OUR STORY
Incubate Foundation is a social enterprise that connects young people of African Heritage to opportunities through personal development, professional development and creating positive narratives.
In collaboration with community groups, organisations and institutions we develop bespoke programs for the benefit of our members. We create inspiring events, workshops and resources that empower members of our community to reach their full potential personally and professionally.
Our Vision
Enable young African Australians to reach their fullest potential
Our Mission
Creating safe spaces for young African Australians to reach their full potential and have greater access to opportunities
Our Founders
Incubate Foundation was co-founded by Ikenna Nwokolo and Zione Walker-Nthenda, two of the first lawyers of African Heritage in Australia. They were constantly being called upon to be guest speakers, career sponsors, mentors and job recruiters for many people in the community. It was apparent that there was a significant need in the community to connect young people to a range of professionals to support and link them to opportunities. They turned their community passion into Incubate Foundation to reach a wider audience and formalise the structure of support.
The name Incubate Foundation was created by founders, looking for a name that perfectly captured the essence of the enterprise. They were inspired by the birth of their daughter, who was born very premature about the size of Ikenna’s hand. After months in an incubator and many close shaves; she came home healthy and perfect. The incubator gave her sustenance and a safe space to grow and develop for three months she was in hospital in preparation for the world. Our hope is that we collaboratively create spaces to grow into your best selves and be inspired to contribute to others.
Purpose
We are a foundation where people of African Heritage are inspired to grow into world-class leaders. Our purpose is to work collaboratively with our members to reach their fullest potential, to contribute to the society we live in.
Principles
We have three guiding principles; Growth, Gratitude and Giving. We believe all our ventures and services should encourage the growth of our members and demonstrate gratitude by giving to the wider community.
Philosophy
As a triple bottom line social enterprise, we ensure that in all areas of our management, practice and service we are socially, environmentally and fiscally responsible.
Our Team
Our Board
Incubate Foundation is governed by a board of Professionals of African Heritage with backgrounds in Accounting, Management, Law, Governance, Professional Training, and Information Technology. Our aim is to build a sustainable and responsive organisation that connects people to the many opportunities that exist.
Charmaine Hunzwi - President
Charmaine Hunzwi is a Commercial Banker and Social Change Agent who draws inspiration from everyday experiences and social interactions. She has a unique virtuosity towards social change and advancements which in turn drives her sense of duty as a Diversity, Inclusion and Innovation Ambassador both in the community and the corporate world. Charmaine is a firm believer in uplifting others to better the greater community. Inspired by her late grandmother’s example of servitude, Charmaine aspires one day to create digital platforms, tailored for migrants and migrant businesses, that showcase and celebrate the beauty of diversity in Australia.
Bedi Othow – Vice-President
Bedi Othow is a passionate Human Resource professional and advocate for Diversity & Inclusion, with over 9 years of experience within the banking and law industry.
Bedi’s areas of expertise include Graduate and Early Career Talent Management. DEI, Recruitment and Program Management. She is a result-focussed and collaborative HR professional who has worked on multiple large Talent Management and D&I projects. Bedi is a passionate advocate for minority women and youth empowerment. She believes that minority groups need to be provided with the right opportunities to allow them to realise their potential and contribute to society.
Bedi is also the co-founder of DivTal, an online job platform that connects employers, who care about D&I, to job candidates who identify as Black, Indigenous, People of colour.
Precious Rametsana - Secretary
Precious Rametsana joined Incubate to develop a range of skills through strategic planning and the delivery of events geared at building capacity as African Australian youth. It has allowed her to contribute to the community tangibly and build relationships with other like-minded young people.
Amanda Gatende – Executive Board Member
Amanda Gatende is a young aspiring professional motivated by social and environmental justice. With a Masters in Environment and Sustainability, she is passionate about exploring the intersections of sustainability and social justice, and finding creative solutions to the climate crisis as well as building social cohesion and inclusion.
Amanda believes that culturally-nuanced storytelling is critical in building collective power and resilience within our communities, and hopes to use her privilege and passion to amplify the voices of marginalized communities.
Kudzai Mhishi – Treasurer
Kudzai has spent the last decade working in financial services as a CPA. With a specialisation in business advisory, Kudzai is passionate about helping people reinvent how organisations work to generate value for themselves and society in a sustainable way. He firmly believes that the power of the youth to change tomorrow starts with the current generation of leaders investing in the youth today.
Mayase Jere - Executive Board Member
Mayase Jere a human centered Technologist specialising in Agile software delivery, Agile team development/coaching and product thinking. She leads distributed teams across Australia, China and India. Her passion is in making education accessible to every child, increasing the participation of women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and championing conversations on diversity/inclusion in the workplace.
