Ndidi Nwuneli
I am devastated by the news that my dear mentor and one of my biggest champions has passed on. I met Pamela in 2004 when she served as the managing director of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs. We worked together to launch the Trendsetters Social Entrepreneurs Programme in Nigeria. She immediately took me under her wing and became my friend and mentor. Before every major career decision, I reached out to Pamela and she provided advice and support. She asked me to join the advisory group for Volans in its early years and I invited her to join Sahel Capital's Advisory Board at our inception. She dragged me to Oxford twice, both for the Skoll Forum and the MBA students conference. Last year, she nominated me for the Royal DSM Sustainability Advisory Board. On a monthly basis, she referred her students to me - anyone and everyone who was interested in Africa or agriculture. She took the time to mentor thousands of young achievers!
Pamela was the first person that I reached out to when I decided to write my recent book "Social Innovation in Africa: A practical guide for scaling impact." She provided incredible guidance and support through the entire process. She referred social innovators that I should interview for the book, reviewed early drafts and provided critical feedback!
When she broke the news about her battle with cancer, she did it so casually, and told me that everyone was worried, but that she was not! She never skipped a beat...
In typical Pamela style - I reached out to her last year on Thanksgiving day to tell her how much she meant to me and how thankful I was for her role in my life and her response was simply - "I hate Thanksgiving day!" She always deflected honor and praise from herself, and instead pushed others into the spotlight!
I was looking forward to see her at the DSM meeting on September 7th and to speaking at her class at the Columbia Business School on September 20th. We were sharing emails about these activities until mid-July.
What an amazing soul! She gave so much of herself to the world and lived every day to the fullest! A huge advocate for Africa, Social Entrepreneurs, Youth and Women!
I will miss this wonderful friend and mentor! I thank God for blessing me with a "destiny-helper!" She was simply an angel that God sent into my life to push me to do more, challenge, question and push boundaries!
In her memory, I have committed to instituting the annual "Pamela Hartigan Prize for Social Innovation in Nigeria" which will honor a social innovator who like Pamela pushes boundaries. This individual will be honored at LEAP Africa's annual CEOs Forum and will receive funding and training.
I am committed to working with her family and dear friends to keep her memory alive! Her great work will continue to yield fruit for generations!
RIP Pamela!
God bless you all!
Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli