Tanzania Private Sector Foundation appoints John Ulanga as its new Executive Director

The Tanzania Private Sector Foundation (TPSF) – an apex body for private sector associations in Tanzania has appointed John Ulanga as its new Executive Director.

Ulanga is a Tanzanian international development, trade facilitation and organisational development expert as well as business leader and board director.  

Prior to joining TPSF,  Mr. Ulanga was the Regional Director for East and Central Africa at TradeMark Africa. TradeMark Africa is an Aid for Trade African not-for profit institution established in 2010 to support the growth of trade in Africa. He was responsible for overseeing TradeMark Africa Country Programmes in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.  

Before joining TradeMark East Africa, Mr. Ulanga was the Vice President, External Affairs and Sustainability for BG East Africa which was part of the BG Group – a world leader in exploration and liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Mr. Ulanga was previously the Executive Director of the Foundation for Civil Society, the largest support mechanism for civil society organizations in Tanzania and before that, he worked with the Economic and Social Research Foundation (ESRF), one of the leading Policy Research Think Tanks in Tanzania.

Mr. Ulanga currently serves in Corporate, Public Sector and Not for Profit Boards and Governance Bodies such as:

1. Chairman of the University Council of the Hubert Kairuki Memorial University, Dar es Salaam
2. Chairman of the Board of Directors of KCB Bank Tanzania
3. Chairman of the Board of Directors of Serengeti Breweries Limited (a subsidiary of East African Breweries)
4. Chairman of the Ministerial Advisory Board for the National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) under the Ministry of Agriculture in Tanzania
5. Chairman of the Board of Imara Horizon Company (a commercial subsidiary of Benjamin Mkapa Foundation)
6. Chairman of the Board of VG Holding Company
7. Chairman of the Board of Tanzania Bora Initiative
8. Chairman of the Board of Shujaa Cancer Foundation
9. Chairman of the Audit Committee of Tanzania Public Service College
10. Chairman of the Advisory Board for Vijana Think Tank
11. Member of the Board of Directors of East African Breweries Plc, where he also chairs the Board Audit and Risk Committee
12. Member of the Board of Directors of Mwananchi Communications Limited (Publishers of The Citizen, Mwananchi and Mwanaspoti Newspapers), where he also chairs the Editorial Board Committee
13. Member of the Africa Policy Advisory Board for ONE Campaign (an organisation established by the famous Irish Rock Musician Bono)
14. Member of the Board of Trustees of Economic and Social Research Foundation
15.  Member of the Board of Trustees of Ruge Mutahaba Foundation
16. Member of the Advisory Committee for Songas Limited
17. Member of HakiElimu, a Tanzanian Education Advocacy NGO
18. Previously he sat in other boards such as Tanzania Ports Authority, Tanzania Public Service College, Foundation for Civil Society, Tanzania Media Foundation, East African Association of Grantmakers, etc.

Mr. Ulanga is a Fellow of the African Leadership Initiative, East Africa and the Aspen Global Leadership Network of the Aspen Institute in Colorado, USA. He is also a 2012 Senior Fellow of the Centre on Philanthropy and Civil Society Studies at the Graduate Centre of the City University of New York, Senior Fellow of the Synergos, New York. Mr. Ulanga is an alumnae of the International Visitor Leadership Programme of the US Department of State, and of the British Council Africa InterAction Leadership Programme.

He holds BCom (Accounting) from the University of Dar es Salaam, an Executive Master’s in Development Policies and Practice from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva, Switzerland. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA – T), a Certified Governance Professional, and a Certified Emotional Intelligence Practitioner and Coach.

He is a seasoned moderator, facilitator, trainer, and speaker on diverse topics related to leadership and development in general. He also enjoys spending his part time mentoring and advising people in business and in their careers.