Archives: Speakers

Richard currently serves as the Head of Private Equity Africa at Zurich headquartered impact investor BlueOrchard Finance. He was previously part of the investment team at Ethos Private Equity and started out his career in actuarial counsulting in the United Kingdom and South Africa,

“Lok is a highly accomplished banking executive with extensive international experience across retail, corporate and investment banking, spanning several decades in leadership roles both in emerging and developed markets. Lok has a strong track record in building and leading regulated banking business in the UK and Europe, having served as Managing Director and Chief Executive… Read more »

“Hon. Isaac Taggart Jr. serves as the Special Envoy for U.S. Trade & Investment for the Republic of Liberia, where he works to strengthen trade relationships, mobilize foreign direct investment, and advance strategic partnerships between Liberia, the United States, and global markets. In this role, he engages with governments, international development institutions, and private-sector investors… Read more »

“Maite is Managing Director and Head of Sustainable Investment at Lendable, driving the firm’s clean energy and climate finance strategy across emerging markets. With 25+ years of experience in clean energy, carbon markets and climate-aligned finance, she has structured complex and innovative transactions across renewables, distributed energy, e-mobility and clean cooking in Africa, Latin America… Read more »

“Thabang is a seasoned executive leader and built environment specialist with over 20 years of experience driving strategic growth, governance excellence and multidisciplinary project delivery across the infrastructure sector. He is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Pro-Serve Consulting (Pty) Ltd, a dynamic and growing consulting firm delivering Construction Project Management, Quantity Surveying, Construction… Read more »

Maya is a Senior Investment Officer at Calvert Impact, a US-based investment firm that supports fund managers and financial intermediaries globally that are championing credit strategies in their local markets. Maya has 10 years of principal investing experience beginning her career in small-cap private equity and segueing into private credit. Before joining Calvert, Maya worked… Read more »

Désiré Kodzo Dzilan is an investment professional committed to the growth of entrepreneurial capital in Africa. As an Investment Manager at WIC Gestion, the management company of WIC Capital, he has been supporting businesses led by women and young people since 2019, convinced that access to financing is a major lever for economic transformation. Before… Read more »

I am a serial entrepreneur with over a decade’s experience track record of delivering scale within large corporates (Stanbic IBTC Asset Management and Bank) and the digital technology sectors (Proville, Aptive Capital, One Kiosk and Trade Lenda). An MBA degree holder from the University of Exeter, United Kingdom, an Access to Finance (A2F) conference speaker,… Read more »

Michel is a General Partner at Reflect Ventures, a VC firm that invests in companies digitizing the backbone of emerging market economies. He invests in early-stage B2B and B2B2C startups—specifically in logistics, supply chain, and fintech “rails”—across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Michel has over 25 years of experience in emerging markets as a… Read more »

Felix has over 10 years of experience in finance, business management, and investment strategy making him a strategic leader in financial management. Holding an MBA and being CIMA-certified (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants), He has successfully managed complex financial challenges. Besides his strong financial expertise, Felix is also a recognized entrepreneur, managing a company valued… Read more »