Kiesha Farnum

Kiesha Farnum is international development professional with over 14 years of experience working in development aid and project/programme management, with experience in the non-government and international donor cooperation sectors.

Her work has traversed a variety of thematic areas including a energy solutions, active labour market stimulation, social safety net protection, education and leadership development in the public sector. She has also worked in the areas of poverty alleviation, vocational training and advocacy for persons with disabilities, food security, health, and water & sanitation.

She is currently the Managing Director of WIRRED, a research centre and ecosystem services consultancy dedicated to the study of climate smart agriculture practices and the development of eco-agro-tourism services.

She has worked in the implementation of projects specifically geared towards the public sector in 15 countries across the English and non-English speaking Caribbean with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the former Department of Foreign Affairs and Development (DFAT-D) of the Government of Canada and the former Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID). Her regional experience includes the roll-out of stakeholder consultations and training for the public sector.  She also gained extensive experience in program management, advocacy and organizational leadership for NGOs during her tenure as Programme Manager at the National Centre for Persons with Disabilities in Trinidad.

Kiesha's passion for leadership led her to Dr. Theodore Ferguson the founder of  Leading From Above The Line TT.  Dr. Ferguson became her mentor and after completing his leadership training course which he pioneered with the Nelson Mandela administration in South Africa, she joined his youth outreach not-for-profit program as a leadership volunteer.  Kiesha later went to work for Caribbean Leadership Project - promoting leadership development within the public sector across 12 countries. Her Master in Project Management thesis documented and analyzed a real case scenario of project management leadership within the public sector.

Kiesha holds a M.Sc. in Project Management, with a specialization in the Economics of Oil and Gas from the University of Liverpool, is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and has trained as an Executive Coach with Erickson Coaching International.