Social entrepreneur and one of Africa’s brightest young achievers Nataliey Bitature will be awarded an honorary degree at Keele’s winter graduation ceremony later this month.

Nataliey, who graduated from Keele in 2013 with a degree in Business Management and Education, credits the University with helping her get to where she is today.

Nataliey is the Chief of Staff of Uganda’s Simba Group, a conglomerate of companies spanning the hospitality, energy, telecom, and real estate sectors, as well as a foundation which she oversees the operations of.

She has been recognised amongst Africa’s brightest young achievers by Forbes “30 Under 30”, and the World Economic Forum named her one of the Top 5 African Innovators.

After graduating from Keele, Nataliey attended the Hult Business School in San Francisco where she completed an MSc in Social Entrepreneurship. During this time she co-founded the concept for Musana Carts – a business that creates solar-powered street vending carts designed for micro-entrepreneurs across Uganda. Musana Carts has since partnered with Coca-Cola, The Rockefeller Foundation, Mastercard Foundation and Ideo.org.

After working with young women in urban and rural Uganda, Nataliey launched an initiative called ‘HER’, an online community programme where young women in business are equipped with both business and life skills that are designed to help them grow in their businesses and life.

Nataliey has also been invited to speak to the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Population Fund, Rotary International, and the International Labour Organization, advocating for youth and women's empowerment.

Nataliey said: “My time at Keele was fantastic and really helped me to develop both personally and professionally. The experience and knowledge I gained from my dual honours degree was second to none. I was able to study Japanese and astrology alongside my main studies and I learnt about different educational experiences in developing countries - which really helped me when I started my career.”

Professor Trevor McMillan, Vice Chancellor at Keele University, said: “We are very proud to call Nataliey a Keele University alumna and I'm delighted to welcome her back. Her achievements are remarkable and it is a pleasure to award Nataliey this prestigious accolade for her outstanding career and commitment to supporting women in business. Nataliey is an inspiring entrepreneur and worthy role model for our students, we look forward to welcoming her to our graduation ceremony to help celebrate the achievements of all our graduates."