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If you would like to attend, please ensure you have completed the RSVP form on this page by Monday, October 27, at the latest.
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Sir Mark Thompson is Chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide where he oversees all aspects of the business in the U.S. and around the world. He also serves as the editor-in-chief of CNN.
Sir Mark stepped down as President and CEO of The New York Times Company in the summer of 2020 after an eight-year tenure during which he led the transformation of the 170-year-old news brand into a digital powerhouse.
Sir Mark’s appointment at The New York Times Company followed an eight-year term as Director General (Editor-in-Chief and Chief Executive) of the BBC. As well as guiding the BBC’s coverage of the global financial crisis and the 2012 London Olympic Games, he is credited with major advances in the BBC’s digital offering and digital audience reach, including the successful launch of the BBC’s iPlayer, one of the world’s first streaming services from a major broadcaster (2007).
He joined the BBC from Channel 4 where he was Chief Executive from 2002 to 2004. Before Channel 4 he held a series of senior posts at the BBC including Editor of The Nine O’clock News and Panorama, Controller of BBC Two and Director of Television.
Christiane Amanpour is CNN’s chief international anchor, host of the network’s flagship global affairs program Amanpour which airs weekdays on CNN International and on PBS in the United States. She is also host of the Saturday show The Amanpour Hour.
Amanpour’s fearless and uncompromising reporting from warzones and sites of natural disasters around the world over the past four decades has made her one of the most recognizable and iconic journalists in the world.
Throughout her time at CNN, she has secured countless exclusive and hard-to-get interviews with the global leaders, newsmakers and cultural icons shaping our world.
Amanpour has earned every major television journalism award including 16 News and Documentary Emmy Awards, four Peabody Awards, two George Polk Awards, three duPont-Columbia Awards and the IWMF’s Courage in Journalism Award. She has received nine honorary degrees, has been named a CBE and was inducted into the Cable Hall of Fame. In 2023, she was honored with the Columbia Journalism Award, the highest award bestowed by Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism, and with the President’s Award from the Overseas Press Club.
Richard Quest is CNN’s foremost international business correspondent and anchor of Quest Means Business, the definitive word on how we earn and spend our money.
Quest also serves as CNN Business editor-at-large, and is the network’s established airline and aviation correspondent, having interviewed all of the major airline executives.
Additionally, Quest is the host of CNN International’s signature monthly feature program Quest’s World of Wonder, an immersive travel series that finds him exploring a new destination each month and meeting fascinating people who reveal the heart of that city.
Quest’s dynamic and distinctive style has made him a unique figure in the field of business broadcasting. He has regularly reported from G20 meetings and attends the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland each year. Quest has covered every major stock market and financial crisis since Black Monday in 1987 and has reported from key financial centers globally including Wall Street, London, Sao Paolo, Tokyo and Hong Kong.
Jim Sciutto is CNN’s chief national security analyst and anchor of The Brief with Jim Sciutto, which airs weekdays at 6pmET on CNN International and CNN Max.
Sciutto reports and provides analysis on all aspects of U.S. national security including foreign policy, the military, intelligence community and the State Department.
Throughout his career, he has reported from more than 50 countries across the globe including dozens of assignments from inside Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran, as well as multiple assignments in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Sciutto is the author of four books, including the New York Times Bestseller, The Return of Great Powers: Russia, China and the Next World War, published in 2024 by Dutton Books, which examines the breakdown of a decades-old international order among the world’s strongest powers.
Among the honors Sciutto’s work has earned are the duPont-Colombia Award, Emmy Awards, the Edward R. Murrow Award, the George Polk Award and the White House Correspondence Association’s Merriman Smith Award for excellence in presidential coverage.
Sciutto has also served as chief of staff and senior advisor to the U.S. Ambassador to China, Gary Locke.
Zain Asher is an anchor for CNN International based in New York. She anchors One World with Zain Asher and Bianna Golodryga weekdays on CNN International.
Asher also hosts Marketplace Africa, CNN International’s weekly business show about the continent and its place within global markets, and often interviews CEOs and world leaders from the region for the program.
Asher has anchored major breaking news and business stories for CNN including the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the war in Ukraine, the Covid-19 pandemic, the US-China trade war, the August 2020 explosion in Beirut, anti-police violence protests in Nigeria, racial and economic inequality in America, the deaths of both Fidel Castro and boxing legend Muhammad Ali and the 2013 terrorist attack at the Boston Marathon.
In 2014 Asher was a part of a CNN team sent to Nigeria to report on the kidnapping of hundreds of schoolgirls by Boko Haram militants in Chibok, Nigeria. CNN’s coverage of the horrific abduction was recognized with a prestigious 2014 Peabody Award.
Asher previously served as a CNN business correspondent covering the stock market from the New York Stock Exchange, U.S. Federal Reserve monetary policy and high-profile IPOs.
Larry Madowo is an international correspondent for CNN based in Nairobi. He is also the host of African Voices Changemakers, a long-running CNN series which profiles outstanding individuals from across the continent.
Since joining the network in 2021, Madowo has covered some of the biggest stories from around the globe and brought in a unique perspective from his region, delivering insight into the political, economic and cultural influences of the African continent to CNN’s global audience.
Madowo has reported extensively on the Tigray conflict in northern Ethiopia, historic flooding in Nigeria, the 2022 Kenyan elections, coronavirus vaccine inequality, the plight of migrant workers at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, and reported from the World Economic Forum in Davos. He has also anchored news shows from Atlanta, broadcast from Expo 2020 in Dubai and reported from CNN’s Paris, London, and Johannesburg bureaus. He has interviewed presidents and prime ministers from across the continent including the leaders of Sudan, Sierra Leone, Zambia, Kenya, and Malawi.
Madowo also believes in regularly engaging with his viewers online, and makes social media an integral part of his reporting. He has a digital audience of more than 5 million followers on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Olugbenga ‘GB’ Agboola is the Founder and CEO of Flutterwave, Africa’s leading payments technology company.
A serial entrepreneur with two exits under his belt, GB has two decades of experience in building scalable financial technology solutions. GB has been instrumental in leading the development of Fintech solutions for several organizations and financial institutions such as PayPal, Standard Bank, and Google, among others. His last Fintech venture focused on easy Alternative Payment Methods and was acquired by a top bank in Nigeria.
GB's well-rounded background includes the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Wharton School of Management, and the University of Westminster. He has been named African Leadership Magazine's Young Business Leader of the Year (2020). GB has been recognized for his achievements in leadership and innovation by Fortune Magazine's prestigious 40 under 40 list and Time Magazine’s 2021 Next 100 list, respectively.
As NBA Africa CEO, Clare Akamanzi oversees the NBA’s business and basketball development efforts in Africa and is responsible for continuing to grow the popularity of basketball, the NBA and the Basketball Africa League (BAL) across the continent, including through grassroots basketball development, media distribution, corporate partnerships, and social responsibility initiatives that improve the livelihoods of African youth and families.
Prior to joining NBA Africa in Jan. 2024, Akamanzi spent six and a half years as CEO of Rwanda Development Board (RDB), where she spearheaded Rwanda’s economic development by enabling private sector growth.
Akamanzi has worked or studied in seven different countries and holds an honorary LLD from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. She earned a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, where she was the recipient of three prestigious awards for academic excellence and distinguished contribution to the community: the Lucius N. Littauer Fellows Award, the Raymond & Josephine Vernon Award and the Robert Kennedy Public Service Award.
In addition, Akamanzi holds a Master of Laws degree in international trade and investments from the University of Pretoria in South Africa, and a Bachelor of Laws degree from Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. She was recognized by Forbes as one of Africa’s Top 50 Powerful Women in 2020.
Nadia Calviño is the President of the European Investment Bank Group since January 1st, 2024. She served as First Vice President of Spain and Minister for Economy and Digitalization (2018-2023), and as Chair of the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) of the IMF (2022-2023).
Before joining the Spanish government, Mrs. Calviño had a 12-year tenure at the European Commission as Deputy Director General for Competition, Deputy Director General for Financial Services, and Director General for the EU Budget.
She holds degrees in Economics (1991) and Law (2001).
Mrs. Cristina Duarte has been the United Nations Special Adviser on Africa and Under-Secretary-General of OSAA since 1 August 2020. She is the strategic adviser to the Secretary-General on African Affairs.
Prior to joining the UN, Mrs. Duarte served as Cape Verde’s Minister of Finance and Planning for 10 years. She has also served as Director of a World Bank reform program and Vice President of Citibank giving her a valuable exposure on the functioning of international finance systems. When Mrs. Duarte left Government in 2016, she was invited to governance and advisory positions in various international and regional organizations; namely, Member of the United Nations Committee of Experts on Public Administration, Member of the United Nations High-Level Advisory Board on Economic and Social Affairs, a Member of President Paul Kagame’s Advisory Committee on African Union Reforms, a Member of the Board of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and a Member of the Board of the Institute of African Leadership for Sustainable Development (UONGOZI Institute). Mrs. Duarte is committed to public service.
Cristina holds a master’s in international management from Thunderbird School of Global Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policies from the Instituto Superior de Economia in Lisbon.
Dr. Elouafi is a global science pioneer in research to tackle today’s complex agricultural challenges. She has held major scientific leadership positions, including Chief Scientist at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, Director General at the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), and Senior Adviser in Canada’s Agriculture and Agri-Food Research Branch.
As CGIAR’s leader, she is widely recognized for advancing global food and nutritional security by transforming how we increase food production while protecting the environment. An advocate for agricultural diversification, she champions underutilized crops like legumes and pulses, leads groundbreaking research on using non-fresh water in farming and salinity resistance in crops, and is celebrated as a strong voice for women in science.
Ismahane’s honors include the TIME100 list, the Jean Mayer Prize for Excellence in Nutrition Science and Policy, Morocco’s National Reward Medal, and Forbes Afrique’s Top 50 Most Inspiring Women.
Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild is Founder and CEO of the Council for Inclusive Capitalism, a global not-for-profit organization which develops groundbreaking initiatives with global CEOs and distinguished leaders in government and civil society to catalyze actions that transform capitalism and make our economies and societies more inclusive, dynamic, sustainable, and trusted.
Lady de Rothschild is also the Chief Executive of E.L. Rothschild LLC, a family office with interests in private companies, public markets and real estate. She is a member of the Board of Directors and Nominating & ESG Committee of The Estee Lauder Companies, and previously served on the boards of The Economist Group, Gulfstream, General Instruments, Bronfman-Rothschild and Weather Central.
As part of her charity work, she serves on advisory board of Focusing Capital on the Long Term (FCLTGlobal), as a trustee of the McCain Institute for International Leadership and the Eranda Rothschild Foundation (a de Rothschild family foundation), and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and Chatham House.
Lady de Rothschild graduated magna cum laude and beta kappa from Pomona College in Claremont, California and from Columbia University School of Law.
Dr Mo Ibrahim is the Founder and Chair of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, which he established in 2006 to support good governance and exceptional leadership on the African continent.
Sudanese-born, Dr Ibrahim has a distinguished business career. In 1989 he founded Mobile Systems International (MSI), a world leading cellular consulting and software provider, and in 1998, Celtel International, one of Africa’s leading mobile telephone companies which pioneered mobile services in Africa.
Dr Ibrahim is also Founding Chairman of Satya Capital Limited, a private investment firm primarily focussed on Africa, and the Co-founder and Co-chair of the Africa Europe Foundation, which was launched in 2020 to reset and bolster Africa-Europe relations.
H.E. Hon. Sakaja Arthur Johnson, 40, is the Governor of Nairobi City County, elected in August 2022. In his first two and a half years, he has prioritised restoring Nairobi’s stature as the “Green City under the Sun” by promoting Order, Dignity, Hope, and Opportunity for all.
He has rolled out various initiatives including the school feeding program Dishi na County, feeding over 300,000 pupils daily; digitized revenue systems; and improved healthcare across the county among other projects.
Governor Sakaja serves as Chair of the HR, Labour & Social Welfare Committee in the Council of Governors and is a Vice Chair of the C40 Cities Steering Committee, representing Africa on global climate action.
A former Nairobi Senator and MP, he has authored key legislation, championed youth empowerment, and remains focused on making Nairobi efficient, inclusive, and liveable.
Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka is Founder and CEO of Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH), an award-winning NGO and non-profit that protects endangered gorillas and other wildlife through One Health approaches.
After graduating with a Bachelor in Veterinary Medicine from the Royal Veterinary College, University of London in 1995, she established Uganda Wildlife Authority’s first veterinary department in 1996. In 2003, she completed a Zoological Medicine Residency and Master in Specialized Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina Zoological Park and a certificate in non-profit management at Duke University leading to the establishment of CTPH.
In 2015, she founded Gorilla Conservation Coffee to support farmers living around habitats where gorillas are found which won the People. Environment. Achievement award in 2024. She won the Whitley Gold Award in 2009, and in 2020 CTPH won the 2020 Saint Andrews Prize for the Environment. In 2023, her memoir “Walking With Gorillas: The Journey of an African Wildlife Vet” was published.
Dr. Frannie Léautier is Senior Partner and CEO of Southbridge Investments. She has worked in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. She was previously Vice President African Development Bank (AfDB) and Chief Operating Officer Trade and Development Bank (TDB) and served fifteen years in several senior roles at the World Bank, including as Infrastructure Director, Vice President, and Chief of Staff to the President. She also was Executive Secretary of the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF). She serves on the board of UN Foundation, Orca Energy Group, Norsad Capital, CFAO, Les Eaux Minérales d’Oulmes, FSD Africa, and Momentum/Metropolitan Life. She chairs the Investment Committee of Birimian Ventures. She was co-Chair on World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Agenda Councils, previously on the boards of the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC), Institute for Security Studies (ISS), King Baudouin Foundation US (KBFUS), Nelson Mandela Institute for Science and Technology (NM-AIST), African Risk Capacity Ltd and ODI.
She has authored several books and was distinguished professor at Sciences Po Paris. She earned a Masters and PhD in engineering from MIT, and a doctorate in Law from Lancaster University.
Ambassador Javier Niño Pérez has been serving as Ambassador/ Head of the EU Delegation to the African Union and to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa since January 2024.
A Spanish national, he has held various positions within the European External Action Service and the European Commission since 1994, including Director for the Americas, Head of Division for US and Canada, Head of Division for Turkey and EU Ambassador to Cuba (2007-2012) and Haiti (2012-2015) . He has worked extensively on foreign policy, conflict prevention and crisis management, defence, trade and development cooperation issues.
He holds a Master of Arts in Advanced Political Studies from the College of Europe in Bruges, an LL.M. in European Law from the Free University of Brussels, and a degree in Law from the University of Valladolid. He is fluent in Spanish, English, and French.
Nonkululeko Nyembezi is the Chairman of Standard Bank Group, Africa’s largest financial services organisation by assets. A seasoned leader with expertise in engineering, technology, steel, mining, and financial services, she has held C-suite roles at multinational organisations, including CEO of ArcelorMittal South Africa and Ichor Coal N.V., and led strategy at Vodacom Group. She began her career as an engineer at IBM’s research labs in the U.S.
Her governance roles include non-executive director at Anglo American plc and former Chairman of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. She is also non-executive Chairman of Business Leadership South Africa and co-Chair of B20 South Africa in 2025.
She holds degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Manchester and Caltech, and an MBA from the Open University. Passionate about culture, she serves as trustee of the Norval Foundation and board member of two orchestras.
In his role as the Managing Director of Google Africa, Alex Okosi leads the company's business activities across the continent. Under Okosi's leadership, Google is committed to accelerating Africa's growth through product innovation and strategic initiatives. These efforts include responsible AI research and development to enhance healthcare access, providing agricultural tools to address food security, and supporting startups and SMBs to innovate and scale amid challenging environments.
Prior to this, Alex was the Managing Director for YouTube Emerging Markets in EMEA. In this role, he was responsible for driving the platform’s growth in Russia, Africa, Middle East and Turkey - and launched the Africa Day Benefit Concert in partnership with Idris Elba.
Okosi has been consistently recognised for his influence and leadership. He has been named one of the most influential people of Black heritage in the UK by The Powerlist for three consecutive years (2021-2023). He was also named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and an Honorary Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN). New African Magazine has also featured him in 'Africa’s 50 Trailblazers Under 50' and as one of the 'Top 100 most Influential Africans.'
Born in Nigeria, Okosi completed his education in the USA, graduating magna cum laude with dual majors in Business Administration and Economics from St Michael’s College in Vermont.
As the CEO, Chris Showalter contributes an accomplished corporate finance and merchant banking background to the Lifezone team. Uniquely, Chris brings a Wall Street career combined with extensive experience on the ground in Africa.
Chris has a core expertise originating, sourcing and developing relationships and transactions across Africa, having held the role as Director and Partner at merchant bank Hannam & Partners in Zimbabwe, where he focused on the African mining sector.
Chris led Lifezone Metals acquisition of the Kabanga Nickel project and is an integral part of the ongoing negotiations and development of relations with the Government of Tanzania.
Over six years in Zimbabwe, he developed specific expertise in the platinum sector and advised a number of platinum mining companies on their current operations and future expansion potential, after relocating to the country as co-CEO of Renaissance Capital.
Prior to this, he spent nine years at Goldman Sachs as a Vice President in the New York office where he held various sales roles in equity and capital markets while also exploring opportunities for Goldman Sachs across southern Africa.
Masai Ujiri, an award-winning and barrier-breaking sports executive, is the founder of Giants of Africa. GOA draws upon Ujiri’s unique journey to achieve its goal of uplifting youth with programs focused on empowerment and leadership.
As the first African general manager in North American professional sports – he was named NBA Executive of the Year. Ujiri’s ascent to the top of the basketball world began in Nigeria and took him around the world as a player, scout and executive, culminating in 2019 when he served as the architect of a Toronto Raptors team that was crowned NBA champions. Ujiri has also cofounded Zaria Group Africa’s leading developer of sports, entertainment and cultural infrastructure.
While Masai Ujiri’s accomplishments are extensive, he believes his work with Giants of Africa will prove to be the most meaningful and rewarding of his life.
Ms Sibisi serves as the Chief Investment Officer of the UNDP’s Timbuktoo Africa Innovation Foundation and the Chairperson of Terebinth Capital. She has over 30 years of executive management experience with a proven track record in development planning, innovative finance, business strategy, and performance optimisation.
Her career highlights include serving as a Director, member of the Consulting Management Team, the Executive Committee, and the Global Public Sector Board at Deloitte Southern Africa; as well as in various executive roles at the Development Bank of Southern Africa focused on developing innovative infrastructure finance and delivery solutions.
Ms Sibisi has also served on numerous boards including Wesgro and the Advisory Board of the UCT Graduate School of Business, provided expert input into key initiatives such as the AfDB’s Africa Economic Outlook 2016 and the WEF Africa Strategic Infrastructure Initiative, and published various thought leadership articles including in the Harvard Business Review.
Dr. Florence M. Wambugu PhD. DSc. is the Founding Director and CEO of Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation International, started in 2002. A Plant Pathologist with expertise on biotechnology, with over 30 years’ experience transforming African agriculture.
A Kenyan with lifelong commitment to combating hunger, poverty & malnutrition through science. Africa Harvest has implemented over 30 projects in 13 African countries, focusing on promoting climate-smart agriculture, and empowering women and youth.
She has contributed to the advancement of sorghum, Tissue Culture banana, and sweet potato, benefiting thousands of households and millions of beneficiaries. She has authored over 300 scientific works & received global awards, including the Yara Prize and inclusion in Scientific American Worldviews top 100 most influential people in biotechnology. She is a member of high-level global advisory boards.
Her vision and work continue to inspire & demonstrate how science, technological innovations, can transform food systems for a prosperous Africa.
Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation. The first woman and first African to hold the position.
She is an economist and international development expert with over 40 years of experience. Dr Okonjo-Iweala was Chair of the Board of Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, African Risk Capacity and Co-Chair of The Global Commission on the Economy and Climate, in addition to serving as a Senior Advisor at Lazard and sitting on the Boards of Standard Chartered and Twitter, now X. She is Co-Chair of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution and a Harvard Kennedy School Global Public Leader.
She served as Nigeria’s first female and longest serving Finance Minister (7 years) and was also the first female Foreign Minister. Her 25-year career at the World Bank culminated in her rising to the No.2 position of Managing Director, Operations.
Dr Okonjo-Iweala is the recipient of numerous honours and has authored several books. She holds a Bachelor’s in Economics from Harvard University and a PhD in Regional Economics and Development from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Ademola (Demmy) Adesina is co-founder and President of Sabi. He helps lead Sabi’s mission to seamlessly connect small-scale miners and traders of essential minerals to global end-users, including battery manufacturers and mineral refineries.
Prior to Sabi, Ademola founded and led Rensource, a leading West African commercial solar provider recognized with the 2019 Financial Times/IFC Transformational Business Award. He also served as an Entrepreneur in Residence at Capricorn Investment Group, the investment arm of Jeff Skoll and the Skoll Foundation, where he focused on climate and technology-related investments. At Aquifer, an Africa-focused investment firm backed by Lord Sainsbury and the Gatsby Trust, Ademola led business development and corporate strategy, helping to grow a large agro-industrial business in Mozambique.
Before that, at the Rockefeller Foundation, he was part of the founding team of the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN), helping to launch the impact investment sector. He began his career in the Global Markets division of JPMorgan’s Investment Bank in New York. Ademola has lived and worked, in Africa, the USA, and Europe.
Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE is a recognised and respected multi-award winning thought-leader and CEO of Stemettes, a social enterprise which inspires and support girls, young women and non-binary young people in STEM/STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths).
She was voted the most influential woman in tech in the UK of 2020 by Computer Weekly, is featured among the top 50 women in tech, globally, by Forbes Magazine and served as President of the British Science Association from 2022-2023.
She was also the temporary Arithmetician for 60 episodes on Channel 4’s Countdown, the world’s longest-running game show, and serves as the Chancellor of Glasgow Caledonian University, Co-Chair of the Institute for the Future of Work and Chair of UD Music Foundation. Her first book She’s In CTRL was published in September 2022.
Professor Lesley Lokko OBE is the Founder and Chair of the African Futures Institute (AFI) headquartered in Accra, Ghana and Director of the Nomadic African Studio; an annual month-long teaching programme located in different cities around the African continent. She holds a BSc (Arch), M Arch and PhD in Architecture from the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London. She was the Founder and Director of the Graduate School of Architecture, University of Johannesburg (2014—2019). She is the Editor of WhitePapers, Black Marks: Race, Culture, Architecture (University of Minnesota Press, 2000) and the Editor-in-Chief of FOLIO: Journal of Contemporary African Architecture.
She was appointed Curator of the 18th International Architecture Biennale at La Biennale di Venezia in 2023. In January 2023, she was awarded an OBE ‘for services to architecture and education’ in King Charles’ New Year’s Honours List. In January 2024, she was awarded the UK’s highest architecture award, the RIBA Royal Gold Medal.
She was named one of the world’s 100 most influential people in the 2024 annual TIME100 list and Ebony Power 100. She is currently a member of the 2025 Aga Khan Award for Architecture Steering Committee. She was appointed a World Design Congress Ambassador for 2025.
CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE grew up in Nigeria. Her work has been translated into more than fifty-five languages. She is the author of the novels Purple Hibiscus, which won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize; Half of a Yellow Sun, which was the recipient of the Women’s Prize for Fiction “Best of the Best” award; Americanah, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award; the story collection The Thing Around Your Neck and the essays We Should All Be Feminists and Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions. Her most recent work is an essay about losing her father, Notes on Grief; Mama’s Sleeping Scarf, a children’s book written as Nwa Grace-James; and a novel, Dream Count. A recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, she divides her time between the United States and Nigeria.
As Co-founder and President of Airwallex, Lucy Liu oversees ongoing business operations at Airwallex, working across the organisation to implement Airwallex’s mission and purpose to empower modern businesses of all sizes to grow beyond borders. Established in Melbourne in 2015, Airwallex is today, a leading global financial platform for businesses, supporting over 150,000 businesses globally.
Prior to establishing Airwallex in 2015 with her co-founders, Lucy was an investment consultant in CICC (China International Capital Corporation) and had also served as a board director for a Hong Kong-based investment company.
Lucy has been recognised for her leadership and entrepreneurial achievements over the years, including Forbes Asia’s Power Businesswomen List 2020, Ernst & Young "Top 22 Entrepreneurial Winning Women in APAC” (2020), Finnies “Emerging Fintech Leader of the Year” (2020) and Forbes “30 Young Entrepreneurs in Asia” (2017). In 2021, she received the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Business and Economics Rising Star for Young Alumni Award, in recognition of her outstanding level of leadership.
Kate Kallot is a technologist and deep tech founder recognized globally for pioneering equitable access to advanced technologies across emerging markets. She is the Founder & CEO of Amini, a data infrastructure company building sovereign data and compute systems for Africa and the Global South. Under her leadership, Amini is transforming fragmented analog systems into AI-ready digital ecosystems that power supply chains, climate intelligence, and government modernization.
Previously, Kate held senior leadership roles at NVIDIA, where she led global developer relations and ecosystem expansion across underserved geographies, and Arm, where she was instrumental in scaling the TinyML movement, enabling machine learning on ultra-low-power edge devices. At Intel, she spearheaded the development of the Neural Compute Stick, the world’s first USB-based AI development kit, democratizing computer vision and edge AI for millions of developers worldwide.
Her work has been recognized by TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in AI, the World Economic Forum as a Tech Pioneer, and One Young World as Entrepreneur of the Year 2024. A trusted voice in global AI policy and digital equity, Kate serves as Vice Chair of the ICC Global Environmental and Energy Commission and is a member of EY’s Global AI Advisory Council.
H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat is Egypt’s Minister of Planning, Economic Development & International Cooperation and previously served as the country’s Minister of International Cooperation & as the first female Minister of Tourism.
Al-Mashat has over 20 years of international experience in central banking, financial systems, monetary policy frameworks, international cooperation policies & strategies, sustainable development, & climate finance.
Previous positions include Advisor to the IMF Chief Economist and Sub-Governor for Monetary Policy at the Central Bank of Egypt.
As CEO of the Gates Foundation, Mark Suzman leads the organization in service of its mission – to help every person have the opportunity to live a healthy, productive life. Mark serves as a member of the foundation’s board of trustees in his role as CEO.
He began his career in journalism, writing for the Johannesburg Star and then the Financial Times, where he covered international trade policy, welfare reform, and political issues, including the historic 1994 election of Nelson Mandela. In 2000, Mark joined the United Nations, where he was part of the effort to implement the Millennium Development Goals under the leadership of then Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
Mark joined the foundation in 2007 as director of Global Development Policy, Advocacy, and Special Initiatives. Prior to becoming CEO, he served as managing director of Country Offices, president of Global Policy and Advocacy, and chief strategy officer.
Tony O. Elumelu is an African investor, philanthropist, and one of the most prominent voices on Africa’s transformation agenda.
He is the Founder and Group Chair of Heirs Holdings, a family owned investment company , investing in financial services, power, technology, healthcare, energy and hospitality.
Tony is the Chair the United Bank for Africa (UBA) operating in 20 African countries, the UK, France, the UAE, and the United States.
In 2010, he founded the The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), Africa’s leading philanthropy driving entrepreneurship across all 54 African countries. TEF has funded over 24,000 entrepreneurs and built a digital ecosystem of 2.5 million Africans under a US$100m commitment.
A TIME100 honouree (2020), Tony holds national honours from Nigeria and Gabon, as well as Belgium’s oldest royal order. He serves on global boards including UNICEF Generation Unlimited and the IMF Advisory Council on Entrepreneurship and Growth.
Eleni Giokos is a CNN anchor and correspondent, based in the UAE. A regular anchor across CNN’s news and business programming, she also presents the network’s Connecting Africa and Marketplace Middle East feature shows.
Born in Greece and raised in South Africa, she has more than 15 years’ experience working across TV, digital, radio and print media, and is one of CNN’s most versatile correspondents.
Giokos has interviewed countless heads of state over the years, including Rwandan President Paul Kagame, former South African President Jacob Zuma, and former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, to name just a few. Her list of business interviews includes the likes of International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, European Central Bank president Christine Lagarde, and Virgin founder Richard Branson; as well as a ‘who’s who?’ of Africa’s most prominent business leaders.
Tsitsi Masiyiwa is an African philanthropist, social entrepreneur, and champion for gender equality. In 1996, she co-founded Higherlife Foundation with her husband, Strive. The
foundation is dedicated to advancing human capital development across Africa through investments in education, health and sustainable livelihoods.
In 2017, she established Delta Philanthropies as a vehicle for impact investing and grant-making. Delta Philanthropies seeks to unlock and catalyse innovative solutions to the elimination of poverty by convening strategic partnerships and incubating new development models.
Mrs Masiyiwa is the Chair of Higherlife Foundation and Delta Philanthropies and also serves on several global non-profit boards. Over the past twenty-nine years, her leadership in establishing and growing Higherlife Foundation has positioned her as a trusted advisor and thought partner to universities, national leaders, and social entrepreneurs. Her work focuses on key areas including education, health, leadership development, women and girls, and youth empowerment.
Vimbai Masiyiwa is a Zimbabwean entrepreneur and thought leader, and the Co-Founder & CEO of Batoka Africa, a regenerative hospitality group redefining African luxury through community-first tourism. Her career sits at the intersection of
business, impact, and female empowerment, championing purpose-driven ventures that unlock opportunity and shift narratives across the continent.
Deeply committed to helping African women build sustainable, scalable businesses, Vimbai brings expertise in operations, brand development, and strategic growth. She works alongside organisations advancing entrepreneurship, innovation, and inclusive economic opportunity.
Her influence extends beyond the boardroom: she serves on the One Young World Global Advisory Board and the Global Advisory Board for Bryant University and has advised the Youth Envoy of the African Union and the African Investment Hospitality
Forum. In 2024, she joined the Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 list, underscoring her leadership and growing impact on Africa’s business and innovation landscape.
Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem is Group Chairman and CEO of DP World and Chairman of the Ports, Customs & Free Zone Corporation. With over four decades of experience, he
has driven DP World’s transformation from a ports operator into a global supply chain solutions provider, now active in 83 countries with 119,000 employees of 165 nationalities.
He spearheaded Dubai’s growth as a global trade hub, including developing Jebel Ali Free Zone, which today hosts 11,000+ companies. Under his leadership, DP World contributes around 36% to Dubai’s GDP and 12% to the UAE’s. His strategic vision has led to major acquisitions, such as P&O in 2006 and Imperial Logistics, Syncreon, and UNICO Logistics in 2020–21, strengthening DP World’s integrated services.
Mr bin Sulayem also founded Nakheel, developer of The Palm, and the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre. He holds a BSc in Economics from Temple University and an honorary doctorate from Middlesex University Dubai.
Ralph Mupita is Group President and CEO of MTN Group, Africa’s leading digital operator with nearly 300 million customers across 16 markets. Since his appointment in 2020, he has led the execution of Ambition 2025, transitioning MTN into a platform-led, tech-driven business advancing digital and financial inclusion.
Previously MTN’s CFO, he strengthened its capital position and led key listings in Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Uganda. Before MTN, Ralph was CEO of Old Mutual Emerging Markets, overseeing operations in 19 countries. He serves on several MTN boards and contributes to global industry leadership as Deputy Chair of the GSMA, Commissioner on the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development, and member of the B20 Advisory Board. He also participates in the African Renaissance Retreat.
Ralph holds a BSc Engineering (Hons), an MBA from the University of Cape Town, and completed Harvard’s General Management Programme. He was named CEO of the Year at the 2024 Africa CEO Forum Awards.