Derreck Kayongo
Dr. Derreck Kayongo – A Journey of Soap, Soul, and Sustainability In the voice of Maya Angelou
Dr. Derreck Kayongo was not born into ease, but into essence—an essence that understood from an early age that injustice, like dirt on skin, must be scrubbed clean with intention. From the red soils of Uganda to the marbled halls of influence across the globe, he has walked with a spirit unbent and a purpose unbroken. He is a son of Africa, a father of ideas, and a brother to those the world too often forgets.
In his youth, he bore witness to the ugliness of war and displacement, but rather than succumbing to despair, he forged a path lined with dignity and service. He studied, not just to learn, but to liberate. And in the great classroom of humanity, he uncovered a startling truth—millions of bars of soap, perfectly usable, were being discarded by hotels every day, while children across the globe died from diseases that simple hygiene could prevent.
So, he created the Global Soap Project, an audacious act of love. He turned waste into hope, and something as small as a bar of soap into a revolution of compassion. That small bar, like Derreck himself, was mighty in its purpose. And as the world watched, it followed.
From CNN Heroes to international stages, from university classrooms to policy boardrooms, Dr. Kayongo has used his voice not as an echo of complaints, but as a drumbeat of progress. He speaks in solutions, acts in courage, and leads with empathy. Whether advising governments on democracy or championing climate action through the recycling of wooden pallets, he has remained rooted in a moral clarity that only a life of vision can afford.
And now, as the Executive Director of Clean Production Action, he continues to fight—not with fists, but with foresight. He inspires industries to imagine a world where production does not poison, and profit does not preclude justice. Under his leadership, Clean Production Action stands not just as a watchdog, but as a way forward.
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Topic: HOW TO HARNESS YOUR POWER TO CREATE CHANGE (OPENING KEYNOTE)
Abstract: Innovating for Impact: The Intersection of Leadership, Technology, and Sustainability in Project Management “How project managers can harness technology and leadership to drive sustainable innovation, with real-world insights from your work in chemical foot printing, recycling, and environmental advocacy.
Learning Objectives:
- Operationalizing ideation through practical and clever problem mapping
Topic: INNOVATING SOLUTIONS THROUGH PROBLEM MAPPING (TRACK SESSION)
Abstract: To come up with innovative clever ideas to problems you really have to understand the anatomy of a problem. This means bringing teams that are relevant to find solutions into the room and together developing a holistic approach to the problem. Problems linger or resurrect or reimagine in new forms that were never anticipated if they are not answered by more than one person or team. During this session I will showcase how we solved complex problems using very clever solutions due to the depth of the team we assembled to answer questions presented by the problem.
Learning Objectives:
- Develop a strategy of problem mapping and interpretation
- Conduct a thorough analysis of the problem and develop a stakeholders list and bring them to the solutions table
