Why Toguna?

Leading and being led is all about the magic of seeing and feeling seen: that elusive quality that elevates a conversation to an ‘aha’ moment and a workshop to a true meeting of minds.

Our name needed to capture that – in a simple word.

Inspiration struck when Martina attended a training event for future board members at INSEAD. The professor explained that an effective board needed to achieve ‘a Toguna spirit’ of true engagement, honesty, and openness. Togunas are traditional palaver huts in rural Mali. They serve as a meeting place that allows people to come together – sheltered from the heat of the sun – to discuss important issues, have an equal say, and thus come to wise decisions (Togunas are purposefully built low, so that everybody must sit down and interact at eye level as equals).

Creating “Toguna spirit” is at the core of everything we do.