Our Board
Gayle Northrop
Board Chair
Gayle Northrop is a consultant, coach, and educator, and President of Northrop Nonprofit Consulting, a firm specializing in strategic planning, organizational development and leadership development for social impact organizations worldwide. With broad international experience, particularly in African countries, Gayle has dedicated her career to helping drive positive social change through strengthened systems, improved service delivery and more effective measurement and communication of impact. Gayle is the former Associate Director and current board member of Spark Health Africa. She is Adjunct Faculty at the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business where she works with the Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship on strategy and programmes driving social innovation in health in the global south. She is also Faculty at the UCLA Anderson School of Management in Los Angeles where she teaches social entrepreneurship and systems change.
Richard Chivaka
Founder and CEO
Inspired by a deep personal commitment to transforming future generations, Richard founded Spark Health Africa with the vision to improve public healthcare service delivery to better the lives of African communities. He possesses extensive expertise in service as a bridge between business, health, and governments. In this regard, Richard has over 15 years of multi-country experience strengthening organizations by designing and building teams and programs across diverse stakeholders.
Richard Chivaka
Founder and CEO
Inspired by a deep personal commitment to transforming future generations, Richard founded Spark Health Africa with the vision to improve public healthcare service delivery to better the lives of African communities. He possesses extensive expertise in service as a bridge between business, health, and governments. In this regard, Richard has over 15 years of multi-country experience strengthening organizations by designing and building teams and programs across diverse stakeholders.
Johan Jordaan
Treasurer & Non-Executive
Johan is an experienced Financial Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the information technology and services industry. Skilled in Budgeting, Business Planning, Account Reconciliation, Accounting, and Management. Strong finance professional with a Bachelor of Commerce – Cum laude focused in Accounting and Business.
Chipo Mupure
Chief Operating Officer
Chipo brings more than 10 years of critical and transformative thinking experience across diverse industries in several countries in Africa. Along with a passion for continuous improvement and a belief that people inherently hold solutions to their challenges, Chipo has dedicated most of her work life to empower public sector health management teams. Chipo also occasionally teaches in executive programs offered at the Graduate School of Business, UCT.
Chipo Mupure
Chief Operating Officer
Chipo brings more than 10 years of critical and transformative thinking experience across diverse industries in several countries in Africa. Along with a passion for continuous improvement and a belief that people inherently hold solutions to their challenges, Chipo has dedicated most of her work life to empower public sector health management teams. Chipo also occasionally teaches in executive programs offered at the Graduate School of Business, UCT.
Colleen Hancock
Non-Executive
Colleen Hancock is an accomplished GM/COO/Corporate VP and a collaborative and innovative leader. She has 20 years of global consumer internet, ecommerce, and technology experience with BabyCenter and Johnson & Johnson during which she also co-founded MAMA(the mobile alliance for maternal action) to meet the needs of underserved communities globally. Prior to that, she had 15 years in global retail strategy, merchandising, and product design with Neiman Marcus and Duty Free Shoppers (DFS). She has a history of success in the consumer services industry, both offline and online, with a track record of delivering business results, developing strategy and talent, and understanding how to evolve with ever-changing technologies and generational needs.
Colleen is now focused on her board positions at mothers2mothers (m2m), Commetta and Spark Health Africa and advising start up CEO’s at the intersection of heath and technology to optimize results and improve lives. She recently received her UC Master Gardener certification and educates her local community on sustainable practices to improve the environment and volunteers with the US National Parks Service educating youth.
She is also the proud mom of 2 sons.
Dr Adeniyi Charles Ajayi
Non-Executive
Charles graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBChB) degree from Nigeria, West Africa in 2004 and has worked as a physician for 19 years. He transitioned to public health and project management in 2009 when he joined Partners in Health – Lesotho as a Medical Site Officer under the Rural Health Initiative. He worked in the first MDR-TB hospital in Africa (located in Maseru, Lesotho) and was involved in the provision of HIV, TB, MDR-TB and maternal health services to communities, women and children in the extremely hard to reach mountains of Lesotho. In 2010, he joined USAID/Lesotho and led the planning, development and implementation of the largest HIV, PMTCT and TB project in the country.
In 2015, he moved to USAID/ Haiti as the Senior HIV Advisor and led the establishment and review of the Community-based HIV Care and HIV Treatment in Key population programs. In 2016, he joined USAID/ Zimbabwe (2016-2020) as the Health Development Physician and Agreement Officer’s Representative covering HIV clinical treatment and care programming, HIV biomedical prevention and HIV viral load scale up. In both countries, he occupied key policy making, contract management, program management, project development, program implementation, technical advisory, clinical service provision, program monitoring, evaluation and quality improvement roles. He has managed 10 quality improvement projects for USAID, 4 of which were inter-agency collaboratives. From 2021 – 2022, as a Global Health technical Assistance and Mission Support Project (GH-TAMS) Consultant, he worked as a Quality Improvement Advisor for USAID/ Washington, providing support to African Missions.
Charles has a wealth of experience in medicine, public health and infectious diseases. He has graduate degrees in project management (McGill University) and clinical research (Michener Institute, Toronto). He will also complete an MBA in International Health Management in August 2023. He has published papers on HIV care and treatment, maternal and child health, biomedical prevention of HIV and adverse event management.
A diehard sustainability and healthcare quality advocate and information technology enthusiast, Charles is currently based in Canada managing his own consulting firm (A.C. Ajayi Consulting Inc). He is investigating the role of virtual reality and related technology in improving access and quality of healthcare in Sub-Saharan Africa and how precision public health can be adequately applied to health systems strengthening in sub-Saharan Africa.
Charles has a lovely wife (Charlotte) and 2 children (Anu Minneiah and Ope Ian).
Dr Adeniyi Charles Ajayi
Non-Executive
Charles graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBChB) degree from Nigeria, West Africa in 2004 and has worked as a physician for 19 years. He transitioned to public health and project management in 2009 when he joined Partners in Health – Lesotho as a Medical Site Officer under the Rural Health Initiative. He worked in the first MDR-TB hospital in Africa (located in Maseru, Lesotho) and was involved in the provision of HIV, TB, MDR-TB and maternal health services to communities, women and children in the extremely hard to reach mountains of Lesotho. In 2010, he joined USAID/Lesotho and led the planning, development and implementation of the largest HIV, PMTCT and TB project in the country.
In 2015, he moved to USAID/ Haiti as the Senior HIV Advisor and led the establishment and review of the Community-based HIV Care and HIV Treatment in Key population programs. In 2016, he joined USAID/ Zimbabwe (2016-2020) as the Health Development Physician and Agreement Officer’s Representative covering HIV clinical treatment and care programming, HIV biomedical prevention and HIV viral load scale up. In both countries, he occupied key policy making, contract management, program management, project development, program implementation, technical advisory, clinical service provision, program monitoring, evaluation and quality improvement roles. He has managed 10 quality improvement projects for USAID, 4 of which were inter-agency collaboratives. From 2021 – 2022, as a Global Health technical Assistance and Mission Support Project (GH-TAMS) Consultant, he worked as a Quality Improvement Advisor for USAID/ Washington, providing support to African Missions.
Charles has a wealth of experience in medicine, public health and infectious diseases. He has graduate degrees in project management (McGill University) and clinical research (Michener Institute, Toronto). He will also complete an MBA in International Health Management in August 2023. He has published papers on HIV care and treatment, maternal and child health, biomedical prevention of HIV and adverse event management.
A diehard sustainability and healthcare quality advocate and information technology enthusiast, Charles is currently based in Canada managing his own consulting firm (A.C. Ajayi Consulting Inc). He is investigating the role of virtual reality and related technology in improving access and quality of healthcare in Sub-Saharan Africa and how precision public health can be adequately applied to health systems strengthening in sub-Saharan Africa.
Charles has a lovely wife (Charlotte) and 2 children (Anu Minneiah and Ope Ian).