Sambamba was founded by Afua Kudom, a qualified Personal Performance/Life Coach and secondary school teacher, with over 19 years of combined private, public and third sector experience in coaching, consulting, education and public affairs.
About Our Founder
I am a British-Ghanaian who founded Sambamba with a simple purpose: to empower ambitious individuals to take action at critical points in their education, career and life, to craft their own destinies and honour their true selves.
I love being able to share the knowledge and skills I have gained from my extensive professional training in coaching, careers guidance and teaching, to help others succeed and experience life-changing transformation. Through my work, I have the privilege of helping clients increase their autonomy and self-efficacy to make what originally seemed unattainable, a reality.
My own academic background and career trajectory plays a huge role in what I do. I gained a BA Hons in Law from the University of Cambridge and was the first person from my south London state school to get into Oxbridge in 10 years - something I would never have considered if not for the encouragement and support of my A Level Sociology teacher, Ms Belger. Getting into Cambridge increased my self-belief and gave me a desire to ‘pay it forward’, by doing access work during my time at university, actively encouraging more state school students to aspire to Russell Group universities.
I went on to join the first cohort of the highly competitive Teach First leadership development programme. Through my teaching career, I enabled countless students to fulfil their academic potential, by building their confidence and equipping them with the practical tools needed to succeed. This continued whilst working as Head of Schools at an education consultancy, where I contributed to successfully supporting thousands of students from the state and independent sectors in the UK and internationally, to secure places at Oxbridge and for other competitive courses and universities. My most fulfilling achievements included supporting our Access School to gain 7 Oxbridge offers (compared to none in the previous year) and working with Access Programme students on a one-to-one basis to help them go on to study Law at the University of Oxford.
Having benefited from having a professional coach as part of a leadership development programme at work, I went on to gain a certification (Distinction) as a qualified Personal Performance/Life Coach with The Coaching Academy. This is what led to Sambamba being born, as I wanted to use my coaching skills to empower others to also achieve their goals.
I got to use my coaching skills working as a Careers Consultant at Queen Mary University of London, supporting undergraduate and postgraduate students to make an effective transition into the world of work and succeed at all stages of their careers journey. Whilst doing this role, I completed a Postgraduate Diploma (Merit) in Career Education, Information and Guidance in Higher Education with the University of Warwick. I also work as an Associate Coach with Inclusive Futures and NewWoman Health.
My voluntary roles complement my professional experiences. I am an Enterprise Adviser with London Enterprise Adviser Network, supporting Royal Greenwich Trust School with their careers provision. I am a Director with Inclusive Futures, a not-for-profit coaching provider improving social mobility and creating a fairer society. I am also a trustee for The Nicholas Hammond Foundation, which is affiliated to my alma mater, Clare College, University of Cambridge.
It would be my pleasure to support you through the next chapter of your journey and I look forward to working with you on our shared goal of putting your future first.
AFUA KUDOM - MA CANTAB | FHEA | PG DIP
Founder of Sambamba