Grace Kiraguri grew up in a rural village in Kenya, and though she never considered herself an athlete, she always enjoyed playing sports and going to school. She credits her father for building her self-confidence as he understood the importance of his daughter gaining her education. “My father did the opposite of what African society thought was right,” she says. “Because of him, I don’t see myself as a lesser human being.” 

After graduating with a Master of Business Administration, Grace was hired as a consultant to market a large sporting event in Kenya. Through that experience, she realized the potential of sports marketing as a career and launched her very own Icon Sports Marketing Corporation, which at the time was the only female-led sports marketing organization in Kenya. Grace has used her platform as a successful entrepreneur to launch a women’s empowerment forum and two sports mentorship programs for girls from disadvantaged communities. In 2015, she participated in the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Kenya, attended by former U.S. president, Barack Obama.