Who is The Workroom?

About The Workroom

The core values of the Workroom are boldness and wonder.

Our work originates from a place of authenticity and integrity. We will strive to speak out and speak up even if our message contains difficult truths for the client. Furthermore, the content we produce, too, will speak truth to power, even if the findings are tough to digest.

The operating principles of the Workroom are as follows1:

  • Client focused – we listen, communicate and build working relationships with our clients to ensure transparency and inclusion.
  • The Workroom delivers on time and with high quality.
  • We operate with the principle of self-management using powerful and fluid systems of distributed authority and collective intelligence.
  • We believe in wholeness – clients, associates, and partners are invited to drop the masks, be authentic and bring all of who they are to the table.
  • The Workroom will, instead of trying to predict and control the future, listen and understand what the organisations we are working with are drawn to become, and where they naturally want to go.

[1] Some of the principles are based on and inspired by the book Reinventing Organisations by Frederic Laloux

Meet Carolin Gomulia

Carolin Gomulia is a seasoned strategist who has honed her skills in the government- and non-profit sectors. She challenges conventional thinking and helps organisations to gain new insights and fresh perspectives. With a focus on creating positive change, Carolin is passionate about working with organisations to achieve their goals and make a meaningful impact. She has a proven track record for developing innovative strategies, rallying support, and mobilising resources. Whether it’s through fundraising efforts or strategic planning, Carolin is committed to driving success and helping organisations reach their full potential. With extensive experience across multiple continents, Carolin has developed a unique perspective and deep expertise that sets her apart as a strategic leader. Her 15+ years of experience includes work with non-profits in South Africa, Namibia, Kenia, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zambia, Iraq, Jordan, Nepal, Germany, the UK and the US. Carolin, who speaks fluent English, German and Spanish, holds a Master’s degree in Development Studies and another in Development Management. She is deeply committed and passionate about social justice and transformation. Carolin is a German national with organic family links to Indonesia and resides for the past 18 years in South Africa.

Associates

Linked to its principles and inspired by the book Reinventing Organizations, The Workroom aims to collaborate with others instead of employing people. The Workroom operates based on collaboration. We build project teams tailored for each client. The Workroom’s associates are all highly skilled, motivated and passionate about the clients and projects The Workroom is involved in.

Vanessa Buvens

Vanessa is a freelance consultant working on fundraising, strategy and innovation for mission-driven organisations. She has over 10 years experience designing programmes and raising funds for social enterprises and NGOs, helping them build strong foundations, deliver on their mission and become more financially resilient. She has been working with the Workroom supporting a range of national and international clients, looking to navigate rapidly-changing funding landscapes, challenge traditional ways of working and overall, stay future-fit and relevant.

Christa Robijn

Christa Robijn-van Riet, an associate at The Workroom, blends a background in resource mobilisation and fundraising with leadership roles in NGOs and INGOs in Africa. With a focus on strategy and sustainability, she has led several change management and restructuring processes, covering the fields of strategy, fundraising, capacity building, and stakeholder engagement. Pro-bono work includes developing monitoring and evaluation frameworks, fundraising strategies, and programme implementation plans for social enterprises in Southern Africa. Her consulting experience includes strategic planning, research, building high-performance teams, developing fundraising strategies and planning organisational change. Diverse projects have seen her travel and work in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, Nigeria, Mauritius, Canada, Chile and India. Holding an MBA from Business School Netherlands, she’s a Nuffic fellow dedicated to lifelong learning. Passionate about human-centered design, Christa optimises processes, stays ahead of trends, and fosters creative environments for collaboration. As part of the Workroom, she contributed to developing the Oxfam in Africa strategy for Oxfam International.

Sylvestre Musengimana

Sylvestre Musengimana has over 12 years of experience as a consultant in monitoring and evaluation and is a professional trainer, with a strong track record within the East African Community. He is a certified specialist in Performance Evaluation and Analysis by the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI). His consulting expertise encompasses project monitoring, evaluation and learning, quantitative and qualitative research, training needs assessment, capacity building development and, strategy development and review. He has assessed several projects funded by donors such as the World Bank, USAID, the European Union (EU), UNHCR, WFP and FCDO. He has led and managed multi country research projects in more than 20 countries of Africa by providing both technical assistance and logistics support to various team members. Sylvestre is an active member the International Consultants Alliance (ICA World). He is also a member of the advisory group of the Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance in Humanitarian Action (ALNAP), responsible for updating guidelines on the evaluation of humanitarian action using the criteria of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the OECD). He is fluent in English and French.

Rutendo Nyaku

Rutendo Nyaku is an Associate at The Workroom, where she specializes in social media engagement and management. With a keen eye for digital strategy, she crafts compelling narratives that amplify voices and foster meaningful connections across platforms. Her previous role as a Machel-Mandela Fellow at the Brenthurst Foundation, and Digital Transformation officer at the UNDP Chief Digital Office sharpened her expertise in strategic advisory and communications.A versatile professional, Rutendo’s experience spans research, political and media policy, and high-level dialogue coordination. She was an election observer in the 2023 Liberian election and contributes her insights as a non-executive board member for two nonprofits dedicated to promoting authentic African narratives and addressing legacies of violence in post-conflict states. Rutendo’s research focuses on digital transformation, youth engagement in trade, enabling conditions for small and medium enterprises (SMMEs), and the intricacies of political representation, particularly in electoral processes.She holds an MPhil in Justice & Transformation from the University of Cape Town, equipping her with the analytical tools to navigate complex societal challenges.

Joseph Nelson

Joseph is a consultant working on financial restructuring for NGOs, UN agencies and small corporates. He has professional experience in the corporate financial services sector and for the last nine years have assisted organisations develop sustainable financial systems, implement growth strategies, and restructure. He also consults in the fields of private sector development and financial inclusion impact and policy. Joseph is a part time lecturer at the University of Bristol and researches the Political Economy of Microfinance, investigating the impact of financial inclusion as a development intervention and the role financial services and the private sector can play in employment generation and poverty alleviation. He is currently based between the UAE and UK, working on a range of financial change projects as well as continuing my research into the impacts of financial inclusion policies.

Friederike Bubenzer

Friederike is an independent South African peacebuilding practitioner with over 15 years’ experience in developing and delivering peacebuilding and transitional justice interventions across the African continent.  Her research and advocacy focus is on the interconnectedness and integration of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) and peacebuilding. Her current work is focused on developing the World Health Organisation’s Global Health and Peace Initiative. Previously she has worked on the advancement of the integration of MHPSS and peacebuilding with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), The Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, the ARQ National Psychotrauma Center and the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation.
Friederike is a keen and avid writer. She is the co-editor of ‘These are the things that sit with us’ with Pumla Gobodo Madikizela and Marietjie Oelofsen (Jacana, 2019) and ‘Hope, Pain and Patience: The Lives of Women in South Sudan’ with Orly Stern (Jacana, 2011).