run in East Africa to raise funds for cancer research.Ferial has a sound knowledge of Regional Africa and its customs and traditions which has facilitated her approach and understanding in her work, and allowed her to develop a strong client service and business background. Her network crosses Sub-Saharan Africa as well as internationally.Other significant organisations Ferial has worked with include the Canadian High Commission, British High Commission, UNESCO, Trust for African Rock Art, PACT and Kenya Society for the Blind.
Ferial also spent a year living and working in the Masai Mara and Samburu.Ferial held the title of Director of Events with the Canadian Association of Kenya, and was a PR consultant for the Nile Expedition – the first ever white water rafting expedition undertaken from the source of the Nile to the end. She is a member and volunteer for Paediatric Cancer Care Limited (PCCL) and has also volunteered with Mama Fauzia’s Children’s Home, the Aga Khan Education Programme, Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) and Pueblito (A South American NGO that assists children).
Source: American Chamber of Commerce, Kenya
Header image: USAID East Africa Trade and Investment Hub
Earlier story at Ismailimail: Ferial Nathoo: Patient Welfare Coordinator of Aga Khan University Hospital
Ismailimail 