My chess journey began at the age of nine in a small village in Nkhotakota, Malawi, when my sister introduced me to the game using a chess set she had received as a mathematics award from a US Peace Corps volunteer. That moment ignited a lifelong passion and taught me that opportunities in chess are created by those willing to build them. In high school, my friends and I bought chess boards with our pocket money to grow our school club, and at university I was the only active female chess player,  inspiring my commitment to advancing opportunities for women and girls. Since then, I have served as Chess League Leader, became the first female President of the Chess Association of Malawi, the only female federation president in Africa at the time, and served as President of FIDE Zone 4.5. I founded Malawi’s only FIDE-endorsed chess academy, established numerous chess clubs, and introduced chess programmes in schools, prisons, rehabilitation centres, and disadvantaged communities, including hosting Africa’s first Chess for Freedom Conference. Internationally, I serve voluntarily as Global Director of Gift of Chess spearheading distribution of chesssets globally, have served on the FIDE Women’s Commission and the Planning and Development Commission, and continue to support global chess development through equipment distribution, governance, education, and capacity building. As a Schools Instructor, Arbiter, Fair Play Official, Associate Organizer, and sports administrator, I have worked across every level of chess, while also serving on the Malawi National Sports Council Board, the Football Legends Malawi Board of Trustees, and the Ministry of Sports Taskforce for International Partnerships and received best sports administrator awards in my country. Most recently, I partnered with a US University of California, Berkeley researcher on a study to generate evidence on chess as a tool for improving educational outcomes. From a young girl discovering chess in rural Malawi to serving the global chess community, my journey has been defined by service, inclusion, innovation, and grassroots development, and I now seek the opportunity to bring that experience and vision to FIDE as Vice President.

I hold a Master’s Degree in Business Administration, Post graduate Diplomas in Management, Marketing and Finance and a BSc.in Environmental Science. I have worked in the development sector including the WorldBank and Millenium Challenge during my work career. I stopped my work to pursue chess on full time.