The Duke of Sussex has made a major change to his Sentebale team, where he has appointed Sophie Chandauka as Chair of the Board.
The Zimbabwe-born corporate finance lawyer will success Johnny Hornby, who served 11 years on Sentebale’s Board and was Chair since March 2018.
© GettyIn a post, shared by the charity's Instagram account this week, the caption read: "We are delighted to announce the appointment of Sophie Chandauka MBE as the new Chair of the Board. Previously, she served on the Sentebale Board from 2009-2015.
"Sophie is a Zimbabwe-born executive with experience leading strategy, legal and operations functions for companies such as Morgan Stanley, Virgin Money, Baker McKenzie and Meta.
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"She is Chair and Co-founder of Nandi Life Sciences, a US-based biotechnology company focused on developing therapeutics for rare cancers and auto-immune diseases. Sophie is also Chair and Executive Founder of the Black British Business Awards."
Of being awarded an MBE, the message continued: "In 2021, she was awarded an MBE for extraordinary contributions to diversity in business. Sophie grew up in southern Africa, and, through various prestigious scholarships, was educated in Canada, the U.S. and U.K."
The charity Sentebale was founded by Prince Harry and Lesotho's Prince Seeiso in 2006. Sentebale means "forget me not" in Sesotho, the local language. The charity was set up to ensure the most vulnerable children in Lesotho get the support they need to lead healthy lives.
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Over nearly two decades, Prince Harry has worked to draw attention to the urgent issue of children who live in extreme poverty or suffer from HIV/AIDS in Lesotho, highlighting the need to bring essential life skills and psychosocial support to help them.
Speaking about the appointment, Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho thanked Johnny following his 11-year tenure, where he played a pivotal role in the charity’s growth and success.
© gettyThe joint statement read: "Under Johnny’s leadership and vision, Sentebale has scaled its services and operations to deliver holistic support thousands in Lesotho and Botswana.
"His commitment to the children and young people of southern Africa has been incredible, and we are grateful for his dedication, partnership and friendship over the last 11 years.
"We are so pleased to welcome Sophie back to Sentebale. Her experience, passion for social change and entrepreneurial spirit will be a tremendous benefit to Sentebale’s next chapter."
