Our Purpose

Geoffrey Sakulanda is a seasoned corporate leader and board executive with extensive experience across financial services, corporate governance and strategic enterprise development. With a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Zambia and advanced qualifications in insurance, risk and general management from global institutions, Geoff brings strong financial acumen and structured leadership to complex organisations. His career includes senior executive roles such as Managing Director of leading insurance brokerage firms and currently Vice President of Epikaizo Capital.

Geoff has served on numerous prominent boards across Zambia and the region, including the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), where he also served as Vice Chair of the Investment and Portfolio Committee. His governance footprint spans major institutions such as the Zambia Revenue Authority, National Airports Corporation, Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority, Zambia Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ZACCI), and several private sector and development-focused organisations. This breadth of board-level leadership reflects deep experience in investment oversight, capital allocation, regulatory alignment and corporate development.

As Chairman of Vantage Institute of Technical Business Excellence, Geoff provides strategic oversight, governance discipline and financial stewardship to the Institute’s growth agenda. His leadership ensures that Vantage operates with strong corporate structures, sound financial management and long-term sustainability. He is committed to strengthening institutional excellence while supporting initiatives that develop Zambia’s human capital and industrial capability.

John Kalenga is the Chairman of Grovenor Resources Zambia Limited, with strategic operations and partnerships across Zambia, the DRC and South Africa. He is a respected leader in the African mining and resource sector, providing executive oversight on mineral development, licensing strategy, capital allocation and regional expansion. His leadership is defined by strong governance, disciplined execution and long-term value creation across complex operating environments.

As Executive Director of Vantage Institute of Technical Business Excellence, John brings deep industry insight and practical business acumen to the Institute’s strategic direction. His experience in mining operations and stakeholder engagement strengthens Vantage’s alignment with real industry needs, particularly in artisan development and technical skills advancement. His input ensures that Vantage remains commercially grounded, industry-relevant and committed to building Zambia’s workforce capacity for sustainable economic growth.

John is particularly passionate about developing Zambia’s human capital within the mining and industrial sectors. He actively advocates for structured skills transfer, local workforce empowerment and sustainable talent pipelines that reduce dependency on external expertise. His leadership reinforces Vantage’s mission to build technically competent, industry-ready professionals who can contribute meaningfully to national economic growth and long-term sector stability.

Ra’ees Lechet is a seasoned training and development executive with over 30 years of experience across skills development, organisational transformation and workforce optimisation. He is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Semantix Direct Group, a South African-based learning and development organisation focused on frontline management, operational excellence, leadership development and productivity improvement across multiple sectors. His career spans senior roles including Group Training General Manager and Executive Manager within the ETQA environment at WRSETA, where he was responsible for quality assurance, compliance, accreditation oversight and large-scale skills implementation frameworks.

Ra’ees brings deep expertise across the full training value chain — from curriculum design and learnership implementation to competency frameworks, leadership development and performance-based training interventions. He has led programmes aligned to national qualifications frameworks, SETA systems and QCTO standards, while also driving practical shop-floor transformation initiatives rooted in Lean principles and operational efficiency. His work has consistently focused on bridging the gap between qualification and workplace competence.

As Executive Director of Vantage Institute of Technical Business Excellence, he is passionate about building structured artisan pipelines, graduate development pathways and leadership upskilling programmes that address workforce imbalances and critical skills shortages across the mining and industrial sectors. His commitment to people development and sustainable skills transfer anchors Vantage’s mission to create measurable impact within Zambia’s workforce and broader African industry.

Sandu Kalenga serves as Operations Director of Grovenor Resources Zambia Limited, overseeing multi-site operations, logistical coordination and production execution across the Southern African region. He brings extensive hands-on mining and resource sector experience across the full operational value chain — from extraction and processing to project implementation and cost control. His expertise spans people management, operational planning, project management and disciplined cost management, ensuring efficiency, safety and performance consistency across all stages of operations.

As Executive Director of Vantage Institute of Technical Business Excellence, Sandu plays a pivotal role in aligning technical training with real operational demands. His practical understanding of workforce capability gaps, production pressures and operational systems ensures that Vantage programmes are industry-relevant and execution-driven.

Sandu is particularly focused on structured upskilling, artisan development and graduate pipeline programmes that directly address critical skills shortages within mining and industrial sectors. His combined operational and leadership experience strengthens Vantage’s ability to transfer practical skills that improve productivity, efficiency and long-term workforce sustainability.

Bobby Mbunji Samakai is a seasoned Zambian diplomat and senior public sector leader with extensive experience in governance, international relations and state administration. Having served in senior roles within Zambia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs — including Permanent Secretary, Chief of State Protocol and Zambia’s High Commissioner to Canada — he brings a wealth of strategic insight and structured leadership experience to Vantage.

His diplomatic career, which included accreditation to multiple Caribbean nations, reflects deep engagement at regional and global levels. Bobby has operated at the centre of high-level coordination, policy alignment and international stakeholder engagement, giving him a strong understanding of institutional development, regulatory environments and structured governance systems.

As Executive Director of Vantage Institute of Technical Business Excellence, Bobby contributes strategic oversight and governance depth to the Institute’s growth and positioning. His experience strengthens Vantage’s institutional credibility, stakeholder relationships and alignment with national development priorities. He is committed to supporting structured skills development frameworks that enhance Zambia’s human capital capacity, particularly in sectors critical to economic growth such as mining, engineering and industrial operations.

Joseph Shamatutu is a strategic leader and operations specialist with over two decades of international experience spanning engineering, public sector governance and enterprise transformation. Holding an MBA from the University of Leicester (UK) and a B.Sc. in Communications Engineering from Plymouth University (UK), he combines strong technical foundations with high-level business and operational acumen. His career includes senior leadership roles within the Ontario Public Service (Canada), where he led multi-functional teams and implemented risk-based regulatory and operational frameworks.

With deep expertise in Lean methodology and continuous improvement, Joseph specialises in streamlining complex systems to improve efficiency, service delivery and financial control. His early engineering career included representing Zambia at the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in Geneva, contributing to national spectrum planning initiatives — demonstrating his ability to operate at both technical and strategic levels.

As Executive Director of Vantage Institute of Technical Business Excellence, Joseph strengthens the Institute’s governance, operational discipline and performance-driven culture. His global experience supports Vantage’s commitment to structured artisan development, project management excellence and scalable upskilling programmes designed to close critical skills gaps within Zambia’s industrial and mining sectors.