Dr. Hubert Danso
CEO and Chairman, Africa investor (Ai) Group
Chairman, African Union’s Continental Business Network (CBN)
Chairman, African Green Infrastructure Investment Bank Advisory Board (AfGIIB).
Dr Danso is the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Africa investor (Ai) Group – a pan African Infrastructure Investment Holding Company for institutional investors. He also serves as the Chairman of the CFA New York Society Global Asset Owners’ Council, the Chairman of the African Sovereign Wealth & Pension Fund Leaders Forum (AiSWPFF), Chair of The African Union’s Continental Business Network (CBN) and the Chairman of the African Green Infrastructure Investment Bank Advisory Board (AfGIIB). Dr Danso is the Co-Chair for the Africa-Europe Earthshot and serves on President Macron’s Finance and Private Sector Taskforce for the New Global Financial Pact, President Macky Sall’s High-Level International Panel for Water Investments for Africa Advisory Panel and President William Ruto’s High-Level Advisory Group for the African Climate Action Summit.
Dr Danso also serves on King Charles III”s Accounting for Sustainability (A4S) Advisory Council, the World Benchmarking Alliance Just Transition Advisory Group (WBA-JTAG) and the UNDP High-Level Project Steering Committee, advising on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Investor Map. Dr Danso leads Ai’s Pension and Sovereign Wealth Infrastructure CoInvestment Platform and advises institutional investors, governments and development finance institutions on infrastructure allocations and private equity investments in Africa. Dr Danso was instrumental in establishing the African Union’s 5% Institutional Infrastructure Investment platform, for Pension and Sovereign Wealth Fund investors. Dr Danso holds an LLB in Business Law, an LLM Masters in International Commercial Law from the University of Sussex in England and an Honorary PhD in Global Leadership from the European International University in France.
Musa Mabesa
Principal Executive Officer, Government Employees Pension Fund,
Chairman, Asset Owners Forum South Africa (AOFSA)
Mr. Mabesa has over 18 years’ experience as a finance professional, eleven of which are in the pension fund industry, specialising in financial management and reporting, governance and corporate services. He joined the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) in 2011 as a Finance Manager, became Head of Corporate Services in 2017 and was appointed the Principal Executive Officer in 2020. Mr Mabesa holds an MSc degree from the University of London and a BCompt degree from the University of South Africa. He is a Chartered Certified Accountant through the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and is a member of the Institute of Directors Southern Africa.
Uche Orji
CEO, Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority
Mr. Orji is the Managing Director/CEO of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority. He brings a wealth of global experience in the financial services sector to his role as MD/CEO. He joined NSIA as CEO in October 2012, from Switzerland’s largest bank, UBS Securities, where he was Managing Director in the New York branch of its Equities Division. Prior to his UBS experience, Mr. Orji spent six years at JP Morgan in London, 2001-2006, rising from the position of Vice President to Managing Director within the Equities Division.
Prior to JP Morgan, he worked for Goldman Sachs Asset Management, London, 1998-2001, as an Analyst/Portfolio Manager. His first banking financial industry experiences were at Diamond Bank Plc., Lagos and Arthur Andersen, Lagos. Mr. Orji studied Chemical Engineering at the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, graduating in 1990. He also obtained an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1998.
Linda Mateza
Former Chief Executive & Principal Officer, Eskom Pension and Provident Fund
Linda is the former Chief Executive & Principal Officer, Eskom Pension and Provident Fund, one of Africa’s largest pension Funds. She is also the former Head of Investments and Actuarial Services at the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF). The GEPF is Africa’s largest pension fund, and among the 10 largest globally, with more than 1 million members and assets worth R1, 6 trillion. She was the Chief Investment Officer of the Eskom Pension and Provident Fund from 2009 to 2013. At the EPPF, Linda managed investments across asset classes including equities, bonds, property and money market investments. Linda holds a Master’s degree in Finance and Investments from the University of the Witwatersrand. She is a Fellow of the Africa Leadership Initiative (South Africa) and a proud mother of two girls.
Dr. Mbui Wagacha
Chairman: Kenyan Sovereign Wealth Fund, Senior Economic Advisor: Executive Office of the President, Kenya
Dr. Mbui Wagacha is the Chairman of the Kenyan Sovereign Wealth Fund and Advisor in the Executive Office of the President Kenya.
Dr Wagacha was appointed to the Board of the Central Bank of Kenya as a Non-Executive Director with effect from 14th March, 2011. Following legislative changes to the Central Bank of Kenya Act, he was on 11th February, 2013 elected by members of the Central Bank of Kenya Board as Ag. Chairperson of the CBK Board. He holds a PhD in Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics from the University of Geneva, Switzerland, an M.A. in International Trade and Econometrics from the University of Manitoba, Canada and a B.A. in Economics from Swarthmore College, United States of America.
Dr. Wagacha, a renowned Macroeconomist and policy expert, has over 20 years experience in economics policy design, analysis and implementation with particular emphasis in Sub-Saharan Africa. After starting his economics career at the University of Nairobi, he worked at UNCTAD, Geneva, the Association of African Central Banks, and at the African Development Bank. He is currently an independent consultant and trainer for the Economic Commission of Africa and has held various economic consultancy positions for the World Bank, AfDB, SADC, UNDP, CIDA, IPAR, FAO, Care International, State University of New York, IDRC-Canada, MEFMI, among others. He has also held the position of Chief Economist for the African Centre for Monetary Studies.
Adam Mayingu
Director General of the Public Service Pension Fund (PSPF) Tanzania
Mr Mayingu is the current DG of the PSPF in Tanzania. He has accumulated over 20 years of experience working in the financial industry, mainly in banking and social security.
Prior to PSPF, Adam Worked as Head of Information Systems, Acting Chief Manager Information Systems, Software Engineer and Senior System Analyst at CRDB Bank. He also worked at National Bank of Commerce, Standard Chartered Bank and Tanzania Revenue Authority.
Renosi Mokate
Chairperson, Government Employees Pension Fund, (GEPF)
Dr. Renosi Denise Mokate, BA, MA, Ph.D. serves as the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees and Chairperson of the Investment Committee of the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF), Africa’s largest pension fund. Dr. Mokate served as a Senior Policy Analyst and Programme Manager of the Development Bank of Southern Africa. She served as Deputy Governor of South African Reserve Bank from August 1, 2005 to July 31, 2010.
Previously, she served as an Executive Director of Group Economic and Social Analysis at the Human Sciences Research Council. Dr. Mokate has been an Independent Non-Executive Director of Vukile Property Fund Limited since December 11, 2013. She has been an Independent Non-Executive Director of Bidvest Bank Limited since July 01, 2013. She serves as a Non-Executive Director on a number of boards including, Hans Merensky Foundation and subsidiaries of the CEF group of Companies.
David Nuyoma
CEO GIPF
David Nuyoma is Chairman of the Namibian Stock Exchange. He became CEO of the Government Institutions Pensions Fund Namibia (GIPF) on 1 January 2013, having previously been CEO of the Development Bank of Namibia from November 2003 to December 2012. He was educated at the University of East Anglia (BA; MA Industrial Development).
Richard Byurugaba
CEO NSSF Uganda
Mr. Byarugaba has a wealth of experience in managing large financial organisations of international repute including commercial banks. He joined the Fund from Global Trust Bank where he was the Managing Director. With over 27 years of banking experience, he has held various senior positions at Standard Chartered Bank, Nile Bank and Barclays Bank.
Solomon Asamoah
Chief Executive Officer, Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund
Solomon is an investment professional with over 25 years of experience originating and executing transactions in both developed and developing markets. He has personally led over $4bn in transactions across the African continent. In April 2017, he was appointed the CEO of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment (GIIF), an investment vehicle, initially capitalised at $250m, with a mandate to originate, structure and invest in infrastructure-related projects across Ghana.
Between October and December 2016, he acted as an adviser to the Nigerian government on the implementation of their infrastructure programme.
Prior to that (until February 2016) he was the Vice President for Infrastructure, Private Sector and Regional Integration at the African Development Bank (AfDB), with responsibilities including the bank’s power, infrastructure and private sector operations; financial institutions, markets and equity (including private equity funds), Nepad and regional projects.
Other previously held positions include deputy CEO and CIO of Africa Finance Corporation, Vice President for Private Sector and International Investments at DBSA, and special assistant to the Executive Vice President of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Managing Director of the World Bank, based in Washington DC.
He also worked as a principal investment officer at the IFC in Johannesburg, leading IFC’s activities across Africa in the ICT sector, and as an investment banker in London with HSBC Markets.
He has a Masters Degree in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College, London.
Dr. Richard Mwiinga
Former Chairman, Zambia Association of Pension Funds (ZAPF)
Dr. Richard Mwiinga is the former Chairman of Zambia Association of Pensions Funds and Operations Manager of Public Service Pensions Fund and is also the Principal Officer at the Institute of Retirement Funds.
Papa Demba Diallo
Director-General, FONSIS SA (Senegalese Sovereign Wealth Fund)
Managing Director of Fonsis SA since April 2019, Papa Demba Diallo joined FONSIS in 2014 as Executive Director in charge of the investment process in charge of Digital, Services, Infrastructures and Industry.
Demba has spent more than 20 years in the information technology sector, with leading telecom operators such as BT or Equant and OEMs such as Lucent Technologies and CoSine. He was for 9 years, member of the executive committee of SONATEL, in his capacity as General Manager of Orange Business Services. He has held various positions ranging from sales to technical operations in Europe, Africa and Silicon Valley
Demba holds 2 MSc from Télécom Sud Paris and a Master’s degree in Management Sciences (MSG) from Paris-Dauphine. Demba is also a former troop child of Prytanée Militaire de Saint-Louis.
Joseph Boateng
Chief Investment Officer, Casey Family Programs
Joseph Boateng joined Casey Family Programs in January 2007. He advises the Board of Trustees as it carries out its responsibility for the investment of foundation assets. Before joining Casey Family Programs, he was a member of the Johnson & Johnson Investment Committee, responsible for managing over $17 billion in employee benefit assets worldwide.
Dr. Edward Odundo
Former Chief Executive Officer, Retirement Benefits Authority Kenya & President, International Organisation of Pensions Supervisors (IOPS)
Dr. Edward Odundo is the former Chief Executive Officer of Retirement Benefits Authority (Kenya) and the President of the International Organisation of Pensions Supervisors (IOPS), having previously served as the Vice President and Chairman of the Technical Committee of IOPS.
Dr. Odundo is also a lecturer at he University of Nairobi, School of Business. Dr. Odundo has held various high level responsibilities such as the Commissioner of Value Added Tax, Kenya Revenue Authority and Founder and First Chairman of the Forum of VAT Commissioners in Africa with its headquarters in Accra, Ghana; First Financial Controller Kenya Revenue Authority, General Manager, East Africa Reinsurance Company Limited and Finance Manager, Kenya Reinsurance Corporation.
Dr. Odundo holds a PhD in Business Administration (Strategic Management) from The University of Nairobi, MBA degree in Strategic Management and Marketing and a BSc. Degree in Finance and Accounting.
Sundeep Raichura
Chairman, Kenya Pension Fund Investment Consortium (Kepfic)
Sundeep is a qualified actuary and CEO of the Zamara Group (formerly Alexander Forbes). He has over 30 years’ experience in actuarial, pensions and investment consultancy work gained both in the UK and in Kenya. Sundeep is the Chairman of the Africa Committee of the International Actuarial Association. He is a past Chairman of the Association of Retirement Benefit Schemes and a past member of the Capital Markets Authority Advisory Committee. He has also served as a consultant to a World Bank Pensions Mission to Kenya. Sundeep has championed and is the leader of the Kenya Pension Fund Investment Consortium (‘KEPFIC’), a group of 12 leading pension funds in the country with an asset base of over K Shs 2bn who have come together with a common purpose of collaborating to make long term investments, including investments in non-traditional asset classes such as infrastructure and housing amongst others.
Theresa Whitmarsh
Former Executive Director, Washington State Investment Board
Theresa J. Whitmarsh is the former Executive Director of the Washington State Investment Board, one of the United States’ leading institutional investors, managing over $100 billion of state pension, insurance, and other assets. The fund has been a leader in private asset investing, with private equity, real estate, and tangible assets comprising 40 percent of its retirement portfolio.
Theresa joined the WSIB in 2003 with 20 years’ experience in business, government and media. She has a Master’s in Business Administration, Pacific Lutheran University, and Bachelor of Arts, English Literature, Seattle Pacific University. She is Chair of the Pacific Pension Institute, and in 2016 was named Chair of the Council of Institutional Investors.
She is past director with the International Centre for Pension Management, and serves on the Millstein Center for Corporate Governance Advisory Board and the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on the Future of Investing. She is a member of ABP’s Investment Committee.
Ayman Soliman
Chief Executive Officer, The Sovereign Fund of Egypt
Mr. Ayman Mohamed Soliman is the Chief Executive Officer, The Sovereign Fund of Egypt and brings 22 years of experience managing a group of 200+ companies, spanning a diverse set of industries, with a global investment and transaction record of accomplishment, and a long-standing track record in managing complex assets and running mega transactions. Over the past 17 years, Mr. Soliman served as a board member of a wide range of companies with various capacities with Orascom Investment Holding, Beltone Financial, La Mancha Holding (Gold mining), Euronews plc, RiverBank (SME Banks in Europe), Auerbach Grayson (USA), Texegy (Oil & Gas USA), Ora Developers BV (Real estate), Nile Sugar Co (Egypt), Ezdehar Fund to name a few.
Obaid Amrane
CEO, Ithmar Capital, (Moroccan Sovereign Fund)
After obtaining a double degree in engineering and finance, Obaid Amrane joined the Ministry of Economy and Finance initially as an Inspector of Finance, before occupying higher positions within the treasury department. He began a career in the private sector as a Managing Director of the Moroccan subsidiary of the Banque Populaire-Caisse d’Epargne Group. In 2010, he joined MASEN, as a member of its Management Board. Mr. Amrane formerly oversaw the development and operation of renewable energy sites and projects and, within the framework of MASEN’s missions, contributes to the development of a competitive national industrial sector.
Nicolas Firzli
Director General World Pensions Council
Mr. Nicolas J. Firzli is Director-General and Head of Research of the World Pensions Council (WPC), an international association of public and private retirement institutions, Co-Chair of the World Pensions Forum (WPiF) and Advisory Board Member for the World Bank Global Infrastructure Facility (GIF).
He has worked with public and private pension funds, insurance companies, social security institutions, government agencies (at both federal and state/municipal levels), trade unions and labor organizations in more than 30 different jurisdictions in the past 18 years.
Mr. Firzli is an alumnus of Canada’s McGill University (BA Stat./Econ.), the Paris Descartes Law School (LL.M.), the HEC School of Management (MBA) and attended the Doctoral School of Economics and Management at Louvain University in Belgium. His research relies primarily on a multidisciplinary approach to asset ownership analysis integrating financial theory, fiduciary law and development economics.
Aldo Tembe
CEO, Moçambique Previdente
Mr. Tembe is the CEO of Moçambique Previdente which is a Pension Funds Management Company, created in December 2012. It is the first Mozambican company created specifically for the Management of Pension Funds.
Robert M. Maynard
CIO, Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho (P.E.R.S.I)
Robert M. Maynard is currently Chief Investment Officer for the Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho. Previously he served as Deputy Executive Director of the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation and as Assistant Attorney General for the state of Alaska.
In addition to his duties for the Idaho Retirement System, Mr. Maynard serves on the Board of Directors for a number of investment-related organizations, including the College of Western Idaho Foundation and the Boise State University Foundation. He also serves on the Board of Advisors for the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation.
Mr. Maynard is also on the Board of Directors of the City Club of Boise, the Boise Public Schools Education Foundation and was a National Trustee for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.
Mr. Maynard graduated from Claremont Men’s (now Claremont McKenna) College and received his JD from the University of California, Davis School of Law.
Gilbert Nyatanyi
Chief Executive Officer, Agaciro Development Fund – Rwanda
Gilbert enjoys more than 20 years’ experience in general legal advice and more than 15 years’ solid experience in banking and finance law, with particular experience in secured transactions, acquisition and corporate finance, syndicated loans, refinancing, capital markets, public and private placements of securities.
He holds a Bachelors Degree in Economics from the National University of Rwanda, a Masters Degree in Finance and Banking from Cardiff University (UK) and is pursuing a Doctorate in Business Leadership with the Swiss Management Center.
John McCarthy
Former Head of Global Infrastructure, Abu Dhabhi Investment Authority
Mr McCarthy is the former Global Head of Infrastructure, Real Estate and Infrastructure Department, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. He is responsible, in collaboration with senior management, for developing and implementing investment strategy for the Infrastructure Division and overseeing all day-to-day activities of the Infrastructure team. This includes managing ADIA’s existing portfolio of infrastructure investments, as well as working with team members to originate and execute on new transactions.
With over 20 years of experience in the infrastructure sector, Mr McCarthy joined ADIA from Deutsche Bank where he was Managing Director and Global Head of RREEF Infrastructure since 2005. Prior to that, he served as Global Head of Infrastructure Capital & Structured Cap ital Markets at ABN AMRO Bank. Mr. McCarthy began his career in the infrastructure sector in 1990 at BZW in Australia, where he ultimately rose to the rank of Head of Infrastructure.
Mr. McCarthy holds a Post-Graduate degree in Finance as well as a Bachelor of Economics from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.
Paddy Turymwijuka
Director, Petroleum Investment Fund Uganda
Mr. Turymwijuka serves as the Director of the Petroleum Investment Fund Uganda. The Fund is currently in the implementation phase.
Akim Daouda
Chief Executive Officer, Gabonese Sovereign Wealth Fund (FGIS)
Chief Executive Officer of the Sovereign Wealth Fund of the Gabonese Republic. The mission of the fund is to transfer wealth across generations by transforming finite resources into sustainable financial assets. Passionate about unlocking value for the region and bridging inequalities; oversees the SWF’s full portfolio of more than 100 investments spanning several sectors. Also articulates the fund investment strategy and provides high-level leadership.
Works closely with government leaders and ministries, as well as private sector champions on issues related to economic development, industrial growth and transformation. 2017, joined the “Choiseul 100 Africa” list by Institut Choiseul. Ranked among Young African Business Leaders under the age of 40 who are expected to play a major and transformative role in the continent’s economic development.
Carlos Alberto Lopes
Chairman of the Board of Directors, Angola Sovereign Wealth Fund
Carlos Alberto Lopes, is an Economist who graduated from Agostinho Neto University in Luanda (Angola). He has been associated with the FSDEA since January 2018 as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Angola Sovereign Fund.
During his career, Mr Lopes has held prominent positions in the Executive branch of the Government of Angola as: i) Secretary of Social Affairs for the President of the Republic (Oct-2017 to Jan-2018); (ii) Minister of Finance (2010-2013), (iii) Deputy Minister of Planning (2008-2010 and 2003-2008), (iv) Director of the Department of Studies, Planning and Statistics at the Ministry of Transport (1995-2002); v) Head of the Finance Department at the Planning Office of the Ministry of Transport and Communications (1985-1995); vi) Director of the state-run company Empresa de Manutenção Técnica nº1, U.E.E.; and, vii) Head of the Planning and Finance Department of the state-run company Empresa de Manutenção Técnica n.º1, U.E.E.
Mr Lopes has also held the following positions: Member of the Strategic Advisory Board (transport section) of the Higher Institute of Transport and Communications of Portugal; Member of the Advisory Board of the Angola Economic and Social Development Fund (FDES); Technical Coordinator of the productive sector working group of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Angola; Coordinator of the World Bank’s Multi-sectoral Emergency Rehabilitation Programme; President of the Global Fund’s Malaria, Tuberculosis and HIV / AIDS National Coordination Mechanism; Member of the Economic Commission of the Government of Angola. As Minister of Finance, he served as the Angolan representative to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank (WB) and the African Development Bank (ADB) and Chairman of the Board of the General Meeting of AFRICAEXIM BANK. Mr Lopes also served as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of BODIVA, Sociedad Gestora de Mercados Regulamentados, S.A.
Ndabe Mkhize
Former Chief Executive Officer, Eskom Pension & Provident Fund (EPPF)
Mr Ndabe Mkhize joined the EPPF on 1 May 2014 as Deputy Chief Investment Management Officer, stepped into the role of Acting Chief Investment Officer in April 2015 and was appointed as a Chief Investment Officer in December 2016.
Prior to joining EPPF, Mr Mkhize held positions at Coronation Property Equity Fund, worked in the direct real estate industry and in the Stanlib Listed Property team from late 2010 until April 2014.
He serves on various committees within the EPPF including the Executive Committee, Audit and Risk Committee, Strategic Investment Committee, Credit Committee, Internal Investment Committee and the IT Steering Committee.