Our Team

Susan, the Founder and Chair of Nakuru Hope, began her journey in 2004 as a volunteer in Kenya. Witnessing the need to help those whose lives were different from her own, she started with a small school that empowered women with sewing skills and a pre-primary school. Over time, she established her own school and children’s home, providing food, education, and refuge to over 300 children and their families. Susan has been recognized with the Order of Australia Medal, the John Curtin Medal, and the Paul Harris Fellowship Award for her humanitarian work. She resides in Perth, Western Australia, and visits Kenya annually for a period of time.

Mark has over 20 years’ experience in financial services and has worked as a Chief Operating Officer in Asia, Europe and Latin America. He is a qualified CPA Australia accountant. He is passionate about giving back and making a positive impact in the community. Mark has the responsibility for Nakuru Hope’s corporate partnerships and grants.

Julian has over 15 years experience in strategy and business development in corporate and not for profit organisations having lived and worked across the globe. Julian is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD) and has spent the last few years getting increasingly involved in youth development projects. Julian is also a keen triathlete and adventurer with a particular interest in the application of adventure therapy and benefits of nature on our wellbeing.
Born and raised in East Africa, Julian is also passionate about social development in Kenya and in particular creating opportunities for future generations to create their own destiny and create impactful change for their communities.

Alex is passionate about building technology that makes a real difference. As Head of Engineering at Australia’s leading contact centre provider, he works across development, security, and DevOps to keep systems running smoothly and securely. He focuses on creating simple, intuitive solutions that people love to use, with a strong attention to detail, design, and efficiency.
Beyond his work in tech, Alex has been a dedicated volunteer with Nakuru Hope, helping to build the charity’s school IT systems and creating CONNECT, the platform that powers its sponsorship program. He has also spent time in Kenya, working with the children and seeing firsthand the impact of education and technology in their lives. When he’s not solving engineering challenges, Alex enjoys cooking, optimising anything he can, and navigating the chaos of new parenthood.

Nathaniel is a software engineer with a passion for making computers work for people. After building Nakuru Hope CONNECT and seeing firsthand the amazing work done at Gabriel Learning Center, Nathaniel joined the board to help shape Nakuru Hope’s digital presence and streamline board operations. The resourcefulness and determination of the children and staff at GLC serves as his constant inspiration.

With over 25 years of leadership and executive experience, Bianca has a passion for creating great places to work from the Board through to leadership teams to enable sustainable success. A graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD) and Vice Chair of two non-profit organisations, Bianca gets joy from supporting Boards and Leadership team to promote good governance and build amazing teams. Bianca is committed to giving time to those who need it most in the community particularly in the space of children and education.

Marian brings over 20 years of senior financial roles across various commercial and not-for-profit organisations. She is a Fellow of CPA Australia (FCPA) and member of Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand (CA), holds a Master of Accounting from the Curtin University. Marian’s expertise lies in strategic financial governance, risk management, and regulatory compliance. Marian is passionate about driving financial sustainability for what Nakuru Hope has been working for.