As MySkill4Afrika Global Program Manager, Winnie Karanu is responsible for connecting Africa with the rest of the Microsoft employee world focused on bringing world-class expertise and talent into Africa to support the work Microsoft 4Afrika is doing on innovation, affordable access to devices and services and academy. She joined Microsoft in 2010 as part of an internship program through AIESEC International as a Citizenship and Community Affairs Coordinator for Microsoft Middle East and Africa based in Turkey where she was responsible on driving software adoption in the NGO Space, identifying areas of synergies where Microsoft could work with IFIs and IGOs and supporting countries experiencing natural disasters in Disaster Response in MEA’s 77 countries. Later she moved back home to Kenya and took on the Africa Strategy Coordinator where she was responsible for landing the then $1M commitment to support key projects in Africa focused on education, health and governance. In that period she also headed the Horn of Africa Disaster Response, landed the Grants 360 system- an accelerator that supports organizations with grants management- in Africa and supported the Shape the Future Program. In January 2012, she moved on to become the Office manager and Executive Assistant to the General Manager for Microsoft East and Southern Africa. Prior to joining Microsoft, she was the Treasury Accountant at Kenya Planters Cooperative Union and held various leadership positions in AIESEC Kenya.

Winnie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Communication and she is a Certified Public Accountant. She is a board member of the AIESEC Alumni Association in Kenya.