First Glimpse at the Good Start Challenge Judging Panel

Uttara Bharath Kumar

Uttara Bharath Kumar, MHS is Senior Technical Advisor at the Center for Communication Programs (CCP) and Associate Faculty at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (BHSPH). She has over 30 years of experience in global public health practice in Africa and Asia on a wide range of public health issues ranging from HIV, TB and RNMCH to non-communicable diseases, cancers and mental health. She currently leads CCP’s role on the UK Government-funded Women’s Integrated Sexual Health (WISH2) project led by the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) in seven East and Southern African countries. She is an Advisory Board member for the Gupta Klinsky India Institute (GKII) and a member of the Technical Advisory Group at the World Health Organization (WHO) on Behavioral Sciences for Better Health. Ms. Bharath Kumar has an MHS in International Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a BA in English from Wellesley College.

Sara Leedom

Sara Leedom is the Co-Founder & COO of Inkomoko, a social enterprise that provides business advisory and access to finance for 100,000 MSMEs. Sara has grown Inkomoko to operate with 800 staff in Rwanda, Kenya, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Chad, earning recognition as Financial Times’ 8th “Fastest Growing Company in Africa” in 2025 and the largest investor in refugees in Africa. With 27 years progressive leadership across emerging markets, Sara has built for-profit and non-profit companies as a founder, advisor, and investor. She has an MBA from Oxford and an undergraduate degree in African Literature.

Sara will be a judge on the Sub-Saharan Africa panel. You can find her LinkedIn profile here.

“Every child deserves a great start in life. I’m excited to be a judge for the Good Start Challenge because supporting caregiver wellbeing contributes to a home where children can thrive.”

Dr Teshome Desta Woldehanna

Dr Teshome Desta Woldehanna is a Medical Doctor and Specialist in Paediatrics and Child Health with 35 years of medical and public health services in child and adolescent health in Ethiopia, Nigeria and twenty East and Southern African countries. He has worked for the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa supporting 20 countries in developing and implementing child and adolescent health policies, strategies and plans including Early Childhood Development. In collaboration with partners, he facilitated the operationalization of the Nurturing Care Framework through a multi-sectoral approach in the African region. From 2022 to 2024 he was responsible for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, child and Adolescent Health and Healthy Ageing with the Multi-country Assignment Team covering Kenya, Mauritius, Rwanda and Seychelles based in Nairobi, Kenya.

Dr Teshome will be a judge on the Sub-Saharan Africa panel.

Dr Dominique Diouf

Dr. Diouf brings over 23 years of international experience spanning Africa, Europe, and North America in research, entrepreneurship, innovation strategy, capacity building, and sustainability ESG consulting, CSR, SDGs etc) . His academic background in sociology, anthropology, business administration (Ph.D.), and sustainability allows him to address complex, cross-cutting global challenges. Dominique is currently a Senior Sustainability Advisor (Free Consultant) at the ESG Institute. He also served on the Greentech Africa 2025 Program Advisory Board.The Greentech Africa Program Advisory Board was launched by Village Capital in partnership with Moody’s: The Future of Sustainability, a program that seeks to support startups focused on addressing the challenges faced in sustainable development by promoting sustainable solutions for underestimated communities. He was an Expert in Agricultural Research and Innovation Strategy processes at DeSIRA LIFT (a European Union Project) and Head of Exploration at UNDP Senegal’s Accelerator Lab, led innovation ecosystem projects with DEEP Ecosystems and GIZ, and contributed to policy and evaluation initiatives across agri-food systems, AI ethics, climate- resilient agriculture, and sustainable finance. Dominique is a seasoned academic, having taught at institutions in Senegal, Canada, and Europe, and published award-winning research on sustainability risk and responsible investment.

Mario Vázquez Maguirre

Mario Vázquez Maguirre holds a PhD (Business) from EGADE Business School, Tecnológico de Monterrey, and an MSc (Economics and Public Policy) from EGAP, Tecnológico de Monterrey. He is currently a professor of entrepreneurship, sustainability, and corporate social responsibility at Universidad de Monterrey (UDEM). His primary research lines include social entrepreneurship and innovation, indigenous social enterprises and sustainable development, humanistic management, and corporate social responsibility. He has worked in corporations such as BBVA and UPS, and he has served as a consultant to SMEs and NGOs.

“I’m excited to be a judge for the Good Start Challenge because it presents a unique opportunity to contribute to innovative solutions addressing the structural disadvantages faced by caregivers and young children. By fostering ground breaking ideas and impactful initiatives, we can drive systemic change and a more equitable future for generations to come.”

Jonathan Robinson

Jonathan Robinson is an entrepreneur, author and anthropologist. Jonathan is the founder of Impact Hub, a global community of impact driven entrepreneurs with physical spaces in over 100 world cities. He also co-founded Civic that works to unlock the power of communities in places as diverse as Ukraine, Syria and The Sahel. Jonathan has launched ventures with partners ranging from the Cabinet Office, British Council and Tate Modern to The Guardian, Unicef and peace entrepreneurs in Afghanistan.

“I’m excited to be a judge for the Good Start Challenge because parents and caregivers do the most important work on earth. So offering care to caregivers really matters. Anyone with imaginative projects for providing that care and wellbeing deserves all the backing we can muster.”

Dr Yohana Ratrin Hestyanti

Dr Yohana Ratrin Hestyanti is a psychologist at the Centre of Family Resilience and Development, Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia. Her doctoral degree from Radboud University, Nijmegen, focused on the Resilience of Acehnese Children, survivors of the 2004 Tsunami. As a member of the Mental Health Working Group (Ministry of Health, Republic of Indonesia), she wrote ‘Guidebook for Mentally Healthy Parenting’ and is actively involved in the movement for parental mental health for family resilience and optimal child development.

Dr Yohana will be a judge on the Southeast Asia panel.

Karina Muniz

Karina Muniz is a psychologist, university lecturer and specialist in Social Psychology and Anthropology. She is a Coordinator of the Socioemotional Coordination at IEMA public education network (Maranhão, Brazil) and Deputy Secretary of Training at UNEGRO-MA (National Union for Black Equality).

Karina will be a judge on the Latin America panel.