Monali Shah Board Advisor,Pixis (Nigeria)
Monali Shah is a Global Brand & Marketing Communications professional with over 22 years of experience in various industries including FMCG, Telecommunications, Banking, Advertising, Communications, Media and Entertainment. She has a motto of hiring people bigger and better than herself and has a proven track record of building high-performing and highly engaged teams through great team culture. Monali was named as one of the Global 100 Under 40 Most Influential People of African Descent in 2020 and in 2021 she was honoured as part of the top 50 Leading African Corporate Women.
Monali is passionate about Creativity, Culture, Entertainment & Tech and using it to transform businesses and people’s lives. She has had an experience-led career, starting in the entertainment industry and graduating to the advertising and marketing world, which has made her an avid learner and teacher at heart. With a left and right brain, Monali is able to bring together curiosity, creativity, entrepreneurial mindset and analytical skills to ensure everything she does leads to better value for consumers and business results for the company.
She is multi-lingual and has lived and worked in a fast-paced multi-country environment for most of her career, which has made her adaptable and versatile. She is also a Cherie Blair Foundation Ambassador
Temitope Iluyemi Senior Director,Procter & Gamble (Nigeria)
Temitope Iluyemi is a versatile and visionary business leader with over 20 years of experience in Sales, Business Development, Market Strategy, Supply Chain Operations, External Relations, and Government Relations across several African countries and the USA. She has a strong focus on corporate governance and a wholistic and credible track record of leadership roles.
Temitope is a result-driven leader who is adept at building and developing great teams in strategic alignment with organizational goals. She has developed new businesses for multinationals and expanded their reach into new markets while building strategic relationships with key stakeholders to promote a competitive and enabling environment for such businesses.
Passionate about developing leaders and creating a well-aligned and inclusive work culture, Temitope advocates for gender parity, diversity, and inclusion within and outside her immediate sphere of influence. Her Government Relations role was expanded to include Northwest Africa after her assignment in Washington D.C and today spans across 54 countries in Africa. As the Government Relations Senior Director, she is responsible for improving P&G’s investment viability across the region, advocating for policy reforms that enable business operations, deepening Africa’s integration, building P&G’s reputation across the countries they operate in, and supporting company communications.
Temitope is a member of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria and sits on the Board of Directors for P&G Nigeria. She also serves as an advisory board member for Montserrado Holdings BV, AGOA Civil Society Organisation in Washington D.C (2015-2019), and Chairs the Taskforce on Trade Facilitation at the US Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, she is a member of the Trade Commission of the NESG.
Believing that there is no substitute for excellence, Temitope Iluyemi is genuine and treats others as she would like to be treated. She encourages people to chart their own path, carve out their destiny, and not be bystanders on issues that affect them
Yolanda Cuba Group Regional Vice President Southern & East Africa, MTN Group (South Africa)
Yolanda Cuba is a Senior Executive with extensive experience in various industries such as FMCG, Telecoms, and Diversified Services. She has a strong background in Operational Management, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Global Strategy, and Private Equity. Yolanda has also served as a non-executive director for a range of listed and unlisted companies for over 20 years. She is a Chartered Accountant and holds a Masters in Commerce with a focus on Financial Management from the University of Pretoria. With her proven track record, Yolanda is considered a strong operations professional in her field. In 2022, she was recognised as one of the LinkedIn Top Voices for Africa
Angela Kyerematen-Jimoh Strategic Partnerships and Multinational Corporations Lead Africa Microsoft (Morocco)
Angela is the Strategic Partnerships Lead for the African Continent for Microsoft’s newly formed Africa Transformation Office. Prior to taking up this role she spent 10 years with IBM in different roles. She was the Executive Director/Regional Head for IBM North, East and West Africa. She was the first woman and the first African to serve the role, and an inspiring thought leader in the technology space for the continent. She led the organization’s business and strategy, enabling clients to grow and transform, and has been a key player in advancing IBM’s Hybrid Cloud and AI momentum across 35 countries in Africa.
She has over 20 years of experience in sales and marketing across the financial services and technology industry, balanced between global and local stints. Prior to joining IBM, she worked for UBS Investment Bank and ABN AMRO in the UK. She was also Head of Consumer Banking for GT Bank Ghana and Head of Prestige Banking for UBA Bank Ghana. Since joining IBM Ghana in 2011, she has worked across various business units in East and West Africa and served a global role for IBM in the United States of America. In 2015, she became the first female Country Manager for IBM in Africa, a role that saw her broker some of the largest deals in East and West Africa.
Angela continues to be recognized as a strong advocate of ‘women supporting women’ among her peers and is an avid mentor for women in the corporate sector. She is also a philanthropist at heart, supporting the development of the lesser privileged in rural Ghana. She is a recipient of the US African Women Forum’s Global Impact Leadership Award, African Achievers Awards for Excellence in Business and is also ranked as one of Africa’s most influential women by Avance Media. Angela has served on many boards and is currently a board member of the Central Bank of Ghana.
She is a proud mother to two boys and an Alumna of the Harvard Business School.
FATOUMATA DORO Managing Director Vlisco, (Ghana)
Fatoumata Doro is a seasoned professional with vast experience in the Fast-moving consumer goods industry, having worked in Dubai, Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal. Her portfolio includes managing multi-brands across different continents. She holds a master’s degree in Mathematics and Statistics, and possesses a strong business acumen, with expertise in sales and brand-building management. A visionary leader, Fatoumata excels in business transformation.
ELIZABETH WATHUTI Head of Campaigns and Daima Consortium Coordinator, Wangari Maathai Foundation (Kenya)
Elizabeth Wathuti is an environment and climate activist, a full member of The Greenbelt Movement and the Head of Campaigns and Daima Consortium Coordinator,Wangari Maathai Foundation. Elizabeth is a recipient of the Wangari Maathai scholarship award and has been recognized as a Green Climate Fund Climate youth champion. She was also a regional finalist for Africa for the UN Young Champions of the Earth 2019. In addition, she serves as a board member of Elephant Neighbour’s Center and is a youth council member of International Reserva, the youth land trust.
ANNA EKELEDO Executive Director at AfriLabs Foundation (Nigeria)
Anna Ekeledo serves as the Executive Director of AfriLabs, a network organization comprising of 400 Technology and Innovation Hubs across 52 African countries. In her leadership role, Ekeledo is committed to realizing AfriLabs’ vision of “an innovation-driven economy in Africa, driven by the power of our community.”
Ekeledo’s primary focus at AfriLabs is on leading a diverse team across Africa and collaborating with various stakeholders to support innovation hubs and their communities in building successful innovators and entrepreneurs. She firmly believes that by doing so, it will stimulate economic growth and social development in Africa and foster the African digital, innovation, and entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Ekeledo is passionate about leveraging technology to create social and economic opportunities that promote social impact and inclusion for all. She also has a strong interest in driving enabling policies and implementing strategies that will lead to the digital transformation of African nations.
CAREN WAKOLI Interim Executive Director, Emerging Public Leaders (Kenya)
Caren Wakoli is a certified leadership coach, transformational leadership trainer, and a certified 7-Habits of Highly Effective People trainer. She is passionate about mentoring young women and men to reach their full potential in life. As the Interim Executive Director of Emerging Public Leaders, she manages the global EPL team and works with their in-country partners and board of directors to support EPL’s network of fellows in Liberia, Ghana and Kenya and grow the organization’s impact on governance and public service delivery in Africa.
Caren has over 17 years of experience in youth empowerment work across Africa and has participated in various policy formulation and implementation processes both locally and internationally. Her dedication to youth and women empowerment, democracy, and good governance has earned her several accolades, including being recognized by the 44th President of the United States of America, President Barack Obama, for her work in promoting dignity and ending poverty through raising youth leaders as positive agents of change in society.
Caren was profiled by the East African Standard Newspaper as one of the most influential women in East Africa in 2017. She also serves on various boards where she advocates for youth voice and effective representation. She holds a Master’s degree in International Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Sociology, both from the University of Nairobi.
CHIDO CLEOPATRA MPEMBA Special Envoy on Youth, African Union Chairperson & Cabinet (South Africa)
Chido Mpemba is the African Union Special Envoy on Youth and holds the distinction of being the Youngest Diplomat in the African Union Chairperson’s Cabinet. Her role is to represent the voices of over 870 million young people in the 55 countries and governments in Africa, focusing on youth affairs. Ms. Mpemba’s outstanding work has earned her recognition as one of the 100 Most Influential African Women and Top 100 Under 40 Most Influential People of African Descent by CNN New York. She is a Pan-African youth advocate and a public policy expert who has worked with various institutions to coordinate activities focused on social equity and policy advocacy in areas such as education, climate change, and public health. She is also an advocate for the ratification of the AU Youth Charter and the promotion of the continental framework on Youth, Peace & Security in Africa.
Mpemba is an alumna of the Emerging Security Sector Leaders (ESSL) Program from the Africa Center of Strategic Studies, National Defense University, U.S Department of Defense. She is also a Global Leadership Council (GLC) Member of the Generation Unlimited and a Leadership Council Member for AFRICA Reach. Mpemba is a Climate Reality Leader and a Mandela Washington Fellow Alumni. She holds an MBA Degree and has strong private sector experience, having started her career as an International Banker for 7 years before becoming a diplomat.
Jemimah Jatau Consultant – Gender and Social Inclusion Consultant USAID | Power Africa Nigeria Power Sector Program (Nigeria)
Jemimah Jatau has a decade of experience in strategic communications, partnerships development, government liaison, equity and inclusion, and community development, spanning both the private and public sectors. She has a proven track record of leading and collaborating with senior teams across various industries, including education, health, entrepreneurship, and governance, to achieve results even in challenging environments.
Jemimah’s expertise lies in public administration, inter-governmental relations, development, and corporate communications, with a keen eye for business development. She is also skilled in feature, article, and copywriting, as well as presentation and public discourse.
YAWA HANSEN-QUAO Director,Ashesi University (Ghana)
For over a decade, Yawa Hansen-Quao has worked to unlock opportunities for women and youth in Africa. In May 2012, at the World Economic Forum on Africa, Yawa was recognized as one of Africa’s Rising Leaders and in 2016 was awarded an Eisenhower Fellowship in honor of her pioneering work nurturing emerging women leaders.
From July 2018 to June 2022, Yawa served as Executive Director for Emerging Public Leaders—an international nonprofit committed to driving Africa’s development by creating a new generation of public servants committed to social impact.. During her tenure, Yawa led EPL’s expansion across West and East Africa while catalyzing $16million USD in support of the organization’s pan-African expansion plans.
In addition to being a founder, speaker, and author, Yawa served for three years on the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Foundation board; and is currently a Director of Ashesi University; a leading liberal arts university in Ghana. She previously served as a leadership consultant to UN Women helping to develop leadership curricula to enhance the capacity of women leaders in East and Southern Africa. Additionally, Yawa served for two years as a member of the Advisory Board of the Women’s Institute for Global Leadership at Benedictine University.
Abena Osei-Poku Managing Director, Absa Bank Ghana Limited (Ghana)
Abena Osei-Poku is an accomplished corporate leader who has made a significant impact in her career through her expertise in risk management, governance, strategy, client coverage, business, and change management. She has an impressive track record of serving on multiple boards across diverse sectors, including telecommunications, banking, and commerce.
Abena is a council member of both the Ghana Association of Bankers and the National Banking College. Her fluency in English, coupled with a working knowledge of French, has undoubtedly contributed to her success as a versatile leader.
