April remains a defining month for me. It starts with my birthday on the 4th (yesterday), and in the last three years, April has also evolved into a period of personal reflection.

The experience of hosting Kamala Harris, then sitting Vice President of the United States of America, at my farm in Zambia.... Panuka Farm on 1 April 2023 remains a milestone that continues to shape my leadership perspective.

In a career spanning development finance, environmental finance, and agribusiness, I have engaged across multiple high-level platforms. However, this moment stands apart. I was hosting the second most influential leader in the world, alongside the full presence of the crème de la crème of the international press.

Beyond the visibility, this was my most defining leadership litmus test.

The setting required leading my young team operating in an environment they had largely only seen in movies .....tight security, precision preparation and execution, as well as global attention. My responsibility was to steady the team while being a composed and engaging host.

Being composed is the easy part for me...my time in the Military fixed that part for life.

What made the experience more demanding, yet exciting for me, was the absence of a fixed script.

Imagine being told to host the U.S Vice President for two hours, with a broad unwritten script, and you basically have to dig deeper into your professional and social capital toolbox to keep the conversation going.

While there were broad thematic areas: climate, biodiversity conservation, agriculture, and economic development, the engagement turned out to be very fluid. She has a remarkable personality, I must confess. So that helped.

The Panuka AgriBiz Hub concept had already been developed at that stage, and it formed part of the engagement, particularly around how structured knowledge, data, and linkages can strengthen bankability for emerging agribusinesses.

The most enduring outcome was the impact on my young team.

After the event, there was a clear sense of disbelief among them—that they had executed at that level. Simply put, they had been at the mountain top.

As a leader, I was intentional that the experience should leave an imprint. There is a saying that the fish rots from the head; the reverse equally applies. Leadership must set the tone, especially under pressure.

If you may have missed the coverage, here is a compilation of selected media content assembled by my team alongside global media: watch here

Three years on, the reflection is less about the occasion and more about what it revealed.

Leadership is tested in unscripted environments, where composure, clarity, and conviction must converge in real time.