Wharton African Business Forum Panel

In the last concluded Wharton African Business Forum, there was a panel titled Beyond Natural Resources: The future of knowledge-based industries in Africa. AFRIT Founder was there. The panelists discussed many issues that looked at why Africa must develop knowledge industries. The discussion was deep and examined not just the opportunities, but the threat of not working towards developing Africa’s knowledge base.

The panelists are

Dr. Ndubuisi Ekekwe (middle)

Adefolu Majekodunmi from Microsoft Nigeria (left of  Dr Ekekwe)

Evelyn Lewis (white suit)

Panel Speaker Biographies

http://whartonafrica.com/wabf/speakers/panelists/panel-speaker-biographies/#45

Resolved: Africa is the most promising emerging market for private equity
	Tom Barry President & CEO, Zephyr Management L.P. Thomas C. Barry is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Zephyr Management, L.P., an investment management company which he founded in 1994. Zephyr sponsors thirteen specialized investment funds with approximately US $2 billion in committed capital. Zephyr’s private equity funds invest in Africa (Kingdom Zephyr Africa Management Company) and India. Previous Funds invested in Mexico and Korea. Zephyr’s marketable securities funds invest in stock markets of developing countries. Prior to founding Zephyr, Mr. Barry was President and CEO of Rockefeller & Co., the investment management arm of the Rockefeller family, from 1983 to 1993. Previously, Mr. Barry was employed by T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. from 1969 to 1982. Mr. Barry received an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1969 and an undergraduate degree from Yale University in 1966 where he majored in Latin American Studies. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst. Mr. Barry is active in numerous not-for-profit institutions.
	Gustavo Eiben, Head of North America Investor Relations, Aureos Capital Mr. Eiben is the head of North America investor relations of Aureos Capital. Aureos is a global emerging markets private equity manager focused on small to mid-market transactions across Africa, Asia and Latin America. As head of North America IR, Mr. Eiben is responsible for establishing and maintaining relationships with existing and potential investors, and for developing new business and products that fit Aureos’ overall global strategy. Prior to Aureos Capital, Mr. Eiben was a senior member of the Alternative Investments Group at J.P. Morgan Private Bank raising and investing capital in third-party private equity funds. Prior to that, he was the head of fundraising and business development at Schroeder Ventures US and before that, a member of the UBS Private Equity Funds Group; the placement arm of the bank. Mr. Eiben started his career in the Mergers and Acquisitions group at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Mr. Eiben received his MBA degree from Thunderbird, the Global School of Management and his BA degree from Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, Argentina.
	Okezie Ofoegbu, Vice-President, Emerging Capital Partners Okezie Ofoegbu is a Vice President of Emerging Capital Partners (ECP). With seven funds and over $1.8 billion under management, ECP is a leading private equity manager focused exclusively on Africa. Headquartered in Washington DC, ECP has six offices across Africa and a ten-year track record of successful investment in companies operating in over 40 countries on the continent. Mr. Ofoegbu joined ECP in 2006 upon completion of an MBA in Finance, Marketing and Entrepreneurial Management from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Prior to Wharton, he was Staff Infrastructure Analyst with ExxonMobil’s Upstream Global Information Services. Mr. Ofoegbu graduated from the Obafemi Awolowo University with a BSc. in Computer Engineering. He is a citizen of Nigeria.
	Ngozi Dozie, Partner, Kaizen Venture Partners Ngozi is a co-Founder of Kaizen Venture Partners, a firm that invests in underperforming and distressed SMEs in Sub-Saharan Africa. Kaizen unlocks value through restructuring non-performing loans, and investing long-term capital and technical expertise. Kaizen is also sponsoring the Kaizen Africa Special Situation Fund, which will invest in com-panies that are underperforming, in distress, or in need of restructuring. Kaizen only invests in opportunities where there is significant developmental impact. Kaizen has portfolio companies in Kenya and Ghana in Telecoms & AgriprocessingNgozi was previously an investment banker at JPMorgan and a risk consultant with Arthur Andersen UK. He graduated with an MSc in Computation from Oxford University, a First Class in BSc Physics from Imperial College and holds an MBA from the Wharton School. Ngozi qualified as a chartered accountant (ACA) with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and is a CFA Charterholder.
	Richard Okello, Principal, Makena Capital Management Richard Okello is a Principal at Makena Capital Management, a US$13bln private endowment managing assets for sophisticated global institutional clients. At Makena, Richard oversees the global fixed income and active currency management allocations, leads the firm’s Africa investment efforts and is a member of the firm’s multi-asset class investment committee. Prior to joining Makena Capital, Richard Okello was a partner at Bridgewater Associates, one of the largest global Hedge Funds. Mr. Okello graduated from Swarthmore College with an A.B in economics with Honors and a minor in public policy in 3 years and earned his MBA from the Lubin school of business at Pace University, Cum Laude. He serves on the board of the Human Horizons Foundation, USA and the investment committee of the United World College- USA.
	Wale Adeosun, CIO, Chesapeake Asset Management Wale Adeosun is the Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Kuramo Capital Management. Kuramo Capital Management is the general partner of Kuramo Africa Opportunity Fund, a vehicle focused on Sub-Saharan Africa investment opportunities. Previously, Wale was Treasurer and Chief Investment Officer at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), where he had oversight responsibilities for over $800 million in assets, primarily consisting of RPI’s endowment and defined benefit pension plan. Prior to Rensselaer, Wale was Managing Director, public equities, for the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, where he was responsible for $2 billion in U.S. equities investments and the marketable alternatives program. Wale is Investment Advisory Committee Chair of New York State’s $130 billion Common Retirement Fund and serves on a number of philanthropic boards including Investment Committee of IPPF-WHR and the NHEF in New York City, where he is President. Wale received his MBA from the John M. Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), and a member of the CFA Institute.
	Stephen Sammut Venture Partner, Burrill & Company; Senior Fellow and Lecturer, Wharton Health Care ManagementLecturer, Wharton Entrepreneurial Programs Outside of Wharton, Steve is Venture Partner, Burrill & Company, a merchant bank and venture capital fund focused on the life sciences and health care. His role there is general management of overseas venture capital funds.At Wharton, Steve has created a variety of courses that he has taught to over 5500 students in the last 19 years. These include: Private Equity in Emerging Markets, Venture Capital and Entrepreneurial Management, Global Health and The Private Sector, Health Care Entrepreneurship, Disaster Response, and Sustainable Development. Steve’s primary areas of research coincide with his venture activity: health care and biotech capacity building in the emerging markets; private equity and venture capital approaches to economic development; and, the role of the private sector in addressing needs in global health. Steve previously held the positions of Managing Director, Access Venture Partners, Vice President of Development at Teleflex and Vice President, S.R.One, Ltd., GlaxoSmithKline’s venture fund.
	Generating Alpha in Africa: Properly managing risk in Africa’s developing markets
	Adil Popat Group CEO, Simba Corporation Adil Popat graduated with a Wharton MBA in 1984, joining Deloitte as a management consultant for a 2 year stint after which he joined the family business. Mr Popat spent 7 years developing family and investor interests in Lisbon, Portugal in the hospitality field.Mr Popat is currently the Group CEO of Simba Corporation a well diversified business group which has interests in motor vehicle assembling and distribution (representing BMW, Mitsubishi Motors and the Fuso Truck brands), motor vehicle leasing (including the AVIS Franchise), fleet management services, Cinema exhibition and distribution operations and a host of real estate ventures. The group is on a high growth diversification strategy and has just embarked on the development of a hospitality division, opening an iconic 5 star property in Nairobi soon, as well as a luxury tented camp in the world famous Maasai Mara next year.
	Rajiv Khatau Founder, Atman LP Rajiv Khatau is the founder and lead investment professional of Atman LP. Mr. Khatau brings over 18+ years of creative oversight including; operations, start-up, merger and acquisitions, investment financing, emerging market business development, recapitalization, and overall business acumen. Prior to Atman, Khatau led a financing team, researched and planned the potential “363” asset acquisition of internet rights to The Sharper Image, and successfully acquired several QSR Master franchisees. Mr. Khatau was previously M&A Director (EMEA) for New World Telecom, a Global Telecommunication firm involved in acquisition and JV of mobile and wireless local loop licenses in emerging markets. He managed large scale privatization projects (TTCL in Tanzania); Greenfield projects (Nigeria); and created JV alliances; including the $110 million privatization of a national telecom carrier (UTL in Uganda). Mr. Khatau holds a Bachelor of Science from The University of Southern California, and an MBA from The University of Chicago.
	Lisa Lambie Director, Sattat Holdings Ms. Lambie is a Director of Satatt Holdings, a private Pan-African investment advisory firm with key principals in Africa and London. Ms. Lambie has material experience in the Emerging Markets across investment banking, private equity, debt investments, and operations. Prior firms include Cordiant Capital, where she was a Managing Director with responsibility for mezzanine strategies, oversight of the US$211mm Africa private equity fund, and Africa investments; Barclays Capital in Emerging Markets Structuring and Head of Absa Distribution for Sub-Sahara Africa; JP Morgan; and Banc of America Securities in EMEA Leveraged Finance and Financial Sponsors with responsibility for leveraged transactions, investments, and the Blackstone and CD&R relationships. Boards served on include Mecene Investments (a Pan-African private equity fund focused on SMEs and microfinance), Ethiopian Childrens Fund, Wharton Club of Africa, and the Canadian Council on Africa. Ms. Lambie has a MBA in Finance from Wharton and a BSE in Civil Engineering & Operations Research from Princeton.
	African Real-Estate and Infrastructure Development: The changing face of Africa’s major cities
	Alain Ebobissé IFC Alain Ebobissé is a Chief Investment Officer in the Global Infrastructure and Natural Resources Department at the International Finance Corporation (IFC). Alain has recently led IFC’s efforts to establish IFC’s Global Infrastructure Project Development Fund (“IFC InfraVentures”), which is providing early stage risk capital for the development of private and PPP infrastructure projects in International Development Association (IDA) countries. He currently runs the global operations of IFC InfraVentures. Alain joined IFC in 1998. He has led a number of complex infrastructure transactions in Africa, Europe and Latin America. Prior to joining IFC, Alain was deputy head of Project and Structured Finance at Caisse des Depots et Consignations in Paris, France.
	Joe Quinones Managing Director, Primrose Development Company Joe is Managing Director & Chief Operating Officer at Primrose Development Company in Nigeria. Joe has over 12 years experience in acquiring and developing property in the United States of America. In his previous careers, he was ranked top 2% globally as a corporate sales account executive with AT&T and also served as a non commissioned officer in the United States Navy. Joe has an MBA in real estate and finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and also graduated magna cum laude from Temple University with a Bachelor of Business Administration with concentrations in international business administration and accounting. He also did post graduate studies at Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile Ife where he studied Yoruba history and culture.
	Opuiyo Oforiokuma Lekki Concession Company Opuiyo has been the CEO/Managing Director of Lekki Concession Company (LCC) since 2006. He runs the 30-year, N 50billion, Lekki Toll Road Concession, the first PPP of its kind in Nigeria. Before joining LCC, he was the Finance Director of Thames Water International, playing a leading role in acquisitions in the USA and Latin America, and leading infrastructure projects in Turkey, Puerto Rico, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. He became Business Performance Director of Latin America in 2002 leading the restructuring of Thames Water’s Chilean business operations, and the first ever legal merger of previously State-owned Chilean Water Companies. In 2003, he was a Vice President at American Water leading Business Change, and Product and Service Innovation.
	Adekunle Faleti Diamond Mortgages Kunle Faleti is the MD/CEO of Diamond Mortgages Limited in Nigeria. He has 21 yrs of Banking experience spanning Mortgage Operations, Risk Management, Construction Lending and Retail Banking. He worked in the U.S. with Wachovia and Chevy Chase Banks. Before joining Diamond, he was Group Head of Mortgages at United Bank for Africa Plc and Assistant Vice President of Mortgage Operations at Chevy Chase Bank. He is a member of the Mortgage Banking Association of Nigeria and Nigerian Institute of Management. He earned a B Tech in Business Administration, and an Executive Education from The Wharton Real Estate Center.
	Robert Inman The Wharton School Robert Inman is the Richard King Mellon Professor of Finance at The Wharton School. He is a Professor of Finance & Economics, Business & Public Policy, Law & Economics and Real Estate. He is the Chair of the Business & Public Policy Department and a Senior Fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics. Robert has consulted for several private and public institutions including the City of Philadelphia, U.S. Treasury and the Republic of South Africa. His research focuses on public finance, political economy and urban fiscal policy. He is currently working on a project titled “Economic federalism in the United States, Europe, Russia, and South Africa. Efficient and equitable financing of public services in urban economies.” He has been a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research since 1981; and was a Visiting Senior Research Economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. He earned his PhD, MEd and AB from Harvard University.
	Agriculture in Africa: Unlocking the value in agribusiness
	Jon Vandenheuvel Africa Atlantic Jon Vandenheuvel is President of Africa Atlantic Holdings Ltd, a farm development and management company based in Dubai, UAE, that is currently establishing a 10,000 hectare (25,000 acre) farm in Ghana along the shores of Lake Volta. Jon worked in Washington DC for 15 years as a congressional staffer and lobbyist before founding Africa Atlantic in 2008. A graduate of Wheaton College (IL) with a masters degree from Johns Hopkins University, Jon lived in Ghana for the past year with his wife and three daughters. Now back in the US, Jon works from offices in Dubai, Lake Volta, and Maryland.
	Jerry Parkes Injaro Investments Jerry Parkes is a co-founder and Managing Director of Injaro Investments Limited, an Abidjan-based fund manager focused on SME investments in West Africa. Injaro is the fund manager for the West Africa Agricultural Investment Fund and the West Africa SME Growth Fund. Prior to founding Injaro Investments, Jerry was a director at Knox D’Arcy Investment Management, a UK-based fund manager and activist private equity investor focusing on small to mid-sized companies. His previous experience spans consulting and investment banking with firms such as Accenture, Merrill Lynch, UBS and Technoserve-Ghana, where he advised entrepreneurs on strategy and business development. He has completed transactions ranging in size from US$30m to US$450m and is an investor in SMEs in West Africa. Jerry holds an MEng. in Electronic and Electrical Engineering with French from the University of Manchester and an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
	Robert Hornsby JOBOMAX Global Bob is co-founder and Managing Partner of JOBOMAX Global LTD, which focuses on creating economic opportunities and export markets for agricultural communities and cooperatives in Africa. Since 1991 Bob has worked in the US and around the world in economic development, education, outreach and strategic communications. From 2000 to 2004 he was President of technology services company Slingshot Solutions, where he co-authored US Patent No. 7,228,287. He subsequently directed new business unit development for Overseas Strategic Consulting before founding JOBOMAX. Prior to entering the private sector, Bob served in the Peace Corps in West Africa and taught in the Atlanta Public Schools’ flagship International Studies magnet school. Bob received his MBA in 2000 from the Wharton School, and an MA in International Economics and African Studies at the Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies that same year, as part of the SAIS/Wharton joint degree program. He received a BA in Economics at Davidson College in 1991, with a focus on Economic Development, and studied in 1989 at Madras Christian College in Tambaram, India.
	The Energy Paradox: Addressing power needs in Africa’s resource rich countries
	Cyrille Arnould European Investment Bank Cyrille Arnould became Head of the GEEREF team in 2009. Previously, he was a Senior Officer in the Africa Caribbean and Pacific department where he oversaw the development of private equity and microfinance portfolios. Prior to joining the EIB, in November 2003, Cyrille was a Senior Investment Officer at the International Finance Corporation’s (IFC) SME department, which he joined after four years with IFC’s Financial Markets Group, Sub-Saharan Africa Department. He was previously IFC’s Senior Investment Officer based in Russia. Before joining IFC, Cyrille worked in Russia for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), first as Investment Manager for Smolensk Regional Venture Fund and then as Principal Banker in Moscow. Cyrille holds a Diploma from the Political Science Institute and a Master’s in Law both from the University of Strasbourg and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
	Chinedu Okpareke Imo State Investmetns & Promotions Agency Chinedu is the Director General and CEO of Imo State Investments & Promotion Agency, overseeing facilitation, monitoring and promotion of all investment activities in the state economy. He is also the Acting Managing Director of Imo Wonderlake Development Company and a Special Adviser to the Imo State Governor, Dr. Ikedi Ohakim. Prior to public service, Chinedu spent 17 years in the private sector, most recently as Senior Vice President of Ocean & Oil Holdings. He was also the founder, as well as MD/CEO of Avaizon Consulting and Offshore Personnel Services Ltd. Before that, Chinedu worked for ExxonMobil Corporation on three multi-billion dollar projects in Nigeria. He also spent 2 years at Arthur Andersen & Co in Nigeria. Mr. Okpareke holds a 1st Class honors degree in Electronic & Computer Engineering from the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria. He also holds an MBA in Finance and Entrepreneurial Management from The Wharton School.
	Brice Lodugnon ECP Brice Lodugnon is a Director with Emerging Capital Partners running the Abidjan (Cote d’Ivoire) office where he covers the West African region, exclusive of Nigeria. Brice possesses a decade of experience originating and executing private equity transactions in West, Central and North Africa in telecoms, agri-business, transportation, consumer goods, financial services and utilities. Most recently, Brice led the team which managed the acquisition of the Finagestion group, a leading player in water and electricity services in West Africa which caters services to 1.1 million electricity clients in Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal. Brice spent a substantial portion of his time on Finagestion where he is in charge of projects and strategic initiatives. Mr Lodugnon holds a MSc in Mineral Economics from the Colorado School of Mines (Golden, CO) and MSc in Petroleum Economics from the IFP – School (Paris, France) Brice Lodugnon currently sits on the Boards of Thunnus Overseas Group, Finagestion and Financial Bank.
	Africa’s Banking Sector: The credit crunch and the revival
	Leo Reif Head of Investment Banking, Credit Suisse South Africa Leo Reif is the Head of Investment Banking (South Africa) for Credit Suisse with responsibility for South and Sub-Saharan Africa. Leo sits on the South African Operating Committee and the Emerging Market Operating Committee within the Investment Banking division of Credit Suisse. He joined Credit Suisse in 2004 in the European Telecom & Media team and previously worked at Morgan Stanley and Rothschild. Leo is a qualified Chartered Accountant and holds degrees in business (post graduate accounting) and law cum laude from the University of Pretoria and University of South Africa respectively. He also holds an MBA from INSEAD. Leo has worked on a range of M&A and capital raising assignments for leading Sub-Saharan African corporates including Eskom, MTN, Bidvest, Nedbank, Life Healthcare, Investec, Steinhoff and Mvelaphanda and has worked with a number of leading international groups in relation to their Sub-Saharan African business interests.
	Sonnie Ayere Founder, Dunn Loren Merrifield Sonnie Ayere has approximately 17 years of corporate and structured finance, retail, corporate banking and asset management experience working with the following institutions in London – HSBC London, NatWest Bank, the Sumitomo Mitsui Bank, Bank of Montreal-NesbittBurns, and The International Finance Corporation in Washington D.C. and South Africa. In Nigeria he spent four years as the pioneer MD/CEO of UBA Global Markets. In June 2009, he founded Dunn Loren Merrifield, an investment banking and advisory firm operating out of Lagos, London, New York, Dubai and Geneva. Mr. Ayere is a member of the Nigerian Bond Steering Committee, served on the Securities & Exchange Commission Committee on Market Structure and reforms, the Steering Committee for review of the Foreclosure and Securitisation Laws of Nigeria and the CBN FSS2020 Technical Steering Committee. Mr. Ayere holds an MA (Hons.) in Financial Economics from the University of Dundee, Scotland. He is an Alumni of Cass Business School London as well as London Business School.
	Konyin Ajayi SAN Olaniwun Ajayi LP Konyinsola Ajayi holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge, England and an LL.M from the Harvard Law School. He has over 29 years legal experience in the areas of Energy & Natural Resources, International Business Transactions, Banking & Capital Markets, Corporate, Project & Structured Finance, Construction & Engineering. Konyinsola is one of the leading authorities on Banking and Securities transactions in Nigeria and has authored a book on the subject. He has attended and facilitated numerous conferences across the globe presenting a number of papers across a broad spectrum of the law and finance, including Oil and Gas, Project & Corporate Finance, Capital Markets, Banking, Insolvency, Legal Aspects of Money, Credit & Securities, Loan Documentation. Mr. Ajayi graduated from Selwyn College, Cambridge, and is of the Middle Temple, one of the Senior Advocates of Nigeria, of the Notaries Public of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Barrister, England & Wales
	Creating a foreign legacy: How is FDI from the major emerging economies shaping Africa’s business landscape?
	Witold Henisz The Wharton School Witold J. Henisz is an Associate Professor of Management at The Wharton School. He received his Ph.D. in Business and Public Policy from the Haas School of Business at University of California, Berkeley and an M.A. in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. His research focuses on the political hazards of international investment strategy, particularly governmental redistributive policies as well as the success and strategic responses of individual organizations withstanding such policies. Prior to Wharton, Prof. Henisz served as a consultant for the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Conference Board, Eurasia Group, the Department of Homeland Security, and worked at the International Monetary Fund. For the past five years, he has served as a Departmental Editor at The Journal of International Business Studies and is currently a principal in the political risk management consultancy PRIMA LLC and the risk management consultancy The Probity Group.
	Remi Bello B&M Consulting Mr. Remi Bello is a Nigerian-American foreign investment risk consultant. He is the founder and CEO of B&M Consulting. B&M Consulting helps its clients manage the political, economic, social and security risks of doing business in Africa. B&M also specializes in client deployment solutions, including deal flow, business development, due diligence, and marketing advisory focused on seven African sectors. Prior to B&M, Mr. Bello worked in economic risk research for the Economist Intelligence Unit and eStandardsForum. He also worked for Congressman Dick Gephardt and Ret. General Wesley K. Clark. Mr. Bello has been quoted by The Financial Times, Reuters, Business Daily (Kenya) and other prominent media. Mr. Bello holds a Masters in International Economic Policy from Columbia University and a BSC in Communications from the University of Texas at Austin.
	Ambassador David Shinn Former US Ambassador to Ethiopia David Shinn has been an adjunct professor in the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University since 2001. He served for 37 years in the U.S. Foreign Service with overseas assignments in Lebanon, Kenya, Tanzania, Mauritania, Cameroon, Sudan and as ambassador to Burkina Faso and Ethiopia. His research interests focus on the Horn of Africa and China-Africa relations. He is finishing a book on a Century of Chinese Relations with Africa to be published next year by the University of Pennsylvania Press. He has a PhD in political science from George Washington University.
	Tunde Onitiri IFC Mr. Onitiri is the IFC Country Manager for Angola and Mozambique. He is also responsible for IFC Africa Department’s China-Africa related activities. He has over 20 years of transaction experience in private equity, project finance, and corporate finance with institutions including Emerging Markets Partnership, InterGen, and Sanwa Bank. Mr. Onitiri holds an MBA from the Wharton School, an MA in International Studies (major in East Asia/Japanese) from the Lauder Institute, an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University, and a B.A. in Engineering Science and Economics from Oxford University. Mr. Onitiri also studied in Japan as a Japanese Government Scholar.
	The Next Generation: Providing Resources for Africa’s SMEs
	Andreas Zeller Open Capital Advisors Andreas brings professional experience in entrepreneurship, investment banking and emerging market private equity. He began his career at a start-up technology venture then entered investment banking, spending time at Citigroup in New York and London, then at Credit Suisse in New York. During this period, Andreas advised clients in the technology sector on equity, debt and mezzanine capital raisings, and mergers and acquisitions. Andreas left Credit Suisse to join the infrastructure investment team at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), first as term staff in Washington, then as a consultant in Nairobi. Andreas left IFC in 2010 to found Open Capital Advisors, a financial intermediary focused on investments in innovative SMEs in East Africa. From its headquarters in Nairobi, Open Capital serves SMEs across East Africa and investors in North America, Europe and Africa.
	Eme Essien International Finance Corporation Eme Essien Lore joined the International Finance Corporation after completing her graduate studies in 1999. She is currently Manager of SME Initiatives, Africa. In this capacity, she oversees several in-country programs delivering technical assistance to SMEs and investment fund managers targeting small businesses. She relocated to the Africa region, first Nairobi then Dakar, in 2005 after spending several years at IFC headquarters in Washington DC in the Oil Gas Mining and Chemicals Department. Eme holds a BA in economics from Columbia University, an MBA from The Wharton School and an MA from The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
	J. Skyler Fernandes South African Chamber of Commerce in America J. Skyler Fernandes is COO of the South African Chamber of Commerce in America (SACCA), leading its global initiatives. In 2010, Mr.Fernandes launched the Missing Middle Initiative, presented at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Mr. Fernandes has worked to develop the African Entrepreneurship Platform, showcased at the Clinton Global Initiative, and SACCA´s MBA Africa Alliance, a network of Africa-focused business clubs at leading graduate schools. Mr. Fernandes currently works in venture capital at Centripetal Capital Partners, investing in high growth businesses. Previously, he worked at Standard Bank, Societe Generale, and at Credit Suisse within the investment banking Financial Institutions Group. Additionally, Mr. Fernandes is on the Social Investment Council of Echoing Green and acts on the Junior Board of the American Museum of Natural History. He received his BA from New York University, summa cum laude, graduating a year early due to studies at Harvard University.
	Nashon Omondi Hospitality Systems Consultants Born 1972 in Kenya Nashon Omondi studied IT and Accounting at Kenya Polytechnic before venturing into business in 1999. He previously worked at leading hotels in Nairobi holding key positions in Accounting and IT. Hospitality Systems Consultants, his business venture evolved from the realization of how dependent African hotels were on European companies for IT solutions. The company became determined to provide these services locally. His company has since grown to 4 companies with a staff compliment of 30 individuals. Hospitality Systems Consultants Ltd provides hotel communication and entertainment solutions; Pinetech Ltd provides hotel management software; Somesha Ltd provides online certificate courses from Cornell University and Otrum South Africa Ltd is their first business incorporated outside Kenya. They plan to incorporate a company in Nigeria in 2011. He is married with two children and an active Rotarian and the Patron of Uhola Primary School and Mchanganyiko Women’s Group.
	Rafique Symonette South African Enterprise Development Fund, South Africa Mr. Symonette in partnership with the former senior management of SAEDF, recently led a privatization process which resulted in the formation of Inflection Capital Partners, the Fund Manager for SAEDF. Formerly, he was the Chief Investments Officer of SAEDF where he provided advisory support to entrepreneurs and sources investment opportunities to provide equity investments and loans in the form of both seed and expansion capital of over US$30 Million. He sits on the Board and Investment Committee of a Private Equity Fund Manager in Botswana and currently holds a number of board seats throughout Southern Africa in the manufacturing, tourism and financial services sectors. Prior to SAEDF he worked at GoodWorks International, as Principal, Enterprise Development, and was responsible for exploring new fund management opportunities in the enterprise and infrastructure development sectors. Mr. Symonette has a Bachelors of Science in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
	African Social Enterprise: Sustainable business models that address the needs of the masses
	Catherine Casey Acumen Fund Catherine Casey is Innovation Manager at Acumen Fund (www.acumenfund.org), a non-profit venture capital fund that invests in companies that provide health, housing, water, energy, and agriculture to the poor in East Africa and South Asia. Catherine is currently leading Acumen Fund’s expansion to West Africa, including raising funding, hiring a local team, and building a pipeline of investment opportunities. Catherine joined Acumen as a 2007-2008 Fellow in Kenya, seconded to the Sustainable Healthcare Foundation, which provides micro-franchise healthcare and drug distribution. She has since led Acumen’s Influence initiatives, including building partnerships with government and leading strategic communications efforts. Prior to Acumen, Catherine worked with social enterprises in Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya. She earned a B.A. with highest honors from Princeton and an MPP from Harvard, where she was a part of the inaugural class of Reynolds Fellows in Social Entrepreneurship.
	Femi Akinde SlimTrader In 2009, Femi resigned his position as Senior Finance Manager at Microsoft to create a company that would apply mobile technology for social impact in his native Africa. Based in Seattle, Washington, SlimTrader, provides local businesses and consumers with a mobile phone service that facilitates effortless transactions. Under Femi’s leadership, SlimTrader has begun operating in four African nations and has had a string of early successes. SlimTrader recently teamed with EarthWise Ferry Service to help reignite the long-dormant yet economically vital waterway transportation system along Lake Victoria and, in turn, strengthen the social fabric of the three countries that border it. Before founding SlimTrader, Femi worked in a variety of high-level positions, including as a Subject Matter Expert for T-Mobile’s mobile data platforms and a Consultant Team Leader for AT&T Wireless. Femi has an MBA from the University of Chicago.
	Alla JezmirEGG Energy Alla Jezmir recently joined the business development team at AES Corporation. Previously, as Principal of the Green Portfolio at Calvert Foundation, she led the organization’s Green Initiative. Alla worked in TechnoServe’s Swaziland and Kenya offices, was a consultant at Reingold and participated in the Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs. She has consulted for the ILO, GreenFuel Technologies, and Masdar. Alla also interned in the CEO’s office of Fabindia, one of India’s emerging retailers, and the Cleantech Group, Investment Banking Division, at Jefferies & Company. She is a founding team member and board director of EGG-energy, an energy distribution company that provides portable, rechargeable batteries to low-income African households and small enterprises lacking access to the power grid. Alla has an MBA from the Harvard Business School, an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and a B.S. in international business and political science from Washington University in St. Louis.
	The “Tele-Connected” Continent: The rapid growth of telecommunications in Africa
	Aaron Aboaagye McKinsey & Co. Aaron Aboagye is an Associate Principal in the New Jersey Office of McKinsey and Company where he focuses mainly on helping High Tech and Telecommunications clients on strategy and operations topics.Prior to joining McKinsey, Aaron was a Senior Systems and Software Design Engineer at Texas Instruments in Houston, TX. In this role, Aaron was the technical lead in the development and commercialization of a number of embedded processors for Telecommunications applications. Aaron holds an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and a B.Eng. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Botswana.
	Albert Kinuma MTN Albert Kinuma is Head of Mobile Money and Village Phone for MTN Rwanda, where he established and developed MTN Village Phone and Mobile Money businesses. Albert set up a distribution network of 6 microfinance institutions and 29 MTN franchise partners for the Village Phone Program and integrated the Village Phone and previous public access products and channels into one channel with one brand – MTN Payphone. On Mobile Money, Albert facilitated the creation of 200 mobile money agents across Rwanda with 200,000 new users and $8 million transacted on the Mobile Money platform in the first seven months following launch. Mr. Kinuma holds a master’s degree in management from Euromed Management (Grandes Ecoles ESC).
	Guy Zibi Africa Next Investment Research Guy is a Founder and Managing Director with AfricaNext Investment Research, an Investment Research and Advisory firm focused on African telecoms, media and technology markets. In his position at AfricaNext Research, Guy oversees the company’s research practice and drives the development of the company’s views; he also acts as the Lead Analyst for due diligence projects in Africa on the buy and lending sides, with a focus on the operations of mobile, Internet/data retail and wholesale services providers. Prior to his position with AfricaNext Research, Guy was Director of Pyramid Research’s Communications Media and Technology (CMT) practice; a Director of the Pyramid’s EMEA research practice, and an Africa analyst with the Economist Intelligence Unit.
	Ashley Bendell Exotix Ashley Bendell Ieads Sub Saharan Equities at Exotix – www.exotix.co.uk – in the USA, a leading (London based) frontier emerging market investment banking boutique. His clients include mutual, hedge and private equity funds based in the USA and Africa, whilst he maintains strong relationships with local investment centers, stock brokers as well as senior company management across Africa. He is a regular contributor to Reuters & Bloomberg news service, as well as Fortune magazine and has appeared on CNBC with Erin Burnett. Ashley graduated from Edinburgh University and shortly after completed a Masters in Investment Analysis (MSc) from Stirling University, Scotland. He started his career at Credit Suisse, London within the Prime Brokerage Sales department and was later transferred to the New York office to expand the firm’s Emerging Europe, Middle East and African (EEMEA) Equity sales force.
	Jinmi Sonuga MainOne Cable An entrepreneur and a progressive business and technology expert, Jinmi has over 10 years of experience in the TMT sector and a background in systems engineering. Jinmi has over the years met new challenges and pioneered life changing opportunities with great passion, dedication and foresight. A perfect example of this is his most recent endeavor as Lead Project Manager on the Main One Cable Project, which has made waves in West Africa. Jinmi also runs a consultancy focusing on businesses that wish to enter the very aggressive African market, and succeed. Prior to this, Jinmi worked for British conglomerates – Vodafone UK and British Sky Broadcasting Corporation.
	Beyond Natural Resources: The future of knowledge-based industries in Africa
	Ndubuisi EkekweFirst Atlantic Semiconductors & Microelectronics Ndubuisi Ekekwe is the founder of First Atlantic Semiconductors & Microelectronics Ltd. He holds two doctoral and four master’s degrees including a PhD in electrical & computer engineering from the Johns Hopkins University, USA and MBA from University of Calabar. He graduated as class best student from Federal University of Technology, Owerri, in 1998, and spent years in Diamond Bank Lagos. An Adjunct Professor of engineering, Babcock University (Nigeria), Ndubuisi works in the US semiconductor industry. He has authored three books, filed patents and received more than 15 fellowships. Last year, the Nigerian government nominated him to the World Bank–Nigeria STEPB International Advisory Board. He visited 23 universities, 42 SMEs and 7 government agencies in Africa in his efforts to accelerate the pace of technology diffusion. Prof Ekekwe, Chair of IEEE Boston Gold ExCom, blogs weekly at Harvard Business Review, and mentors many African technical students.
	Adefolu Majekodunmi Microsoft, West & Central Africa Adefolu joined Microsoft in 2005 following a MBA at INSEAD. He began his Microsoft career as the Financial Services Industry (FSI) Manager for West East and Central Africa. In that role, he led a team that achieved the highest FSI growth of 9 Microsoft subsidiaries in the Middle East and African region. In July 2007, he was promoted to head Enterprise Sales within the Anglophone West African region, where he doubled the team and grew revenues by an average of 40% per year over 2 years. He subsequently rose to become the Business & Marketing Director in 2009. In this position, Adefolu is responsible for business management, marketing execution and team orchestration across Microsoft’s operations in Anglophone West Africa. Prior to working at Microsoft, Adefolu was the West African Territory Manager at Misys Plc, a global financial software company based in London, UK. He was also the head of investment sales at Denham Management, an investment management firm, based in Lagos, Nigeria. He worked at Misys for 5 years and at Denham for 2 years. Adefolu studied for his MBA at INSEAD’s campuses in France and Singapore. He was a winner of the INSEAD Louis Franck International Business Scholarship and INSEAD Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Scholarship. He obtained a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Liverpool, UK in 1997.
	Evelyn Lewis SBTS Group Evelyn Lewis is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of SBTS Group, an ICT consulting firm. SBTS Group currently has representation in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Washington D.C, USA and Pune, India. SBTS Group was recently featured in a Financial Times Publication, This is Africa. Evelyn was responsible for implementing the first commercial e-learning solution in Sierra Leone, online jobs portal, and Biometric Registration Solution. Prior to founding SBTS Group, Evelyn was VP of Sales and Marketing at Computer Consultants Corporation (CCC). Evelyn was responsible for team development and client relationships for the training and consulting business streams with an overall responsibility stretching thousands of clients including DOD, World Bank, and SHRM among others. Evelyn completed a B.A. in Integrative Studies with a concentration in International Relations and a focus on Technology & Law from George Mason University. He speaks fair Spanish, French and perfect Krio.
	Careers in Africa: From Diaspora to the Continent – Making the Transition
	Edward Stokes Intrepid HR Edward is the founder and Managing Director of Intrepid HR www.intrepidhr.co.za , a pan African focused HR and Recruitment firm. Following a career in Finance, both in South Africa and the UK, Edward joined Hays Plc (FTSE 250) a global recruitment firm headquartered out of London and has for the last 20 years serviced both multinationals and entrepreneurs worldwide source and develop talent and leadership for their businesses. He initially established Hays Executive in South Africa in 1996, thereafter in 2005, through an MBO, founded Intrepid HR in partnership with Hays Plc to focus exclusively on developing a pan African recruitment business. Intrepid HR specialises in sourcing talent and leadership across Africa for Investment Banking, Private Equity, Fund Management, Strategy Consultancy and Strategic roles in Industry. Our clients are based across Africa and include the leading global investment banks and financial institutions, high growth Africa businesses and entrepreneurs.
	Adefolu Majekodunmi Business Marketing Manager, Microsoft, West & Central Africa Adefolu joined Microsoft in 2005 following a MBA at INSEAD. He began his Microsoft career as the Financial Services Industry (FSI) Manager for West East and Central Africa. In that role, he led a team that achieved the highest FSI growth of 9 Microsoft subsidiaries in the Middle East and African region. In July 2007, he was promoted to head Enterprise Sales within the Anglophone West African region, where he doubled the team and grew revenues by an average of 40% per year over 2 years. He subsequently rose to become the Business & Marketing Director in 2009. In this position, Adefolu is responsible for business management, marketing execution and team orchestration across Microsoft’s operations in Anglophone West Africa. Prior to working at Microsoft, Adefolu was the West African Territory Manager at Misys Plc, a global financial software company based in London, UK. He was also the head of investment sales at Denham Management, an investment management firm, based in Lagos, Nigeria. He worked at Misys for 5 years and at Denham for 2 years.  Adefolu studied for his MBA at INSEAD’s campuses in France and Singapore. He was a winner of the INSEAD Louis Franck International Business Scholarship and INSEAD Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Scholarship. He obtained a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Liverpool, UK in 1997.
	Chika Nwobi Managing Partner, Level 5 Lab Chika is Managing Partner of Level 5 Lab (L5Lab), Nigeria’s first mobile/internet-focused business incubator. He is also Chairman of Jobberman, an L5Lab portfolio company focused on online recruitment and career development services. Before L5Lab, Chika had moved back to Nigeria in 2001 from USA to start MTech , a mobile content company, which he led over 8years to become the leading mobile content company in Africa with operations in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Ivory Coast.Chika is currently in the Dual Executive MBA program of Insead University and Tsinghua University, Beijing. He graduated as an Honors scholar from East Tennessee State University in USA in 2000 with a BA in Economics and a B.Sc. in Computer Science.Chika was part of the Nigeria 2025 Scenarios Team and was a nominee for the Future Awards Entrepreneur of the Year and Young Person of The Year, 2007. He has served as a Mentor for Fate Foundation Aspiring Entrepreneurs Program and has spoken at several youth empowerment events including GOTNII, OAU IFE and The Future Summit. He has also been an invited speaker twice at the GSM Africa conference in Cape Town, South Africa and has consulted for both Ford Foundation (mobile-based microfinance management systems) and IFC (World Bank).
	Wharton Lauder Institute Research
	Jeremiah Marble The Wharton School Jeremiah Marble is a second-year student at Wharton, pursuing an MBA and an MA in International Studies. Prior to Wharton, Jeremiah worked for the United Nations in Africa and Asia, was a Fulbright Scholar to Costa Rica, served as Director of Operations for a social enterprise in Cambodia and Laos, and worked in the Dominican Republic with the Peace Corps. He graduated from Columbia University. Jeremiah speaks English, Spanish, and French.
	Brandon Stuut The Wharton School Brandon Stuut is a second-year student at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where he is pursuing an MBA and an MA in International Studies. Prior to Wharton, Brandon was CEO and Co-Founder of Hibox Technology, a software company specializing in office lobby management solutions. Before his work at Hibox, Brandon served as Director of IT and Software Development at Lunsford Group, a private diversified holding company in Irvine, CA where he led the development of an extensive operations and content management platform for a new online media startup. Brandon is an inventor on one U.S. patent and one pending U.S. patent and holds a B.S. in Information and Computer Science from the University of California, Irvine. Brandon speaks English and Spanish.
	Nicholas Reise The Wharton School Nicholas is a second-year student at Wharton’s Lauder Institute, where he is pursuing a joint MBA/MA focused on Latin America and Portuguese language. After receiving Georgetown University’s African Studies Fellowship, he spent three months studying Swahili at the University of Dar es Salaam. Nicholas worked for three years at Citi structuring debt instruments for Latin American companies, then spent a year in Brazil helping to roll out a new corporate finance team. This summer, he traveled to Liberia, Ethiopia, and Angola to perform Lauder Institute research on foreign investment in Africa, then interned at Brazilian venture capital firm DFJ-FIR. Nicholas speaks fluent Portuguese and Spanish, and dabbles in Swahili.
	Kendall Combs The Wharton School Driven by a profound interest in cross-cultural communication, Kendall Combs has spent the majority of his adult life in emerging markets. During his six years of life in China, he focused on the development of tertiary cities via infrastructure, real estate and manufacturing while working for a Swedish founded private equity fund. Currently, he is a dual degree candidate for MBA at Wharton and Masters of International Studies at the Joseph H. Lauder Institute. Kendall was originally drawn to Africa due to the influx of Chinese investment, but more recently has become captivated by the entrepreneurial spirit of the continent and its people.