Speakers

Alaa Moatamed

SVAI Africa Council of 8
Co-Founder of Taslema

Alaa Moatamed, 22 years old, is the Co-Founder of Taslema, responsible for business development. She started her first initiative when she was 17 years old and, has been an active member of society since then, helping and empowering the youth to discover and learn new talents.

Alaa has an entrepreneurship mindset, helping her tackle challenges she encounters in her journey, and improve her skills. She is passionate about building and connecting communities with each other.

Alaa the 2020 Anzisha Prize winner, as well as a bronze holder in the Duke of Edinburgh International award. Through Taslema, Alaa works to maximise her impact by empowering underserved communities in northern Egypt, especially women.

Taslema was founded to help women in underserved cities. It offers a last-mile delivery service providing on demand, same day and scheduled delivery services to individual distributors (people selling products from their homes – mostly housewives) in underserved cities.

Amanda Sibiya

SVAI Africa Council of 8 – South Africa
Founder of Branding Africa

Amanda Sibiya is passionate African, an entrepreneur, lead strategist and founder of Branding Africa – a digital agency based in South Africa and Uganda, which aims to help African business grow through effective brand strategy.

She believes the key in growing the African economy lies in building the minds of those who will build great African brands that will represent innovation in the global landscape.

Miss Sibiya’s experience in entrepreneurship and brand building has afforded her the opportunity to work with both big and small brands across borders, giving talks and conducting workshops on branding, entrepreneurship, mindset and shifting brand perception specifically for the African Entrepreneur.

She also currently serves as the leader of Hadithi Africa – a contemporary online educative platform that teaches and exhibits the African heritage, which has been recognised as the educative platform of the year 2021, by the South African Prestige Awards.

Amanda inherently understands that the consumer is the single most valuable asset an organisation can have, and is able to skilfully navigate business across borders while simplifying complex business concepts in order to facilitate the growth of the entrepreneurial landscape in Africa.

Angela Wamola

GSMA
Head of GSMA, Sub-Saharan Africa

Angela has 20 years of business leadership experience in digital transformation environments having built a reputation for oversight in the adaption of new technologies that lend towards operational sustainability and innovative strategic thinking. A leader, well trained in high performance teams, she is currently the Head of Sub Saharan Africa at theGSMA,a trade body that represents the interests of 800+ mobile operators worldwide and stakeholders in the wider ecosystem.

She is committed to digital & gender inclusion particularly in the domain of Women and Girls for Tech, and facilitates collaboration for the advancement and acceleration of a digital African continent.

Angela holds a Executive Masters in Business Administration degree from University of Cape Town and a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from University of Nairobi.

Andrews Akoto-Addo

SVAI Africa Council of 8 – Ghana
Programme & Communications Officer at Reach for Change

Andrews Akoto-Addo (Andy) designs, manages, monitors and evaluates purpose-driven initiatives, programs and social enterprises with Reach for Change, Ghana.

He contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in sub-Saharan Africa as an UNLEASH Ambassador. And as the Chief Growth Officer of Max Labs, he leads the growth and scalability of local social innovators solving pressing social problems in Ghana.

Andy has experience working in diverse and complex contexts across the African startup, social entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem. His skills and experience encompass entrepreneurship development planning, research, policy & advocacy, resource mobilization, strategic planning, project management, concept development, report writing, public speaking, training/facilitation/moderation, and facilitating partnerships and negotiations.

Andy is passionate about young people, entrepreneurship development and social innovation. He has dedicated his professional life to supporting similar work and is always willing to volunteer in similar sectors across the world.

Carl Manlan

Visa Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa – Dubai
VP: Inclusive Impact and Sustainability

Carl Manlan is Vice President, Inclusive Impact and Sustainability for Visa Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa.

His focus is on enabling community impact with local, regional and global partners, co-creating partnerships that support Small and Medium Businesses, Individuals and households to thrive in the CEMEA region.

Prior to Visa, Carl served as the Chief Operating Officer at Ecobank Foundation where he led the bank’s social impact work in 33 markets in Africa. Before Ecobank Foundation, Carl held various leadership roles at the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), Economic Commission for Africa, The Global Fund and UNDP. Carl holds an undergraduate degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from the University of Cape Town and a Master of Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School. He is a Mo Ibrahim Foundation Fellow and an Aspen Institute New Voices Senior Fellow.

Chibunna Ogbonna

Kiru Energy – Nigeria
Co-Founder & CEO

Chibunna Ogbonna is a visionary leader and entrepreneur with a strong desire to make a significant contribution to the world through my life’s work. He Co-founded Kiru Energy Limited, a sustainable energy start-up enabling progress in Africa through smart grid networks and C&I solar projects development.

In 2020, He was selected to represent Nigeria at the International Renewable Energy Agency’s Youth Forum in Abu Dhabi, UAE. In the same year, He worked with Student Energy as the Regional Coordinator for Sub Saharan Africa on the Global Youth Energy Outlook – the first report of its kind curating 40,000+ global youth perspectives on energy and related topics for a just and equitable energy transition. In 2021, He was selected by the European Commission as a Young Leader for Sustainable Energy and represented youth voices on a panel hosted by the World Health Organization at the European Development Days 2021. Later that year, He joined the International Sustainability Academy, Hamburg-Germany as a Research Fellow where He developed the Lighting Up Nigeria Initiative (LUNI) – a project aiming to democratise access to reliable, clean and affordable electricity in Nigeria leveraging digital technologies. LUNI will power 1000 primary healthcare clinics by 2035 with solar energy as a shared value project of Kiru Energy Ltd. In 2022, Chibunna was appointed by the Shared Value Africa Initiative to serve as a Member of the Africa Council of 8.

Chibunna currently pioneers Sustainable Energy Days (SED), a movement and community for the adoption of sustainable energy technologies in Africa. He aspires to become a Smart City developer to help create enabling environments and provide smart infrastructure for progress across the world. He is multi-skilled in project/product development and management, public speaking and leadership. Chibunna Ogbonna holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical Engineering from the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) and is certified by the Renewables Academy (RENAC) Germany as an Energy Transformation Expert.

Christelle Kwizera

Water Access Rwanda –  Rwanda
Managing Director

Christelle Kwizera is a Rwandan social entrepreneur. She founded Water Access Rwanda in 2014 to address water scarcity and youth unemployment in Rwanda one year before she graduated magna cum laude in Mechanical Engineering.

Under her leadership, Water Access Rwanda is recognized for being innovative in the water sector. It was the first from Rwanda to win the Africa Entrepreneurship Award, the EDF Pulse Africa Award, WeEmpower SDG challenge, INCO women Entrepreneur of the year. It is also recognized as a Youth SDG innovator by UNSDSN and was more recently dotted with the Jack Ma Africa Business Heroes Award and funded as a transformer through IsDB’s Transform Fund.

Christelle is a Resolution fellow, a Sierra Club GPEP fellow and a MILEAD fellow; all awarded on account of her leadership in addressing social issues, particularly those tied with environmental justice and Youth issues.

Chris Ogbechie

Lagos Business School – Nigeria
Dean and Professor of Strategic Management

Chris Ogbechie is Dean and Professor of Strategic Management at Lagos Business School and Visiting Professor at Strathmore Business in Nairobi, Kenya and the University of Kigali, Kigali, Rwanda.

Professor Ogbechie holds a first-class honours degree in mechanical engineering from Manchester University, an MBA from Manchester Business School and a PhD in Business Administration from Brunel Business School in the UK. He has vast experience in marketing, strategy, corporate governance, and sustainability derived from his work as Head of Marketing/Sales at Nestle Nigeria and from his consulting work with Nigerian, Ghanaian and Kenyan firms over the years. While at Nestle, he held international positions in Malaysia, Singapore, and Switzerland.

Professor Ogbechie teaches strategy, sustainability and corporate governance at the Lagos Business School and Strathmore Business in Nairobi, Kenya. He is also the founding Director of the School’s Sustainability Centre. His research interests are in strategy in turbulent environments, strategic leadership, board effectiveness, and corporate sustainability.

Professor Ogbechie has over 30 years experience in corporate board matters, and has been involved with several start-ups in Nigeria. He was Chairman, Board of Directors, Diamond Bank Plc and is on the board of several private and public companies including National Salt Company of Nigeria Plc. (NASCON), Health Partners Ltd, Hubmart Stores Ltd, Summit Healthcare Group, and Palton Morgan Holdings. He has several publications in financial services marketing, strategic management, corporate social responsibility, corporate governance, and sustainability.

Corné Davis

University of Johannesburg – South Africa
Senior lecturer: Strategic Communication

Corné Davis is an associate professor at the Department of Strategic Communication, at University of Johannesburg. She lectures undergraduate and postgraduate modules in strategic communication and supervises honours, masters and doctoral research projects.

She has published several articles in peer reviewed journals and has presented papers at both national and international conferences. Her current research focuses on gender-based violence (GBV) as a global sustainability challenge. She has published a paper on the heuristic value of non-personal data in 2017 and she has been an advisory to TEARS for several years.

She is also a Trustee of Matla a bana, a well-known NGO who campaigns against child rape and secondary abuse. Corné Davis has been interviewed on national television and radio shows several times and she has been a speaker on numerous panels and webinars for topics related to GBV and gender inequality. She is collaborating with Shared Value Africa Initiative in doing research on how to facilitate multi-sector collaboration in GBV prevention and intervention in the private sector in South Africa.

She is a member of Pillar six in the presidency’s National Strategic Plan to address GBV focusing on research and information management. She is currently working with TEARS to publish an updated research report on the Help-at-your-fingertips helpline.

Didier Nkurikiyimfura

Smart Africa
Chief Strategy and Growth Officer

Didier Nkurikiyimfura is the Chief Strategy and Growth Officer of Smart Africa Secretariat, a pan-African organization mandated by African Heads of State and Government to create a single digital market for Africa. In his current role, He leads the organizational strategy, partnership development, resource mobilization, projects operationalization and scale-up.

Aside his official Smart Africa duties, Didier currently serves in as Chairman of the board of Directors of Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority (www.rcaa.gov.rw) as well as Irembo Ltd (www.irembo.gov.rw), a Rwandan company that has deployed over 120 Government-to-Business and Government-to-Citizens eservices through a single portal since 2015. He also serves as a board member of the Rwanda Broadcasting Agency (www.rba.co.rw).

Prior to his Strategy and Growth role. Didier was the Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, leading a team in charge of policy and regulatory harmonization, programme and project management and Operations. He led the implementation of several cross-border tech projects in Africa, such as the intra-African cross-border fiber connectivity, increasing Africa’s Internet affordability and accessibility, regional Data Centers, Smart Cities, African entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems strengthening, interoperable pan-African Digital ID and the Smart Africa scholarship fund among others, with the ultimate goal of contributing to Africa’s economic growth and job creation.

Prior to joining Smart Africa, Didier served as Director General in charge of ICT at the Ministry of Youth and ICT of the Government of Rwanda from 2012 to 2016, Head of ICT Security at the Rwanda Development Board, Director of the National Computing Center (NCC) and Director of the National Data Center (NDC) at the Rwanda Information Technology Authority.

Didier has more than 19 years of experience in the ICT Sector. A national of Rwanda, he holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science and a Master of Science Degree in Software Engineering.

Dimitri Syrris

Founder and CEO – Kenya
Baotree

Dimitri Syrris is the Founder and CEO of Baotree. He is an impact-driven technologist by day, and a wildlife ranger at heart.

After a 10 year career in London’s technology ecosystem, Dimitri decided to infuse his love for technology, biodiversity & community by creating Baotree.

Since the company’s inception in March 2020, the team is active in African and Asian markets – supporting various initiatives to develop, execute and measure sustainable operations and environmental and social impact activities…Amplifying bottom-line revenue through transparent ESG and CSR tracking, reporting and verification of claims.

In his free time, Dimitri sits on YPO’s Planet Action Network Executive Committee, YNG Africa ExCo, and YNG Kenya ExCo.

Edem Adzogenu

AfroChampions – Ghana
Co-founder

Dr. Edem Adzogenu is an accomplished investment facilitator, government affairs and international crisis management specialist for global investors and businesses across Africa and Asia. He has facilitated investment of millions of dollars into community-friendly mining, environmental remediation, large-scale technology platforms and health faclities across Africa and beyond.

Dr. Adzogenu’s work straddles the public, private and civic sectors, with an emphasis on innovation, economic development, pan-African integration and social transformation.  His global advisory experience ranges from advising African Heads of State, Fortune 500 companies, G7 countries and African regional institutions, to helping resolve disputes over investments in war-threatened regions.

Dr Adzogenu has also been at the forefront of ground-breaking initiatives to promote public-private partnerships and a stronger role for the African private sector in regional and continental integration. Under his leadership, AfroChampions, an organisation he co-founded, has grown into an influential regional public-private partnership platform that partners the African Union and several regional institutions to drive African integration and transformation.

Working with some of Africa’s foremost thinkers and leaders, he guided the adoption by African Heads of State of the “Trillion Dollar Private Sector AfCFTA Investment & Financing Framework (TDF)” in support of AfCFTA Implementation.

Femi Adegbite

United States African Development Foundation (USADF) – USA
Energy Officer and Manager, Transformation Projects

Femi Adegbite joined USADF as the Energy Officer in May 2020. In this role, he is responsible for managing the Foundation’s energy portfolio across Africa. He also supports the Foundation’s strategic initiatives and innovative projects to create transformative change that accelerates sustainable development in African communities.

Femi has over 10 years of experience in the renewable energy (RE) industry, working in various capacities such as sales, installation, development, operations, project management, and consulting. Prior to joining USADF, Femi was an Associate at CustomerFirst Renewables where he supported and advised clients on Large Scale Renewable Energy (LSRE) purchases.

As an Environmental Defense Fund Fellow, he developed and implemented RE strategies for a four-college consortium in San Antonio, TX, and also previously worked at Borrego Solar and SolarCity/Tesla where he was involved in sales, development, operations, and project management.

Femi holds a BSc. in Engineering Physics and Economics from Juniata College and an MBA from the University of Maryland – College Park, where he was a Terrapin Fellow.

He is very passionate about energy access and his vision is to help eradicate energy poverty.

Forget Shareka

SVAI Africa Council of 8
Environmental Officer

Forget Shareka is a vibrant agronomic engineer, an ardent and award-winning entrepreneur, environmentalist and climate justice advocate. She holds a licentiate degree in Agricultural Sciences from EARTH University, Costa Rica and an MSc in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from the University of Edinburgh, UK. For the past 5 years, Forget has been leading innovative initiatives and implementing practical solutions in sustainable agribusiness, community development, small enterprises, and climate innovation. Currently, she is working as a graduate Environmental Officer.

Garth Napier

Old Mutual Insure – South Africa
Managing Director

Garth Napier, Old Mutual Insure’s Managing Director, was born in Kokstad and matriculated in a small town of Matatiele in 1996. After completing his honours degree in accounting at the University of KwaZulu-Natal he opted to forgo going the route of becoming a Chartered Account and instead joined global consulting firm McKinsey & Co. where he spent two years as a business analyst.

Following this experience, he was offered the opportunity to study for an MBA full-time at Harvard University in Boston, USA. After graduating from Harvard, he returned to South Africa where he worked for companies such as McKinsey and Edcon.

Garth has a deep understanding of African consumer behaviour, and since being appointed Managing Director of Old Mutual Insure in November 2018, has helped re-position the business as a truly Africa-focused insurer that delivers customer-centric solutions to its customer base.

Giovanni Tula

Enel Green Power – Italy
Head of Sustainability

Giovanni’s interest in Environment and People showed up at the age of 7, when his dream was to invent a non-polluting and costless water-powered engine. In line with these values and interests, he graduated in environmental engineering and for the past 20 years has held leadership positions in environmental management, health and safety, engineering, innovation and sustainability in several multinational companies.

Being a scuba diver, he likes traveling to discover the beauties of the seas and learning from different cultures. But above all he likes to make good use of his time, with family and friends, because “happiness is real only when shared”.

Henry Onukwuba

Lagos Business School, Pan-Atlantic University – Nigeria
Senior Fellow and full-time faculty

Henry is a Senior Fellow and full-time faculty at Lagos Business School, Pan-Atlantic University. He is the Academic Director of the Global Chief Executive Programme, run in collaboration with Yale School of Management and Strathmore University Business School, Nairobi.

Henry leads classes in Leadership, Human Resource Management, Organisational Behaviour, Management Communication and Negotiation on the Global CEO, the regular and executive MBA classes, Owner Manager Programmes, Senior Management Programmes, custom programmes and other executive programmes at Lagos Business School. He is also the Academic Director of the Sports Business Management Programme and was responsible for developing the curriculum for The Business of Sports, Media and Entertainment course on the LBS MBA programme.

Henry held various senior administrative positions at the School as Director of Executive Education, MBA Director and Director of Alumni Relations, prior to joining the full-time faculty team.

Before joining Lagos Business School in 2008, Henry was Managing Director of Hebon Consult, a human resource consulting firm, and taught People Management at the Enterprise Development Center (EDC) of the Pan-Atlantic University. He was Group Head, Corporate Resources and Communication at Finacorp Building Society Limited, and CEO of Consolidated Business Support Services Limited, CBSSL, the human resource management subsidiary of the then Bank PHB.

Henry won the Best Graduating Student Prize in Political Science at the University of Jos, Nigeria. He holds an Executive MBA from Lagos Business School and an Advanced Management Programme (AMP) certificate from IESE Business School, Barcelona. He is an alumnus of the International Teachers Programme, London Business School, 2019. He also holds an MSc in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations and a PGD in Mass Communication both from the University of Lagos.

He is the Chairman of the Education Committee of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPM). He is the Chairman of Terminal Seven Travel & Tours Ltd. and sits on the board of various organisations. He is a Certified Gender Equality Advocate, a Certified Behavioural Consultant, and a marriage counsellor.

Immaculata Segooa

Discovery Limited – South Africa
Head of Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC)

Immaculata Segooa has a master’s degree in business administration focusing on the Shared Value business model, which encapsulates her firm belief in the need for business to utilise its profit-making operations to address social challenges. She is a business professional, with over 25 years’ experience in Marketing and related fields.

As Head of Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) at Discovery, Immaculata is responsible for leading the integration of marketing communication across all brand touch-points through brand design, advertising and media, content management, and operations for the Discovery brand and its product verticals., Immaculata is the Deputy Chairperson of MASA, and serves on the boards of the MRF, the ABC and is also a member of the Vega School of Brand Leadership Advisory Council. She is the Group Head of Integrated Marketing Communications at Discovery and a Shared Value advocate.

James Agin

Absa Bank Kenya PLC – Kenya
Managing Principal, Corporate and Investment Banking

James is a seasoned professional spanning over 25 years of Pan-African banking experience in multi-Country Business Strategy and Leadership, Country Business Leadership, Corporate Banking, Asset Finance and Treasury/Markets. He has held a number of executive management positions at various financial institutions including Barclays Bank of Kenya, Barclays Bank of Uganda and Kenya Commercial Bank. He has held the position of the Corporate Banking Director Barclays Kenya now Absa Bank Kenya PLC since November 2014, as well as looking at the East Africa Market. He holds the role Managing Principal, Corporate and Investment Banking.

James also has 11 years of Board experience and has served in the Boards of Barclays Uganda and the Boards of KCB subsidiaries in South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. Prior to joining Barclays Kenya/Absa Bank Kenya, he worked as the Chief Business Officer for Kenya Commercial Bank Group for 3 years and also served as the Corporate Banking Director for 1.5 years. His leadership has seen completion/execution of key deals in key sectors in Energy, Manufacturing, Real Estate, Transport et al.

James holds several accolades including recipient of the ‘Corporate Banker of the Year’ at the Think Business Banking Awards 2019. He holds an Advanced Management Program from Harvard Business School, an MBA from the IESE Business School in Spain and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Nairobi.

Jamila Saidi

Head of Digital Commerce & Ecommerce at UK DIT.
England

Jamila Saidi leads the Digital Commerce division at the UK’s Department for International Trade and is responsible for supporting businesses in achieving their international growth ambitions through digital routes to market.

Her team provides companies from across a variety of sectors with the advice, support and tools they need to attain export or inward investment success. She also oversees the department’s Digital Exporting Programme designed to support SMEs export to new markets via cross-border ecommerce.

Jamila is a business development professional with over 20 years’ experience across a range of industries, including financial services, retail and luxury, creative services, oil & gas, automotive and advanced manufacturing. Prior to joining the DIT, Jamila held various roles in financial and professional service institutions including Lloyds Banking Group, Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management and Grant Thornton.

She is passionate about galvanising brands to export their goods and services, and champions digital trade as a means of broadening the opportunities for SMEs to ‘go global’ in the digital age.

Jane Mwangi

AJW AFRICA – Kenya
CEO and MD

Jane Mwangi is the CEO and MD of AJW AFRICA (Apprentice Job Work Africa). AJW AFRICA designs and executes Shared Value Programs on behalf of Local, International and Regional Banks, Corporates, Donor Partners and other institutions seeking to create sustainable livelihoods in Africa, while realising far-reaching Business and Social Impact in various sectors.

Prior to her current role, Jane served as Managing Director of KCB Foundation since 2015. The Foundation is the social investments arm of KCB Group Plc. During that time, Jane was a member of the KCB Group Executive Committee and served on the board of KCB Foundation as a Trustee.

She has over 35 years of experience in international development, having previously worked with the USAID Mission in different capacities in the East and Southern African region.

Jane believes in creating Social Impact by solving societal problems through business solutions, a concept she has championed for the last five years of her career.

Jessica Chivinge

Vitality Health International Africa – South Africa
Vice President

Jessica Chivinge is Vice President of Vitality Health International Africa, which forms part of Vitality Group, a subsidiary of global insurer Discovery Limited. Her current mandate is to drive the Group’s expansion into the rest of Africa, overseeing both the strategy and the operations for Vitality Health International (VHI) Africa. She has spent over a decade gaining expertise in strategy, operations and innovation and she is particularly energised by helping organisations deliver on their strategic objectives, introducing innovation into the process as required.

Jessica was previously Chief of Staff to the CEO and Deputy-CEO of Discovery Health, a Partner Market Executive for PingAn Health (China), and Functional Head of Healthcare Services.

As a proud alumnus of the Young Africa Leadership Initiative (YALI), Jessica identifies as an egalitarian who strives personally and professionally to help create a society that is just, equitable and inclusive. Having been born on the continent and raised in the diaspora, Jessica returned to the continent not only for her love of sunshine and tasty fruit (though that’s important!), but also because she wanted to play a meaningful role in learning and creating opportunities on the continent in an exciting era which is seeing many African countries realise their potential.

Jessica holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Management & Business Administration (PDM-MBA) from Wits Business School (South Africa), a Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice from Nottingham Law School, and an LLB Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from the University of Surrey. She is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Law (LLM), with a focus on legal practice – healthcare and ethics – with Nottingham Law School.

She also serves as an advisory board member for two African start-ups and is a part-time lecturer in the field of Business Analysis (Digital and IT).

Jeremy Awori

Absa Bank Kenya PLC – Kenya
Chief Executive Officer

Jeremy Awori is the Managing Director and CEO of Absa Bank Kenya PLC since February 2013. He has extensive experience in executive leadership having held senior positions in different multi-national financial institutions across the United Kingdom, North America, Asia and Africa.

In addition to his responsibilities at Absa Bank Kenya PLC, Jeremy serves on the Boards of Absa Financial Services Limited (AFS), First Assurance Holdings Limited as well as several Absa Bank Kenya subsidiaries. He is a former Chairman of the Kenya Bankers Association, where he sits on the Governing Council, and a retired board member of the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA). In 2020, Jeremy was appointed by the President to the Board of Kenya COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund. He is also a Board Member of the United Nations Global Compact Network Kenya.

His exemplary leadership was honored by the All Africa Business Leaders Awards (AABLA) which ranked him among the top 2 Business Leaders on the continent in 2018. He has also been voted top CEO shaping the business agenda in Kenya by Business Monthly for two three consecutively.

Jeremy is a passionate thought leader on Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Innovation and sustainable business practices. He is a sports enthusiast and has competed in swimming internationally.

He obtained a Master of Business Administration degree from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from Manchester University in the United Kingdom. He is also a fellow of the Aspen Global Leadership Institute and a member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO).

John Giusti

Chief Regulatory Officer, GSMA

As Chief Regulatory Officer for the GSMA, John Giusti is responsible for leading the organization’s public policy and industry advocacy agenda with governments, regulators and international institutions worldwide. He also oversees the GSMA Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, and Mobile for Development activities, bringing together mobile operators, donors and the international development community to harness the power of mobile to achieve social impact.

Prior to joining the GSMA in 2011, Giusti spent 17 years at the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), working in a variety of capacities. Most recently, he served as chief of staff and senior policy advisor to Commissioner Michael Copps, where he provided legal, strategic and policy support to the Commissioner on all major agency actions, including the implementation of the National Broadband Plan. He also previously ran the FCC’s International Bureau, where he managed the agency’s relationships with its foreign counterparts and served as the its chief negotiator at meetings of the International Telecommunication Union, the Inter-American Telecommunications Commission and other multilateral organizations.

Giusti was educated in the United States, earning a Juris Doctorate from Boston University School of Law and a Bachelor of Science in Telecommunications from the University of Florida. He has been a member of the Massachusetts bar since 1994.

John Omo

Secretary General, ATU

Mr. John OMO is the Secretary-General of the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) having been re-elected during the 6th ATU Conference of Plenipotentiaries held in Algiers, Algeria in July 2022. He leads the continental body entrusted with building consensus within African countries in the development of ICT policies, systems and services, and also in coordinating African participation in international ICT for Africa. 

Mr. Omo has 29 years experience as a lawyer and has contributed immensely to the development of local and international policies, legislation, agreements and treaties in all areas of public service life but mainly in the area of ICTs. 

Prior to his election as the Secretary General of the Union, he worked with the Communications Authority of Kenya, Kenya’s ICT regulator, where he provided leadership over the Authority’s legal matters and strategies. Before that, he worked in the public/civil service. 

He holds a Master of Law degree in International and Commercial law from the University of Sheffield – UK; a Bachelor of Law from the University of Nairobi – Kenya; a Diploma in Human Rights Law from the UN Human Rights Centre, Geneva, and ILO Centre Turin and another diploma in Legal Practice and Ethics from the Kenya School of Law amongst other professional courses. 

Karen Basiye

Safaricom – Kenya
Director of Sustainable Business and Social Impact

Karen Basiye is Director of Sustainable Business and Social Impact at Safaricom. She is a keen Sustainability Practitioner and a Corporate Environment Manager with 15 years’ experience.

Over the years she has worked at the National Environment Management Authority and Safaricom where she developed competencies in Leadership, Governance, Strategic Thinking, Sustainability Reporting (both Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), Social Policy, Corporate Environmental Management, Environmental Management Systems including ISO certification and Environmental policies, Environment Risk Management, Environmental Compliance Assessment, Energy and Climate change policies, Strategies for Sustainable Development, Integrated Product Policies, Sustainable Consumption and Production and integration of Sustainable Development Goals into company strategies.

Karen holds a Joint Master of Environmental Science, Policy and Management degree from Lund University (Sweden), University of Manchester (UK), Central European University (Hungary) and University of the Aegean (Greece) www.mespom.eu and a Bachelor of Environment Science degree from Kenyatta University.

Currently at Safaricom, Karen leads the Sustainability Vision and ambition for the company. She is passionate about the interplay between People, Purpose and Profits.

She has served at various University Councils, seats on the Governing Council of KEPSA as the Vice chair of the Environment Sector Board and is a Strategic Advisor on various Boards. She has been recognised as an SDG Pioneer by the Global Compact Kenya.

Kwasi Donkor

United States African Development Foundation (USADF) – USA
Chief Strategy Officer

Kwasi Donkor joined USADF as the Chief Strategy Officer in April 2020. In this role, he is responsible for driving efforts to incorporate digitization and innovative finance across USADF’s country programs and strategic focus areas, including the energy, entrepreneurship, and agriculture portfolios.

Kwasi brings a wealth of knowledge gained over 20 years working in the private, non-profit and government policy sectors to address a wide range of enterprise development and socially responsible investment issues. Most recently, as a Senior Advisor at USAID he was charged with implementing USAID’s global strategic focus on payment models and digital technology for financial inclusion.

Prior to USAID, Kwasi worked for the Grameen Foundation in Uganda as the Interim Country Director where he led a strategic turnaround and served as the overall risk manager for country operations, anticipating and responding to potential threats to execution, financial viability, and regulatory compliance. Before joining Grameen, from 2009 to 2013, Kwasi worked in Ghana, where he served as the Mobile Financial Services Head of Go-to-Market for Millicom’s commercial brand Tigo. At Tigo, he led and executed the commercial launch for the Tigo Cash mobile money product.

Kwasi has held multiple roles across a number of Fortune 500 diversified financial services firms. He started his career as a Senior Specialist in Merrill Lynch’s private client business. Kwasi holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University and received his MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a Joseph Wharton Fellow.

Lacina Koné

Smart Africa – Rwanda
Director General and CEO

Mr. Lacina Koné, is the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of Smart Africa having joined the organisation in March 2019.

He oversees the process of defining and advancing Africa’s digital agenda and has overseen the development of continental blueprints for Africa on Digital Identity, ICT Start-ups and Innovation Ecosystems, Smart Villages and the definition of Africa’s Smart Broadband 2025 Strategy in addition to advancing additional key continental initiatives. In recognition for this work, Mr. Koné has been recognized in 2021 as 12th among the 50 personalities advancing Africa’s digital transformation.

Prior to that, Mr. Koné was the advisor to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire (2017-2018), in charge of Digital Transformation and Public Reforms, and was also the advisor to the President from 2011-2017. Mr. Koné is a professional of ICT industry with over 25 years experience in the telecommunications, satellite and intelligent transport system.

Mr. Koné is a graduate of three continents. United Arab Emirates, he obtained a bachelor’s degree in electronic engineering, in the UK, it has validated its Polytechnique rank at the University of Brunel, and the United States, his MBA from George Washington University.

He also sits on the advisory boards of Benya Capital in Egypt and Townlabour Technologies in the USA.

Lele Modise

MTN Group Limited – South Africa
Group Chief Legal & Regulatory Affairs Officer

Lele Modise is the Group Chief Legal and Regulatory Affairs Officer (CLRO) at MTN Group Limited (MTN), and was previously the MTN Group Chief Legal Counsel, having joined MTN Group in August 2019. Lele is a member of the MTN Group Exco, as well as the Enterprise Risk Management Committee. Lele also reports to Group Board subcommittees on legal and regulatory risk, which include the Group Risk and Compliance Committee, the Group Audit Committee and the Group Social and Ethic Committee.

Lele also reports to the MTN Group Board on certain key matters arising from both the legal and regulatory aspects of MTN across its markets. Lele is the chairman of the Group Legal Executive Committee, as well as a member of the MTN Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Lele leads the legal and the regulatory function across the various markets that MTN operates in across Africa and the Middle East. She also leads MTN’s industry advocacy programmes and participates in various industry committees including the GSMA, Smart Africa, ITU and ITA. Lele is also a member of the GC50, which is an organisation of general counsels in World50.

Leila Rwagasana

Irembo – Rwanda
Director of Partnerships

Leila is the Director of Partnerships at Irembo for the past 3 years.

Within this role, she currently oversees government affairs and Irembo’s stakeholders. She leads external communication on public policy priorities, strategies relating to Irembo products and services and interests in Rwanda and the global context.

In the same role, she was responsible for the company’s business development and client management. She has also led the government services digitization effort while as Business Development Manager from 35+ services in 2016 to currently 100+ services on the platform.

Leila has been with the company for 5,5 years and has contributed to the digital transformation journey in Rwanda through Irembo as well as the growth of Irembo.

Prior to Irembo, she worked at Ngali Holdings Ltd as a Senior Associate where she was responsible for planning and managing all administrative and operational activities for the CEO and supporting the Senior management of Ngali Holdings.

Her professional background focuses on Business development, financial management, project management, strategy and policy affairs

Leila holds a Masters in Arts in International Business Management from the University of Westminster, London and Bachelor in Arts with Honors in Global Financial Management from Regent’s University London

Lizeka Dlepu

Enel Green Power – Southern Africa
Head of Sustainability

Lizeka Dlepu joined Enel Green Power as the Head of Sustainability Southern Africa in 2015. Her responsibility is manage project stakeholders as well as ensuring the success of the business in meeting its sustainability and shared value strategy by implementing sustainable projects aligned with the study of the social, economic and environmental contexts where EGP operate. Prior to joining Enel Green Power she worked as an Economic Development Manager for various companies.

In 2001 she was appointed a Director responsible for Youth, Disability and Women’s desks for the then Department of Communications. She has rich experience in Economic Development and has expertise in Human Resources Management, Transformation and BBEEE management

She joined the Board of Directors of the Nojoli and Gibson Bay Wind Farms in 2017 until 2020. She was also a Board member for the South African Civil Aviation Authority for 3 years where she was a Chairperson for Human Resources and Remuneration Board committee. She currently serves as a Trustee in nine Community Trusts and Social and Ethics Board committee member for three project companies.

Ms Lizeka Dlepu holds Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Town and Regional planning.

Lucy Nshuti Mbabazi

United Nations Capital Development Fund – Rwanda
Lead, Africa Advocacy & Partnerships – Better Than Cash Alliance

Nshuti leads Africa Advocacy & Partnerships at the United Nations Better Than Cash Alliance, working with regional and continental organizations to accelerate the adoption and usage of digital payments as a catalyst for digital financial inclusion for every African for the success of the one Africa market.

Before joining the United Nations, Nshuti served as Ecobank Group Merchant Acquiring Manager, leading digital merchant solutions for 33 African countries; Country Manager Rwanda, Burundi, and Malawi for Visa Inc. Africa, and Strategy and Policy Advisor to Rwanda Development Board IT Department.

Nshuti is the founding President of Girls in ICT Rwanda, which is inspiring more girls to choose STEM careers; Founding Board Chair, Leo Africa Institute, which is nurturing Young and Emerging Leaders across Africa; Non-Executive Director BBOXX Rwanda Board, which is powering Rwandan homes with solar electricity; Chair Rwanda Internet Community Association (RICTA), which represents the interests of Rwandans on the internet, and Advisory Board Member to Girl Effect, which worked to enable Rwanda’s adolescent girls to reach their full potential.

Nshuti holds a Master of Science in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School of Government and a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology & Management from Laroche University.

Maria Cristina Papetti

Enel Grids – Italy
Head of Sustainability

Since March 2020, Maria Cristina Papetti has been nominated Head of Sustainability at Enel Grids. Previously, in 2014, she became Head of CSV, Sustainability Projects and Practice Sharing Unit at Enel Holding where she led the CSV deployment throughout the business value chain of the entire Group: a sustainability model that matches business opportunities while tackling social needs.

In 2012 she was appointed Head of External Relation of Enel Green Power. Before joining Enel in September 2007 as Head of Executive Education and Cross Cultural Center, she worked for Edison, Ferrovie dello Stato and Trenitalia.

She studied Foreign Languages and Literature, first at Silvio Pellico School for Interpreters and then at IULM University in Milan.

Mark Kramer

Harvard Business School – USA
Senior Lecturer

Mark Kramer is a leading researcher, writer, speaker and consultant on strategies for social impact. He is best known as the co-author of seminal articles on Creating Shared Value in Harvard Business Review and Collective Impact in Stanford Social Innovation Review.

He has also written extensively on impact investing, systems change, and strategic evaluation. His most recent research is on moving beyond Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) by communicating the economic value of corporate social impact to investors.

Together with Professor Michael Porter, Mark co-founded FSG which supports three communities of practice: The Shared Value Initiative, the Collective Impact Forum and Talent Rewire.

He is a Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School, a member of the Aspen Philanthropy Group, and serves on advisory boards for Nestle and Kimberly-Clark. Previously, Mark served as President of the private equity firm Kramer Capital Management. He holds a BA from Brandeis University, MBA from The Wharton School, and JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Maserame Mouyeme

Old Mutual – South Africa
Group Marketing, Public Affairs and Sustainability Director

Maserame is Old Mutual’s Group Marketing, Public Affairs and Sustainability Director of the company. She joined Old Mutual in 2020 following 25 years of experience in leading multinationals, including more than 18 years at the Coca-Cola Company in various roles across sub-Sahara Africa.

In her most recent role at the Coca-Cola Company, Maserame served as their Director of Public Affairs, Communication and Sustainability for Southern and East Africa. In this role she was accountable for developing sustainability strategies and driving corporate reputation.

Her previous Executive roles Cola include that of Central Africa Franchise General Manager for Central Africa Region and Marketing Director for West, East and Central Africa. Before joining Coca-Cola, she was Group Managing Director of Nahana (FCB) Advertising and Communications, a pan African leading group of agencies.

Mats Granryd

GSMA
Director General

Mwamvita Yusuf Makamba

Vodacom Group – South Africa
Group Head of External Affairs

Mwamvita has accumulated extensive knowledge in the telecommunications industry in emerging markets and has acquired an intimate understanding required to steer a company into prosperity while also maintaining its moral responsibility to a society. She holds a master’s degree in Politics and International Relations from the University of Dar es salaam and an Advanced Executive program from The Gordon Institute of Business Science, University of Pretoria.

Originally, from Tanzania, Mwamvita has held multiple C Level positions within Vodacom Group supporting its International markets in Sub Saharan Africa.

Mwamvita has extensive business experience in Africa. Her roles has primarily been to support governments and private Sector in Sub Sahara Africa establish productive societies using technology with a focus on health, agriculture, financial services and education.

She currently serves as Group Head of External Affairs for Vodacom Group based in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Moses Musyoka Muthui

Absa Bank Kenya PLC – Kenya
Interim Chief Financial Officer

Moses is the Country Strategy Director at Absa Bank Kenya PLC. He has professional banking experience in the areas of Finance, Treasury, Investment Banking and Strategy, having held senior roles over the last 10 years in London, Wall Street – New York, and Kenya. Moses holds a Master’s Degree from the London School of Economics, an MBA from the University of Nairobi, a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Mathematics from Egerton University, and he is a qualified Accountant with ACCA (UK), a certified public accountant in Kenya (CPA, K) and a licensed Investment Banker by FINRA, (U.S.A)

Mumbi Maria Wachira

SVAI Africa Council of 8 – Kenya
Lecturer at Strathmore University Business School

Dr. Mumbi Maria Wachira is a full-time Accounting Lecturer at Strathmore University Business School (SBS), Nairobi. She obtained both her Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) and Master of Commerce (MCom) degrees at Strathmore University, and her Ph.D. at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland.

Her teaching areas are Financial Reporting, Forensic Accounting and the Legal Environment, Corporate Fraud, Accounting Theory, and Sustainable Finance. She teaches both undergraduate and graduate programs within the business school. In addition to teaching and research, Dr. Wachira has also been involved in the training and consulting of micro-enterprises operating within Nairobi in collaboration with the Institute for Small Business Initiatives (ISBI). Currently, she is involved in developing customized executive programs for businesses seeking to integrate the Sustainable Development Goals into their core business operations.

Dr. Wachira is the current head of participant engagement for the UN-PRME Chapter Africa. She is also the academic lead in developing a short executive course on Creating Shared Value (CSV) that is aligned to Harvard’s offering on the same, in addition to other sustainability leadership programs offered by SBS. In November 2020 she attended the Purpose Playbook delivered by the global Shared Value Initiative.

Naledi Gallant

Dalitso Holdings – South Africa
Managing Director

Naledi is a Business Savvy Entrepreneur and a Seasoned Innovation and Business Executive. She is an intrepid visionary and activator that is inspired to authentically connect with people and to transform their lives profoundly through bringing out the best in people. She is the Managing Director of Dalitso Holdings.

Naledi is also currently involved in research pertaining to the adoption and diffusion of technology amongst township entrepreneurs to provide a foundation that contributes towards understanding the relevant constructs that should comprise an integrated innovation framework for understanding the factors that influence the adoption and diffusion of technological innovations amongst township SMEs. The research is aimed at understanding technology and innovation adoption by township SMEs to improve and stimulate the economy and livelihood of many people on the African Continent.

As a Business Mentor, Naledi’s primary role is to provide guidance and support to SMEs based on their unique developmental needs. She is passionate about the promotion and advancement of entrepreneurial activities in Africa. Other business interests include real estate, HR consultancy, energy and water supply.

Nick Argyros

INJOZI Digital Design, Audio Militia, GotBot AI
Co-founder and Director

After years of experience in a multitude of creative and technology-based disciplines, Nick Argyros is now the co-founder and director of INJOZI Digital Design, Audio Militia and GotBot AI Solutions.

Establishing the INJOZI Digital team in 2008, Nick has headed the agency for over a decade, receiving numerous accolades along the way, including multiple Promax, Bookmark, Midas, Clio, FWA and Loerie Awards.

Audio Militia has similarly seen glory at the Loeries under his curatorship, and was even recently credited on a Cannes Grand Prix winning project. Both businesses have been voted into top 3 Digital Agency and Audio Post production companies on the continent, over the years 2016/17/18.

The newest member of his growing business conglomerate, GotBot AI, was selected as one of the Top 10 start up companies on the African continent in 2017. Nick’s undeniable experience in the machine-learning sector has also seen him presenting, demonstrating and introducing the product to local and international audiences, from WPP Stream to Viva Tech Paris 2018.

Nitesh Singh

MD, Communication, Media and Technology Lead (CMT),
Accenture South Africa

South Africa

Nitesh Singh believes that digital transformation is an exciting field to be in as more and more companies are building a digital footprint or touchpoints with their customers, and software development is being used to solve the world’s problems. Digital marketplaces will disrupt major industries over the coming years, which is why he is passionate about turning digital investments into financial and business outcomes for his clients. He emphasizes that to be high performing companies, they need to transform.

Over the last 20 years, Nitesh has become an authority on driving digital transformation at large telco and media businesses across the African continent, including Nigeria, Kenya, Botswana and Zambia, among others, with specialist skills in contracting and governance processes associated with complex projects.

His open mindset, entrepreneurial skills, agile thinking, and global transformation capabilities led Nitesh to join Accenture in the latter part of 2005, where he could be at the cutting edge of digital transformation and be accountable for the delivery of large-scale revenue generation, cost containment and right sizing, enabling top and bottom-line growth for captains of industry across the continent. Nitesh holds firm that moving to digital is essential to remaining relevant, whether you are a small mom and pop shop or a large organisation. His role at Accenture includes sharing industry trends with clients and partnering with them on developing their growth agenda and where they should focus their energy. This includes providing advice on the impact of the coming 4IR, disruptive business models and the need to rotate the business to the “new” – cloud, digital, next generation e-commerce, security, artificial intelligence (AI) and big data. An important leadership skill which helps Nitesh with this integration is his ability to traverse quickly between what his clients need and relating what the North Star looks like to his internal team.

Major achievements include leading an assessment across 23 African operations, focused on process and technology effectiveness (2019-2020); and becoming the first Master Technological Architect in Accenture’s African practice, making him a member of an elite team of global executives that hold this qualification within the global practice. Nitesh has been invited as a moderator and speaker at industry events such as AfricaCom and holds a bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology and Business Information Systems from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Nompilo Morafo

MTN Group – South Africa
Group Chief Sustainability & Corporate Affairs officer

Nompilo is the Group Chief Sustainability & Corporate Affairs officer of the MTN Group, effective 1 February 2022, having joined MTN as Group Executive for Corporate Affairs and Sustainability in December 2018.

She is responsible for the creation of shared value and the integration of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices at the core of MTN’s business, including the management of MTN’s reputation-through coordination of sustainability, corporate communication, stakeholder engagement and corporate social investments (MTN Foundations)) across its footprint.

Nompilo joined MTN in 2019 from LafargeHolcim in South Africa, where she was the country director for Communications, Public Affairs and Sustainable Development. Prior to this, Nompilo was a Vice President for Sasol’s International Exploration and Production business spanning across various countries, based in Mozambique.

Her experience in corporate affairs, country management and sustainability spans more than 20 years in sectors including financial services, mining, oil and gas and now telecommunications.

Hon. Paula Ingabire

Paula Ingabire is a Rwandan technology enthusiast, who currently serves as the Minister of ICT and Innovation in the Government of Rwanda.

Prior to her appointment as Minister, she served as Head of the ICT Business Development Department at the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) where she led the implementation of National ICT programs notably eGovernment and Cyber Security; as well as the coordinator of the Kigali Innovation City Project, a flagship program of the Government designed to nurture and strengthen a Pan-African Innovation eco-system in Rwanda.  

Minister Ingabire coordinated the creation of Smart Africa, an initiative that seeks to leverage broadband infrastructure as a driver for Africa’s socio- economic growth.  

A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s School of Engineering & Sloan School of Management, in the System Design and Management program and holds a BS in Computer Engineering and Information Technology from the University of Rwanda; Paula was named in 2019 by Apolitical among the Top 20 of the World’s 100 most influential people in digital government. She serves on the Global Council of the World Summit Award Board of Directors, World Economic Forum Cyber Security Board, the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Global Network Advisory Board and the WEF Board of Trustees. In January 2021, Paula Ingabire has been named founding board member of the EDISON Alliance. 

Portia Bangerezako

Old Mutual Limited – South Africa
Head of Sustainability

Portia Bangerezako is the Head of Sustainability at Old Mutual and is responsible for embedding sustainability practice in the organisation.

She has extensive experience in the management of environmental and social risk in the financial services sector. Prior to joining Old Mutual, she worked at Sanlam, the Industrial Development Corporation and Standard Bank.

She holds a bachelors degree in Geography and Environmental Management from the University of KwaZulu Natal and a Masters in Sustainability Leadership from Cambridge University.

Preetesh Sewraj

The Loeries – South Africa
Chief Executive Officer

Preetesh Sewraj the CEO of the Loeries, the largest brand communication and advertising festival across Africa and the Middle East. He is the former CEO & Chief Innovation Analyst of Product of the Year in South Africa, and was instrumental in bringing this consumer-voted for award for innovation to South Africa.

With a background in consumer products, having worked at companies such as Procter & Gamble and Reckitt Benckiser, Preetesh became passionate about innovative brand journeys.

His experience now extends multiple categories such as banking, ICT, Consumer Goods and Research Preetesh is a sought after innovation expert who has worked with some of South Africa’s biggest companies including Unilever, Samsung, Vodacom and Nedbank. He is a regular contributor in the media having been featured on CNN, CNBC Africa, SABC News, The Sunday Times, 5FM, SAFM and a number of other major media networks.

Preetesh has also spoken about building a culture of innovation at platforms such as TEDx Soweto, TEDx Johannesburg, 3M Innovation Workshop, Marcus Evans Chief Series, GIBS Innovation Conference, GIBS Retail Conference, Idea Design Conference, Marketing Indaba and numerous other public & internal events.

Ralph Oyini

Smart Africa
Director of Digital Transformation and Services

Dr. Ralph Oyini Mbouna earned his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Temple University, Philadelphia, USA, where he was an assistant Professor in the College of Engineering. His research focus was in computer vision and machine learning leaning towards use cases in defense, security and national interests.

Dr. Ralph Oyini Mbouna has several publications in peerreviewed journals such as IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems and IEEE Transactions on Image Processing.

In 2016, Dr. Ralph Oyini Mbouna returned to Africa where he was appointed Director of the Universal Service Fund at the Autorité de Régulation des Communications Électroniques et des Postes (ARCEP), the Gabon’s telecom/ICT regulator. In 2019, he joins the Smart Africa’s team where he is presently Director of Digital Transformation and Services.

Current continental flagship projects under his umbrella are Data Exchange, Digital Identity, E-Payments and other cross-border e-Services related initiatives as well as the development of Tech-driven Entrepreneurship in Africa.

Regis Umugiraneza

SVAI Africa Council of 8 – Rwanda
Co founder & Director of CARL Group

Regis is the cofounder & Director at CARL Group and Vice chairman at Rwanda Chamber of young entrepreneurs at Private sector Federation of Rwanda. He first brought about what was at first regarded as a “crazy idea”, the idea of making pastries out of sweet potatoes – something later proven to be possible, and where CARL Group stemmed from/ www.carlgroup.org . Regis identifies himself as having an entrepreneurial eye; and an ambitious, patient and optimistic person. Regis hold a Bachelor’s degree in Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics at the University of Rwanda.

Rima Qureshi

Verizon
Chief Strategy Officer

Rupert Daniels

UK Department for International Trade
Director of Services and Skills

As Director of Services and Skills, Rupert is responsible for helping UK organisations grow globally by developing their export capabilities and attracting inward investment. His portfolio covers diverse sectors including Digital Commerce, Creative Industries, Education, Consumer and Luxury Goods, Financial, Professional and Business Services, and Sport.

In Government, Rupert delivered the 2021 Trade and Agriculture Commission to Parliament and is the Chair of Trade Advisory Groups (TAG’s) in Creative Industries and Consumer Goods & Retail, and co-chairs the Sports Advisory Group. Within DIT, he is responsible for cross-cutting campaigns and events and acts as the SRO for International Trade Week.

Rupert joined the Civil Service just over 2 years ago from Cambridge University Press where he spent 7 years building their global, digital brand as the Global Marketing Board Director. Rupert joined Cambridge University Press from Arsenal Football Club, where he was the global Partnerships director. Prior to this he was a founder in a start-up digital and mobile marketing agency and worked in Switzerland for 8 years with FIFA; running websites, sponsorship, film, television and music operations for three world cups, Ballon d’or and many other related sporting events. He has over 20 years of global experience across, sales, marketing, media, digital, data and branding.

Finally, Rupert started his career as a lecturer in sport science at Cambridge Regional College and Anglia Ruskin University and holds an MBA from the University of Liverpool.

H.E Paul Kagame

Republic of Rwanda
President
Rwanda

Sakina Usengimana

AFRIFOODS – Rwanda
CEO

Sakina Usengimana’s national pride and entrepreneurial mindset has always been at the center of everything she does. A graduate at Akilah Institute in Business Management and Entrepreneurship, Sakina is a recipient of the 2018-2019 Texas Christian University Wilkens Award. She began her professional career in Hospitality Management, working and training with brands such as Marriott International.

After years of exploring other business ventures, Sakina decided to combine her love for country, food, travel and connecting with people, through Agriculture. With the right opportunities and support, Sakina’s vision is to empower youth and women in the communities she works with through agriculture, with an emphasis on experiential learning while continuing to export Rwanda ‘s fresh goods to markets all over the world and become a preferred vendor with consistent quality products

Sanda Ojiambo

United Nations Global Compact – USA
CEO & Assistant Secretary General

Sanda Ojiambo is the Executive Director of the United Nations Global Compact.

As a special initiative of the UN Secretary-General, the United Nations Global Compact is a call to companies everywhere to align their operations and strategies with Ten Principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. Our ambition is to accelerate and scale the global collective impact of business by upholding the Ten Principles and delivering the Sustainable Development Goals through accountable companies and ecosystems that enable change.

With more than 15,000 companies and 3,000 non-business signatories based in over 160 countries, and 69 Local Networks, the UN Global Compact is the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative — one Global Compact uniting business for a better world.

Ms. Ojiambo brings 20 years of experience to lead the UN Global Compact. She has served as Head of Sustainable Business and Social Impact, Safaricom Plc, Kenya since 2010. Ms. Ojiambo was also the Senior Manager of Safaricom and MPESA Foundations, Kenya from 2008 to 2010, during which she led the implementation of several public-private partnership initiatives between Safaricom and UN organisations.

Throughout her career, she has cultivated and managed relationships with key business entities and civil society organizations, including her capacity development work in Somalia with UNDP and CARE International.

Ms. Ojiambo holds a Master of Arts in Public Policy from the University of Minnesota, USA, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and International Development from McGill University, Canada.

Sazini Mojapelo

SVAI Steering Committee – South Africa
Chairperson

Sazini is currently chairperson of the SVAI Steering Committee, having served on the committee since 2019. Sazini is a trisector leader whose expertise lies in the development and execution of strategic plans linked to business development, focused on the small enterprise development, creating shared value, sustainability and financial inclusion. A Harvard Business School Graduate, Sazini is a strategist and development specialist by training, holding a double major degree in Sociology and Industrial Psychology as well as having obtained a Master’s Degree in Development Studies from the University of Cape Town.

Prior to joining Absa Group Limited, she was the CEO and co-founder of Hand in Hand Southern Africa, an NGO with the focus on micro and small business development in peri urban and rural areas with a special focus on youth and women. She has over 17 years’ experience, working in government, civil society including corporate and private sector. She has the ability to pioneer innovative approaches to tackling socio economic business challenges enabling customer growth and critical stakeholder buy in, and is passionate about making an impact in people’s lives through her work

Simbarashe Mhuriro

RioEnergy
General Manager

Simba is an Independent Non-Executive Director of Stanbic Bank Zimbabwe Limited, a member of the Standard Bank Group; the leading banking and financial services group in Africa and largest in terms of assets. He is also member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Entrepreneurship for the 2018 – 2019 and the Shared Value Africa Initiative’s Africa Council of 8.

Simba has been awarded the prestigious Archbishop Desmond Tutu Fellowship by the African Leadership Institute & the Oxford University’s Said Business School. Simba has also played an advisory role as part of expert working groups on renewable energy, innovation, entrepreneurship and SME development for Pan African projects run by the African Union Commission, European Union and World Health Organisation Africa Region.

Simba is also a Member of the Board of Directors & Chairman of the Transformation and Strategy Committee for the Institute of Directors Zimbabwe an affiliate of the Institute of Directors UK and a member of the Institute of Directors in Southern Africa.

In both 2018 & 2016 Simba has been named by Forbes Magazine as one of Africa’s 30 most promising & inspirational young entrepreneurs in Africa. Simba has also been recognised by the Africa Youth Awards as one of 100 most Influential Young Africans of the year. Afk Insider magazine named him among 12 Most Promising African Entrepreneurs of 2016 whilst in 2017 Africa.com named him among 40 Africans Under 40 – Making It In Africa.

Stephen Kiptinness

Safaricom – Kenya
Chief Corporate Affairs Officer

Stephen Kiptinness is responsible for Safaricom’s reputation management, public policy, legal and regulatory affairs. He is in charge of steering the development and implementation of Safaricom’s corporate investment strategy as well as overseeing internal and external communications. He also leads the development of a roadmap that will embed purpose in everything we do at Safaricom and among our stakeholders.

Stephen has more than 27 years of cumulative legal experience. He joined Safaricom from Kiptinness & Odhiambo Associates LLP where he was a Senior Partner heading the Technology and Intellectual Property practice for the last 10 years. Before starting his practice, Stephen worked at Telkom Kenya Orange, heading Regulatory Affairs for 3 years, from 2009 to 2012.

Prior to his role at Telkom Orange, he held various legal roles including Legal Officer and subsequently Senior Legal Officer at the Communications Authority of Kenya, and Legal Manager at the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation, having commenced his legal career as a Trainee Advocate at Oraro & Co. Advocates. Stephen also teaches at the University of Nairobi School of Law.

He holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL. B Hons) from the ILS Law College, University of Pune, a Diploma in Computer Science, a Certificate in Human Resource Management, a Post graduate Diploma in Law and a Master of Laws (LL.M) in Information Technology & Telecommunications  Law from the London School of Economics.

Stephen is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya, a Member of the Law Society of Kenya and is a Certified Public Secretary with Institute of Certified Secretaries.

Steven Moore

GSMA – UK
Head of Climate Action

Steven Moore is responsible for the Climate Action Programme at the GSMA, the mobile industry association. His role is to provide leadership to support and accelerate the industry transition to Net Zero by 2050. The success of the programme has led to the mobile industry being recognised by the UN as the first breakthrough sector in the Race to Zero.

Steven chairs the GSMA Climate Action Taskforce, which has more than 50 mobile operator members globally. He works with the industry on climate policy, strategy and research covering energy efficiency, renewables, supply chain engagement, connectivity to reduce emissions, and climate adaptation and resilience.

Steven holds an MSc in Environmental Technology and is an experienced environmental professional having worked on climate action for the past 15 years, at BT, as a consultant at Deloitte, and for the innovative start-up, dcarbon8.

Twitter: @mooresteven
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-moore-477527b/

Sue Allchurch

UN Global Compact – USA
Chief of Outreach and Engagement

As Chief of Outreach and Engagement, Sue Allchurch leads the work of the UN Global Compact to engage and work with businesses to take action on the Sustainable Development Goals.

She has been instrumental in developing the UN Global Compact participant engagement model and ensuring that the UN Global Compact translates ideas into practical, valuable initiatives to help business further their sustainability impact.

Prior to joining the UN Global Compact, Ms. Allchurch was Director of Marketing and Communications for Save the Children United Kingdom. In this role, Ms. Allchurch delivered several successful campaigns and contributed to a doubling of impact and outcome.

Previously, Ms. Allchurch has been Global Brand Vice President Lipton tea and Global Brand Vice President Surf and Skip detergents and Laundry Innovation. In all roles, Ms. Allchurch led sustainable development and social purpose as a core part of brand development, with a key focus on innovation product development and supply chain sustainability.

Prior to these roles, Ms. Allchurch was Global Vice President of the Unilever Marketing Academy, building capabilities across the global marketing community. Ms. Allchurch holds a Bachelor of Science with honors.

Tabby Tsengiwe

Old Mutual – South Africa
Chief Communications Officer

Tabby is a highly experienced Public Affairs professional with two decades of strategic communications, marketing, stakeholder and regulatory management leadership under her belt. Working with a number of blue chip companies during this time, she has strived to create time, space and opportunity for growth by connecting the dots, bringing out people’s strengths, and effectively managing risk.

Career highlights include:

• Working closely with key stakeholders across sectors to successfully position and grow the BMW brand post the 1994 transition.
• Spearheading the launch of South Africa’s first ever reality television show, Big Brother 1, to critical success during her tenure at MNet
• Reinforcing brand product messaging to the business and youth segments while at MTN
• Honing her stakeholder communication, investor relations and compliance competence in roles at Microsoft and Nedbank
• Bringing to bear the impact of the illicit trade in tobacco products to key audiences in both government and the media whilst serving as Head of Communications at British American Tobacco South Africa

Tabby joined Old Mutual as Chief Communications Officer in February 2018 where she immediately led the communication around the Group’s listing activities, brand repositioning, its unbundling from Nedbank, as well as its reconnection with investors and shareholders as Old Mutual Limited.

She has played an instrumental role in driving an effective reputation recovery plan for the Old Mutual Group, this following a protracted legal battle with its former CEO, which resulted in multiple negative impacts to the business.

Drawing inspiration from life, Tabby takes a leadership role in whatever she does. Whether as a wife, mother, runner or community activist, her passion for bringing people and purpose together is palpable as is her desire to deliver on time and in full, every time.

Tabby holds a Bachelor of Journalism degree from Rhodes University, a Post Graduate Diploma in Marketing from the AAA School of Advertising in Johannesburg, an MBA from Bond University in Australia a certificate for the Executive Leadership Development Programme from the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS).

Talifhani Mamafha

SVAI Africa Council of 8 – South Africa
Founder and CEO of Analytics Advertising

Talifhani Mamafha is founder, creative director and chief executive of Johannesburg-based Analytics Advertising and a member of the Shared Value Africa Initiative’s Africa Council of 8.

The entrepreneur is a philanthropist, visionary, pioneer and inspirational figure. He started the company in 2017 to focus on data analytics, advertising campaigns, brand and artist management and content production.

His foray into entrepreneurship came after a successful career working for MassMart as a private brands analyst and then Pick n Pay as a pricing analyst between 2013 and 2016.

Mamafha, a former statistics, economics and marketing lecturer at Damelin, graduated with a statistics degree from the University of Pretoria in 2012.

He has also worked with flamboyant singer Moonchild Sanelly as her content producer and strategist, when the blue-haired hitmaker was still trying to make a name for herself in the South African music landscape.

Thelma Quaye

Smart Africa Secretariat – Rwanda
Head of Digital Infrastructure, Skills and Empowerment Directorate

Thelma Quaye is an ardent believer in the potential of Africa through the power of technology, coupled with the rich resources on the continent.

She leads the directorate of Digital Infrastructure, Skills and Empowerment at the Smart Africa Secretariat, an initiative by the heads of African countries to accelerate sustainable socioeconomic development and usher Africa into the knowledge economy.

Under this role, she oversees projects that will  connect every African country to at least 2 of its neighbours, make internet affordable and meaningful to citizens, develop conducive environments for regional cloud and data centers, encourage affordable communications through the One Africa Network project,develop policies to ensure the right balance between the protection of the countries’ sovereignty and harnessing the economy around data, develop the right policies with the support of stakeholders to ensure a safe cyber environment in Africa and build the digital skills capacity of citizens among others.

Prior to this role, she worked at Airtel Ghana Limited as the Chief Technical Officer responsible for the running of the Airtel network and she was the first female network director across the Airtel Africa group.

She has worked with the ITU, UN women and African Union as a lead trainer in coding and soft skills for girls from across Africa.

Her passion is to improve human capacity through ICT education, mentoring and coaching.

She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical & Electronics Engineering from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), an Executive Master of Business Administration, Strategic and Project Management from the Paris School of Management and an executive education at the prestigious INSEAD business school, France.

Tiekie Barnard

SVAI/Shift Impact Africa – South Africa
Chief Executive Officer

Tiekie is the Founder and CEO of both Shift Impact Africa and the Shared Value Africa Initiative, and leads the way in bringing the Shared Value concept to Africa.

Tiekie is driven by her passion for the Shared Value Business Management concept, which is about reconnecting company success to social progress.

She is a Shared Value Strategist and Business Development expert, Gold Member of the GRI, Member of Vega School of Brand Leadership Advisory Committee, Member of the global Shared Value Steering Committee, Member of AgriLuxe Marketing Advisory Committee, a Board Member of Creatella Impact, an impact investment firm from NYC, and member of faculty at Strathmore University Business School.

Tiekie has extensive experience in the Shared Value Business Management concept and advising organisations on its implementation and alignment. Tiekie was the co-creator and co-lecture for the first ever Shared Value course to be delivered on the Africa continent that took place online in September 2020.

In 2017, Tiekie was nominated for the South Africa Businesswomen’s Association Regional Business Achievers Award, in the Social Entrepreneurship Category.

In 2019, Tiekie completed the Harvard Business School Creating Shared Value: Competitive Advantage through Social Impact course, which was delivered by Michael Porter and Mark Kramer.

In December 2020, she was recognised as one of Africa’s Women Leaders by the World Women Leadership Congress and Awards.

Virginia Villar Arribas

World Food Programme (WFP) – Italy
Deputy Director for Private Partnerships

Ms. Virginia Villar Arribas is the Deputy Director of the Private Sector Partnerships Division at the World Food Programme (WFP), based in Rome, since November 2020.

She joined from Burundi, where she had been Country Director and Representative of the World Food Programme from Dec 2017 to Nov 2020. She had previously worked as Head of the OCHA Office (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) in Burundi, after a humanitarian coordination posting in Afghanistan as Deputy Head of the OCHA Office, dealing among other with Field Operations, as well as Communication and Advocacy.

Mrs. Villar had been UNRWA’s (UN Nations Agency supporting Palestine refugees in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, West Bank and Gaza) Chief of Donor Relations (2014-2016), leading the Agency’s strategy, development and implementation of relations with donors and resource mobilization. She had previously worked in the UNRWA Office in Lebanon, heading the Programme Support Office, supporting the planning, strategy and coordination of the Agency’s operations in the field (education, health, relief and social services, emergency). She led the development of a Mental Health and Psychosocial support strategy, as well as the mainstreaming of people with disabilities, gender and youth issues into the programmes. From 2010- 2013, she was the UNRWA Liaison Officer with the European Union in Brussels.

Before joining the United Nations and for a period of 10 years, Virginia Villar had worked in the European Union holding different capacities: Head of Operations of the EU mechanism for support to Palestinians (PEGASE) in the occupied Palestinian Territory, Geographical Coordination for the Near & Middle East (2006-2009); and Programme Manager for Twinning Operations (EU bilateral governmental cooperation in the areas of justice, energy, transport, border management and others) for Ukraine, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia (2005-2006). From 2004-2005, Ms. Villar Arribas was responsible for EU assistance to Maghreb-Mashrek countries in the area of Justice, Liberty and Security.

Virginia Villar is a Spanish national. She has a background in Journalism (Bachelor of Arts) having studied in Spain and The Netherlands and holds Masters in International Studies (Diplomatic Academy of Spain) and International Relations (Complutense University, Madrid) as well as post Graduate Studies in Political Science and International Relations (University of Ottawa, Canada).

Vuyo Lutseke

SVAI/Shift Impact Africa – South Africa
Director

Vuyo Lutseke is Head of Fundraising & Membership at Shared Value Africa Initiative and Shift Impact Africa. She graduated from the University of Cape Town with a BA in Cultural & Literary Studies, and went on to receive a Certificate in Media Law & Ethics from Wits University. She cut her teeth in publishing, ultimately leading to strategic oversight and publisher roles. Ongoing career development includes the King Baudouin Foundation: The Art & Science of Fundraising programme in New York City, and the International Fundraising Conference in Holland.

Previously at Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital Trust, Vuyo developed and implemented an overall communications and public fundraising strategy to support this capital campaign, construction and opening of the hospital – the largest campaign of its kind in SA. As part of the SVAI/Shift team, she participates in taking social impact beyond philanthropy and into the more strategic focus of Shared Value. In October 2020, Vuyo was appointed as a Director of both SVAI and Shift.

Vuyo Mpako

NEXT176, Old Mutual Limited – South Africa
Managing Director

Vuyo Mpako is currently Managing Director NEXT176 at Old Mutual Limited, leading  innovation, partnerships, strategic investments and venture building across Africa for the Old Mutual Group, a position he held since 1 September 2021.

Prior to this, Vuyo was Chief Digital and Data Officer for Old Mutual Limited, a role he has held since August 2017.

Vuyo was Executive Head Digital Channels and eCommerce for the Personal and Business Bank in South Africa, Standard Bank, and was a member of the Personal and Business Banking Executive Committee of Standard Bank SA. He also held several distribution roles running ATM distribution, direct channels and digital channels.

Vuyo was the Managing Executive for Central Region, Vodacom SA, overseeing Vodacom’s operations in KwaZulu-Natal, Free State and Northern Cape were he led marketing, consumer and enterprise sales as well as engineering operations across these provinces.

He is a senior executive with over 20 years of telecommunications and financial services experience in senior roles leading strategy, innovation and digital transformation. He is a highly articulate strategic thinker and a persuasive team-builder; an aspiring business academic who believes “Incrementalism leads to irrelevance over time”. He holds a  Stanford Executive Programme Certification, a MBA, and a MSc Electronic Engineering which he received cum laude. Vuyo is a registered Professional Engineer.

Wincate M. Muthini

Pan African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PACCI) – Ethiopia
Senior Program Manager

Ms. Wincate M. Muthini is the Senior Program Manager at the Pan African Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

She driven by designing complementary solution oriented approaches based on the belief in homegrown solutions layered with customized global good case components.

This describes her multifaceted background in Mechatronic Engineering, over five years coaching and developing Youth Leadership through experiential learning in Kenya and Ethiopia via the Global Organization AIESEC, Business design and Brand development Consultation for different levels of African Companies, and for the past five years, working with African chambers of commerce in coordinating strategic partnerships, repositioning the chamber value proposition and coordinating programs geared toward an enabling African business environment for economic integration.

Ye Xiaohan

ZTE
Vice President