A significant change has been made to the Duke of Sussex’s Sentebale team with the appointment of Sophie Chandauka to the position of Chair of the Board.
The corporate finance attorney from Zimbabwe will succeed Johnny Hornby, who served on the board of Sentebale for 11 years and served as chair since March 2018.
This week, the organization’s Instagram account posted a picture with the caption, “We are delighted to announce the appointment of Sophie Chandauka MBE as the new Chair of the Board. She had previously worked as a board member for Sentebale from 2009 to 2015.
“Sophie is a senior executive who was born in Zimbabwe and has experience running strategy, legal, and operational functions for businesses like Morgan Stanley, Virgin Money, Baker McKenzie, and Meta.
She is the chair and co-founder of Nandi Life Sciences, a biotechnology firm with a US base that specialises in creating treatments for uncommon cancers and autoimmune disorders. The Black British Business Awards’ Chair and Executive Founder is Sophie.
The message went on to say that she received an MBE in 2021 for her outstanding contributions to diversity in business. Sophie was born and raised in southern Africa and received prestigious scholarships to study in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho established the nonprofit Sentebale in 2006. Sentebale is a word that means “forget me not” in Sesotho. The charity was established to make sure Lesotho’s most vulnerable children receive the help they require to live healthy lives.
Prince Harry has worked to highlight the urgent need to provide essential life skills and psychosocial support to help children in Lesotho who live in extreme poverty or are HIV/AIDS positive for nearly 20 years.
In a joint statement, Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho thanked Johnny for his 11-year tenure, during which he was essential to the development and success of the charity.
“Under Johnny’s leadership and vision, Sentebale has scaled its services and operations to deliver comprehensive support to thousands in Lesotho and Botswana,” read the joint statement.
“We are grateful for his dedication, partnership, and friendship over the past 11 years, and for his incredible commitment to the children and youth of southern Africa.
Sophie’s return to Sentebale makes us very happy. Her expertise, drive for social change, and spirit of entrepreneurship will be a huge asset to Sentebale’s upcoming phase.