By Liz Jarman

 As I conclude my time as CEO of Living Goods, I am overwhelmed with gratitude and pride for what we have achieved together. Leading this mission-driven organisation has been the privilege of my career, and I have learned that true success comes from valuing people—investing in their growth, engagement, and wellbeing to create a vibrant culture.

Stepping into the CEO role was unexpected. My predecessor left suddenly, and my internal promotion was a bit of a surprise to all, including me. But the outpouring of support, especially from women, was humbling. Many shared how inspiring it was to work for a woman who had grown within the organization. That moment deepened my commitment to champion others, foster their growth, and cultivate inclusivity and belonging.

When I became CEO, Living Goods had 280 staff across Kenya, Uganda, and the U.S. Half the team had been with us for under two years. This brought energy, but also the challenge of maintaining our values while rapidly scaling. Today, with nearly 400 staff and engagement scores that have risen from 71 to 88 (above global norms), I am proud of the culture we’ve nurtured.

Cultivating Values and Leadership

One of my early priorities was hiring a Chief People & Culture Officer to shift from a transactional HR approach to one centred on aligning people practices with our mission and values. We conducted our first culture survey in 2018, which shaped our “great place to work” action plan. This became even more vital during the COVID-19 pandemic as remote work tested our ability to stay connected and sustain our culture.

Building a strong leadership foundation was another key focus. Over two years, we cultivated a high-performing executive team and refined our board to better reflect the regions where we work, deepen our understanding of the problems we were trying to solve, and challenge me constructively to broaden my perspective.

We also created a Leadership Council to enhance decision-making and empower leaders at all levels. This council redistributed power and encouraged leaders to take ownership of key decisions, embrace risks, and learn from failure. To support this shift, we introduced a delegation of authority matrix, a decision-making framework, and the RAPID decision-making tool to improve transparency and clarity in decision-making.

Additionally, we brought in external facilitators to foster psychological safety, encourage open conversations, and address the “stinky fish”—those difficult truths often avoided. These efforts were transformative, even when they required us to confront uncomfortable realities.

Listening, Learning, and Evolving

To drive continuous improvement, we introduced an annual employee feedback survey, achieving response rates in the 90s. We have seen improvements in 14 of 15 areas and now surpass many nonprofits in key benchmarks.

Listening also shaped our approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). We introduced DEI champions to define what DEI means for Living Goods in the unique context where we work and launched an Employee Resource Group as a platform for co-creation and solutions. These efforts have raised our DEI index from 61 in 2018 to 81, reaching high-performance levels.

Inclusion and belonging are at the core of our DEI journey. It’s not about ticking boxes or external pressures, but about creating a space where everyone feels valued, connected, and seen. By focusing on a few impactful initiatives—like addressing power dynamics, supporting managers, and fostering safe spaces—we’ve prioritised meaningful actions over generic approaches.

For me, DEI goes beyond being invited to the dance; it’s about ensuring everyone feels comfortable expressing themselves and helping shape the dancefloor itself. While we’ve made progress, there’s more to do to ensure every colleague thrives and contributes fully to our mission.

Setting Policies That Reflect Our Values

We also improved policies by extending parental leave, standardising leave days across countries, and introducing paid sabbaticals for employees with seven years of service, ensuring fairness and equity. These updates were shaped with input from our Employee Resource Group to amplify employee voices.

Compensation transparency was another key focus. Over four years, we implemented job evaluations, introduced salary benchmarking, and aligned staff to appropriate salary bands. This month, we’re rolling out individual compensation statements and sharing salary bands to ensure clarity for every team member.

Celebrating the Journey

Finally, leadership visibility has been a cornerstone of my tenure. A weekly Monday email to all staff, which started as a tool for updates, evolved into a personal way to connect and share stories from my life alongside organisational news. This effort, paired with bi-monthly reflections from the executive team, helped humanise leadership and foster connection.

Today, Living Goods is a place where talent thrives, culture is at the core of everything we do, and people are celebrated for their contributions. As I hand over leadership to another exceptional woman, I do so with confidence in our team and the organisation’s bright future.

To my fellow CEOs: invest in your people. Culture doesn’t happen by chance—it is leader-led, intentional, and the foundation of sustained success.

Thank you to everyone who has been part of this incredible journey. By empowering Community Health Workers with digital tools, strengthening health systems, and expanding into new geographies, together we have improved millions of lives while remaining true to our mission.