Meet the team

Byaruhanga Michael, Logistics Director

Michael, or ‘Silverback’ as he is fondly known, is our Head of Operations and Head Guide. He is a respected leader in the Ugandan tourism industry, a proud Ugandan and well-liked by all.

With a background in the armed forces and transport sector, Michael excels in the field. He is clear-thinking, disciplined and he delivers – all while being great company and fun to be with. If you observe carefully, he always has people laughing within minutes of meeting them.

He draws on an extensive knowledge of Uganda and Rwanda, an amazing network of contacts and years of experience to ensure clients holidays are meticulously planned and smoothly delivered, to achieve maximum satisfaction.

He enjoys training safari guides and providing opportunities for them to work.

Lesley Harris, Managing Director

Lesley fell in love with Uganda in the mid-1990s when working as a volunteer on a large international development project. Her love of adventure, culture and wildlife, combined with the warm welcome from local people and interesting work meant she soon made this place home. She stayed for over 25 years. During this time, she switched from working in aid (with a focus on the education sector) to tourism, got to know Rwanda better and became friends with Michael. In 2008, they decided to create Venture Uganda to share a love of these countries and a belief that travel could be ‘a force for good’.

Aside from managing Venture Uganda, Lesley enjoys working with students, helping community members to develop tourism initiatives that generate additional income and, of course, spending time in nature – whether that be wandering through a forest, watching birds or enjoying the wildlife of the national parks.

Joel, Travel Consultant (Operations)

If anyone loves tourism, it’s Joel.

Taking every opportunity to get out and explore nature, adventure activities and culture, Joel loves to learn and try his hand at new things. There is surely no one more enthusiastic about tourism than Joel!

He has great relationships with all our suppliers and makes sure they know what we require to give our clients that special touch.

He also works closely with our guides to ensure everything is in place for them to deliver a seamless holiday experience.

Outside of work, Joel is close to his family and keen to develop new skills from photography to technology. Oh and he likes fish – a lot!

Edith, Accountant

Edith is our lovely accountant and continues to study for higher international accountancy qualifications.

A whizz with numbers, Edith is a capable lady who has implemented some robust processes to ensure things are done correctly.

And someone who could be seen to have a serious demeanour, is in fact, quite bonkers.

She is absolutely in love with Ugandan food, dances a lot and has a keen eye for local art and fashion.

We can safely say that Edith is not definitely a boring accountant…which is just the way we like it.

Lydia, Education and Special Projects Manager

Lydia has had a number of different responsibilities since joining Venture and has proved adaptable, willing and capable. She is a huge asset to the company. She is currently responsible for working with our educational partners and arranging their school and university visits. This role covers anything from the design of specialist university field courses to cultural immersion and adventure trips for schools. She is also a popular tour leader.

In addition, Lydia arranges educational visits (FAM trips) for travel agents and tour operators working with Venture, to help them understand our destinations better.

She is also instrumental in the design and implementation of our responsible travel projects having a degree in development studies, a passion for helping others and a remarkable ability to get on with everyone.

Sarah, Travel Consultant (Sales)

Sarah came to Venture with a wealth of experience in selling holidays in Uganda and Rwanda and has a vast knowledge of both destinations. She is great to work with and quickly builds good relationships with trade partners and clients, handling enquiries quickly and efficiently. She also has an interest in accounting which comes in very handy.

Sarah is a ‘home girl’ and juggles work with a young family.

Daphine, Travel Consultant (Sales)

Daphine has a degree in mass communications, a diploma in wildlife and tourism and a certificate in tour guiding and uses these qualifications to great effect to share her love for nature and community with tourists.

She aims to make travel planning easy for clients by sharing her passion for, and knowledge of, Uganda and Rwanda and helping them choose experiences that match their interests. With a friendly and supportive approach, she loves creating memorable travel experiences which she believes can help to support wildlife and local people too.

Outside of work, Daphine likes to socialise with friends and family. She also likes to write – one day we hope for the autobiography of her interesting life so far.