Her Story Matters is an international leadership and governance consultancy founded in 2011. For 15 years we have worked at the intersection of institutional strategy, organisational development, and social impact, building a track record that spans advocacy campaigns with governments, leadership frameworks for NGOs, partnerships with the UN and global financial institutions, and projects that have reached over 15 million people worldwide.
We exist to close the gap between institutional decision making and ground level reality. Between governance as it is written and leadership as it is actually practised. Between the impact organisations intend and the outcomes they achieve.
Fifteen years of work across these environments informs every engagement we undertake.
What 15 years taught us
The gap between what organisations say they stand for and what happens inside them persists across sectors, institutions, and leadership structures. Most interventions fail to close it because they address the problem from one side only.
Legislation changes. Policies are updated. Frameworks are adopted. Consultants produce reports. Yet inside the organisations those frameworks were designed to transform, very little shifts. The distance between what is agreed at the level of policy and what is practised at the level of leadership remains one of the most consistent and least examined failures in institutional life. Understanding that distance requires experience across both institutional decision-making and the realities it produces.
For 15 years, Her Story Matters has worked in both spaces simultaneously.
We began by amplifying the stories of people navigating systems that were not built for them while partnering with governments, international institutions, and frontline organisations across four continents. Across every one of those environments, we observed the same pattern. The gap was rarely in the intention itself. It was in the structure. The governance arrangements that should have translated institutional intention into real-world impact were often insufficient, misaligned, or not held to the standards they were designed to uphold.
That pattern became the foundation of everything Her Story Matters does now.
Our work is built from 15 years of observing what happens when governance frameworks meet the reality of organisations under pressure, when leadership structures are asked to carry more than they were built for, and when the distance between decision-makers and the people affected by those decisions becomes the single greatest barrier to impact.
We have seen the gap from both sides. That is why we understand how it operates and what it takes to close it.
Our Mission
To strengthen leadership, governance, and organisational effectiveness for the institutions, organisations, and leaders working at the intersection of strategy and social change.
Our Vision
A world where leaders at every level, in organisations, institutions, and communities, lead with accountability, govern with integrity, and create impact where it is most needed.
OUR STORY
Her Story Matters was founded in 2011 by Rhoda Harriet Khataba with the conviction that stories have the power to shift systems. What began as a platform for amplifying voices grew over 15 years into an international organisation operating at the governance and institutional level.
The journey included awareness campaigns, ground-level projects, international conferences, media production, and partnerships with the UK Government, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, AMREF, Forward UK, the UN, and global financial institutions. Each layer of work strengthened our understanding of where change happens and what it requires.
A clear pattern emerged across every engagement. Organisations fell short of their intended impact due to governance gaps, leadership blind spots, and the disconnect between those making decisions and those they were meant to serve. This insight became the foundation of everything Her Story Matters does today.
What began as a platform rooted in women’s voices and stories has evolved into a broader mission: developing leaders and strengthening governance across organisations and institutions, regardless of sector or gender. The conviction that gave birth to Her Story Matters has not changed; the scope of what we can achieve with it has.
OUR VALUES
Her Story Matters operates at the highest standards of governance and public service, in accordance with the seven Nolan Principles of Public Life.
Integrity & Accountability
We honour our commitments and own our results fully. We do not take our responsibilities lightly, and when we fall short we say so and learn from it.
Courageous Leadership
We are willing to say what others avoid, challenge what is not working, and stand alongside those navigating complex and politically sensitive territory.
Genuine Collaboration
We believe the most durable change is built through partnership. We work with and through others, not above them.
Care & Responsibility
The work we do touches organisations, leaders, and communities. We handle every engagement with the attentiveness that requires and never lose sight of who is ultimately affected by the decisions being made.
Curiosity & Innovation
We question conventional approaches. If there is a better way to serve the people we work with, we will find it.
OUR TEAM
Her Story Matters is led by its founder and president, Rhoda Harriet Khataba. Our engagements draw on a carefully curated network of specialists, practitioners, and advisors, each selected for their specific expertise and matched to the context and needs of every client.
Rhoda Harriet Khataba – Founder and President
Rhoda founded Her Story Matters in 2011 with the conviction that stories have the power to shift individuals and systems. Over 15 years, she has built the organisation into an international platform for leadership, governance, and social impact, reaching over 15 million people across four continents through partnerships with the UN, the UK Government, the FCDO, and global financial institutions.
Born in Nairobi and based in London, her career spans corporate finance, media production, international development, and strategic consultancy.
WORK WITH US
Whether you are an organisation navigating a leadership or governance challenge, an institution seeking a consultancy partner with deep experience, or a leader ready to build something that matters, we are ready to have that conversation.