When I joined The Hill Toastmasters Club, I was looking for a platform to become a better speaker. I wanted to communicate with greater confidence, structure my thoughts more effectively and become more comfortable addressing different audiences. What I did not anticipate was how profoundly the Toastmasters journey would influence much more than my public speaking.
Recently, I had the privilege of being recognised as the ACCA Eastern Africa Cluster Public Sector Awards 2026 Winner, followed subsequently by being selected as the ACCA Global Public Sector Advocacy Award 2026 Winner. These recognitions celebrate work around professional advocacy, ethics, public-sector accountability, mentoring and using the accountancy profession to create public impact.
As I reflected on this journey, I realised that many of the skills that enabled me to contribute in these areas were strengthened through Toastmasters. My most recent Toastmasters Level 5 speech in the Persuasive Influence Pathway was titled “From Finding My Voice to Finding My Influence.” The title captured my Toastmasters journey perfectly. I joined to find my voice and along the way, I discovered that having a voice is not simply about being able to stand before an audience and speak confidently. It is about understanding that our voices can be used to advocate, teach, mentor, lead, challenge and serve. That realisation has increasingly shaped how I approach my professional and community roles.
Through my engagement with ACCA, I have had opportunities to advocate for ethics and governance, mentor students and young professionals, participate in professional forums, contribute to public-sector conversations and share knowledge through training and speaking engagements. Toastmasters gave me the confidence to step into those spaces more intentionally.
In forensic investigations and public-sector work, technical expertise is important. But technical knowledge alone does not create impact. We must be able to communicate complex issues clearly. We must be able to persuade stakeholders, ask difficult questions, present evidence, facilitate conversations and communicate with confidence in high-pressure environments. Toastmasters helped me develop these capabilities through practice.
Every speech, evaluation, leadership role and club assignment provided an opportunity to refine how I communicate. More importantly, the supportive environment taught me to receive feedback, learn from others and continuously improve. Those lessons have extended well beyond the Toastmasters meeting room. They have helped me when facilitating professional trainings, mentoring students, participating in ACCA engagements, speaking about ethics and governance, and representing my profession and institution in different forums.
One of the greatest lessons I have taken from Toastmasters is that leadership is not simply about holding a position. It is about influence. My experience at The Hill Toastmasters has given me opportunities to serve in leadership roles, including as the President 2025/26, and to work with members towards shared goals. These experiences taught me that leadership requires listening, collaboration, accountability, persuasion and the ability to bring people along. Those same principles have influenced how I approach professional leadership. Whether working with colleagues, mentoring young professionals or engaging stakeholders, I have become increasingly conscious that sustainable impact comes from influencing positively rather than simply speaking from a position of authority.
This recognition has reminded me that our professional expertise becomes even more powerful when we can communicate it effectively. For me, Toastmasters provided that platform. It helped me move from simply asking, “Can I speak confidently?” to asking, “What can I use my voice to achieve?”
I am deeply grateful to the members and leaders of The Hill Toastmasters Club and the District 114 Leadership who have challenged, encouraged and supported me throughout this journey. The award may carry my name, but the journey has been shaped by many people and many experiences.
And perhaps that is the greatest lesson I can share with fellow Toastmasters is this: Find your voice. Develop your influence. Serve. Make an impact
Thank you to the Hill Toastmasters Club, for being such an important part of my journey.
Read more about the award: EACC investigator wins global public sector advocacy award (opens in a new tab) (KBC).