Lydie Kena
Project Coordinator | PMO | Operations | Executive Support
I help organisations bring structure to complex projects through project coordination, governance, operational support, and stakeholder collaboration. Whether supporting Agile product delivery or coordinating international programmes, I enjoy turning moving parts into organised, measurable progress. Based in Johannesburg, South Africa.
I enjoy being the person who brings structure, keeps projects moving, and gives teams confidence that nothing will fall through the cracks.
About
I'm a Project Coordinator and Operations Professional who enjoys bringing structure to complex projects, improving delivery processes, and helping teams stay aligned through effective governance, communication, and operational support. I thrive in environments where there are multiple moving parts, and I enjoy creating clarity through organised documentation, stakeholder collaboration, and proactive coordination.
Over the past four years, I've supported international programmes across project coordination, quality assurance, and Agile delivery. Whether maintaining governance artefacts, coordinating stakeholders, tracking project risks, or supporting executive reporting, my focus is always on helping teams deliver successfully while building strong working relationships.
I hold a Bachelor of Commerce in Industrial Psychology from the University of Johannesburg, which has strengthened my communication, relationship management, and problem-solving skills. I enjoy learning, improving processes, and being the person people can rely on to keep work moving forward.
My Approach
I believe successful projects are built on clarity, communication, and consistency.
I enjoy asking questions early, identifying potential risks before they become issues, and creating simple systems that help teams stay organised. My goal is to reduce complexity, build trust with stakeholders, and create an environment where projects move forward confidently.
I also believe collaboration is one of the biggest drivers of successful delivery. Throughout my career, I've enjoyed sharing knowledge, supporting teammates across departments, and helping others solve problems, because strong projects are built by strong teams.
A quick snapshot
Working across borders
Working across different cultures and time zones has strengthened my communication, adaptability, and ability to keep projects moving, regardless of location.
Throughout my career, I've collaborated with distributed teams across Africa and Europe, supporting multi-country project delivery, remote stakeholder engagement, and Agile product development. Wherever the team is based, my focus stays the same: clear communication, strong relationships, and keeping delivery on track.
Skills
Organised across the disciplines that keep a project on track, from governance controls to Agile delivery tracking.
Project Governance
Agile & Delivery
Reporting & Analysis
Quality & Process
Stakeholder & Communication
Experience
Technical Project Coordinator (Product Management)
Working within a live Agile product delivery team, participating in daily stand-ups, Scrum sprints tracked in Taiga, and cross-functional coordination across product, QA, and partnership stakeholders. I track task dependencies and workflow changes, validate AI-assisted outputs against quality standards, and maintain delivery documentation and reporting across multiple concurrent workstreams to support successful project delivery.
Programme Coordinator (Acting Project Manager)
Owned end-to-end delivery of international, multi-country research programmes covering 2,000+ audit sites and 3,000+ mystery shopping visits per wave. Managed governance artefacts, including charters, RAID logs, and kickoff and status minutes, and consolidated Excel data into client-ready PowerPoint reporting for senior management.
Operations Support Assistant
Provided operations and administrative support directly to the founder of a small business, coordinating stakeholder communications and order follow-ups, and maintaining records to improve operational visibility.
Quality Assurance Specialist | Project Assistant
Ran first- and second-line quality reviews across international research programmes, reviewing 100+ field reports monthly. Designed structured QA processes that lifted reporting accuracy to over 90%, and trained 10+ QA editors and 6 panel members supporting 200+ auditors and mystery shoppers.
Administrative Assistant
Supported the CRM Manager with client coordination, scheduling, and database record maintenance, while handling day-to-day administrative documentation and client correspondence.
Recognition & Impact
Large-Scale Programme Delivery
Successfully coordinated multi-country research programmes covering more than 2,000 audit sites and 3,000 mystery shopping visits per wave, while supporting cross-functional stakeholders across multiple countries.
Reporting & Insights
Trusted to prepare monthly and half-year executive reports and later contribute to project insights and analysis. My work required minimal revisions before final delivery, reflecting strong analytical thinking, attention to detail, and ownership.
Leadership Recognition
Received recognition from senior leadership, including the Senior Project & Operations Manager and Managing Directors, for my contribution to one of the company's largest international audit programmes, recognising my project coordination, stakeholder communication, and commitment to successful delivery.
Star Performer
Recognised as Star Performer during the Excelerate Project Management Internship.
Case Studies
A closer look at three programmes I coordinated, from fieldwork setup through to reporting. Client names are anonymised, industries and scale are not.
Pan-African Energy Retail Programme
The client required consistent execution across multiple African countries while maintaining quality, meeting deadlines, and coordinating hundreds of fieldworkers.
Coordinated project execution, stakeholder communication, governance documentation, and project reporting across the full programme lifecycle.
- Organised supplier and shopper briefing sessions across regions.
- Coordinated stakeholders across multiple countries.
- Maintained governance documentation throughout delivery.
- Produced KPI reporting for senior leadership.
- Identified and escalated risks before they affected delivery.
Successfully coordinated more than 3,000 mystery shopping visits across 2,000 audit sites, improving communication, visibility, and on-time delivery.
Regional Fuel Retail Quality Programme
Fuel retail sites across the region needed consistent, accurate mystery shopping data to support quality decisions, but inconsistent reporting was affecting confidence in the results.
Led fieldwork oversight and quality control across more than 500 sites, working closely with shoppers and editors to protect data integrity.
- Led shopper and editor briefings to align on standards.
- Ran second-line quality reviews to catch inconsistencies early.
- Introduced structured feedback loops to refine the process over time.
- Delivered weekly status summaries to keep leadership informed.
Data accuracy improved through consistent process refinement, giving senior leadership reliable weekly visibility into programme performance.
National Restaurant Service Excellence Programme
The client needed ongoing, reliable insight into service quality across more than 60 sites every month, without overburdening their internal team.
Managed monthly fieldwork coordination, quality checks, and reporting for the programme.
- Led shopper and editor briefings each month.
- Ran second-line quality checks with constructive feedback for editors.
- Contributed to report compilation and analysis for business reviews.
- Delivered weekly progress reports to senior management.
Consistent monthly fieldwork and reporting gave the client dependable visibility into service quality, supporting both routine and mid-year business reviews.
Governance in Practice
This section showcases examples of the governance documentation I have created and maintained while coordinating projects. These examples demonstrate how I manage project tracking, risks, issues, dependencies, actions, and stakeholder communication. All client names and commercially sensitive information have been removed to protect confidentiality.
Project Tracker
Monitoring project progress, priorities, milestones and delivery activities.
RAID Log
Tracking project risks, assumptions, issues, dependencies and actions to support proactive decision-making.
| Type | Item | Owner | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Risk | Electrical requirements not confirmed at installation sites, which could delay installation and commissioning. | Contractor / Client | Open |
| Action | Schedule and conduct a site inspection to confirm equipment locations, power requirements and cable routing. | Project Manager | Open |
| Action | Arrange for the client's facilities team to attend the site inspection. | Client Representative | Open |
| Decision | Installation will be completed at two sites, in phases, according to the approved project plan. | Contractor & Client | Agreed |
Risk Register
Identifying, assessing and mitigating project risks throughout the project lifecycle.
| Risk | Impact | Probability | Priority | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No electrical plug points available at the installation site. | 5 | 3 | 15 | Installation Team |
| Delays in supplier stock availability for key equipment. | 4 | 4 | 16 | Procurement |
| Equipment delivery exceeds the expected lead time. | 4 | 3 | 12 | Procurement |
| Limited site access during installation. | 3 | 3 | 9 | Installation Team |
Recognition & Testimonials
Thank you for your hard work and commitment. You did an amazing job on one of our largest international audit programmes! You are deeply appreciated.
Great, well done Lydie. You have run this project so well.
You did a fantastic job on this project. I appreciate you.
It was great working with you both. We look forward to future collaborations.
Testimonials and recognition are shared in a way that respects client and employer confidentiality.
Working Together
One of the things I'm most proud of isn't only the projects I delivered, but also the relationships I built along the way. Even after moving from Quality Assurance into Project Coordination, I continued supporting colleagues across Quality Assurance, Project Management, and Panel Operations by sharing knowledge, solving problems, and helping teams work effectively together.
Thank you for always being a present and patient guide when I needed assistance.
You have been a great team player.
One of the best I have worked with. I will miss our alignment and check-in meetings.
Messages shared by former colleagues following my departure from Helion Market Research.
Education & Certifications
Tools
Contact
I'm currently open to Project Coordinator, PMO, Operations, and Executive Support opportunities, both remote and hybrid. I enjoy working with organisations that value ownership, collaboration, continuous improvement, and building strong relationships. If you think we'd work well together, I'd love to connect.