Meet Duchesse Kala-Kala, Founder of Duchesse Recruitment
“Forward. Because you have to keep moving!”
Duchesse Kala-Kala is a founder, award-winning recruiter, investor and mentor with a passion for building people, businesses and bold ideas. She is also a mother and a self-described gym freak, bringing discipline, resilience and energy into every space she enters. She cares deeply about dialogue around Black women, women’s empowerment, education, justice and business, and uses her platform to create impact beyond professional success. Outside work, she enjoys great food, global travel and life with her two dogs.
The problem she refused to ignore
She saw how many women of colour entrepreneurs were “navigating, building, and scaling startups, often without the access or networks others take for granted.” This reality is deeply personal to her. She describes the community as “a supportive, intersectional ecosystem designed to help us close the funding gap, share knowledge openly, and grow together with confidence and purpose.”
“Don’t be afraid to tell your story.”
The moment that shifted her focus
Covid forced her to pause. “In that stillness, I finally gave myself the space to reflect and listen to the quiet voice telling me it was time to step outside my comfort zone and build something on my own,” she said.
She made a decision. “If it did not work out, I could always return to recruiting in another firm, but I would never regret trying.” She chose to take the leap.
Why Duchesse Recruitment is different
“Duchesse Recruitment is a boutique recruitment agency working across the pharmaceutical and tech industries, connecting global organisations with candidates they can truly grow with,” she explained. For her, recruitment carries weight. “It is people’s lives, their livelihoods, and their confidence on the line.”
“It is a business shaped by trust and relationships, not just transactions,” she said. “Clients and candidates chose to work with me because of the way I operate and the relationships I build.” She brings more than 10+ years of experience in recruitment, life science and technology and relation building.
How she leads
She leads from lived experience. She is naturally independent and resilient, and creates environments where people feel trusted to take ownership and grow. She values honest conversations, strong relationships and building with purpose.
Her story begins in Africa, where she was born and raised before moving to Europe as a teenager, first to France and later to the UK. Her grandmother raised seven children while building a small market-based enterprise, growing and selling produce through daily work. Her mother carried a similar fire, always exploring new business ideas. These early examples shaped her understanding of leadership and entrepreneurship, and she says her daughter continues that lesson by learning from the example she sets.
What she’s building right now
“Right now, launching Inventio Science is one of the things that excites me the most,” she said. It represents “another moment of building from zero, challenging myself, and stepping beyond what feels comfortable.”
She has also recently stepped into angel investing. “I have the privilege of supporting and learning from Black women founders who are boldly shaping the future of our communities through innovation, vision, and courage.”
Founderland and finding her people
This community is deeply personal to her. It is intentionally created for women of colour entrepreneurs who are building and scaling startups, often without access or networks others take for granted. She describes it as a supportive, intersectional ecosystem designed to help close the funding gap, share knowledge openly and grow together with confidence and purpose.
Her biggest challenge—and how she moved through it
Lack of funding did not stop her. She managed her budget tightly, especially since she used her own savings to start her business. Any tasks she could do herself, she did not outsource. She focused on building strong relationships, leveraging her network and proving value through action rather than waiting for perfect conditions, because there will never be perfect conditions.
Advice to her past self
“Don’t be afraid to tell your story,” she says. “Because I am remarkable, my story can inspire more black women.” Nothing was given to her; she worked hard to get where she is.
Who inspires her
Her grandmother and her mum inspire her. From them she learned resilience, courage, hard work and care.
How she stays grounded
Weightlifting, hiking, travelling and conversations with other founders keep her energised.
A mantra she lives by
“Building with purpose, always!”
Follow Duchesse’s Journey
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