The 2016 Tutu Leadership Fellowship will be taking place near Cape Town soon. The 2016 candidates make up a strong cohort that bodes well for the future leadership of Africa. The biographies of the 2016 group follows.
Peter Biar Ajak
South Sudan
Peter Biar Ajak is the Country Co-Director for the International Growth Centre in South Sudan and the Founder of the Juba-based Center for Strategic Analyses and Research. He is also the CEO of South Sudan Wrestling Entertainment, a nonprofit that uses the indigenous sport of wrestling to promote peace among South Sudan’s tribes.
Peter was previously the World Bank In-Country Economist in South Sudan, and also previously, the Coordinator of Policy and Strategy in the Office of the Minister of National Security in the Office of the President, where he served, among other things, as the Secretary and the Spokesman for the committees that drafted South Sudan’s White Paper on Intelligence & National Security, the National Security Act, and the National Security Policy and Strategy.
Peter is currently a member of the SPLM Economic Taskforce, the ruling party’s highest economic policymaking body. His op-eds and interviews have appeared in the New York Times, Foreign Policy, BBC, Al Jazeera, and CNN among other sources. Peter holds a BA in Economics from LaSalle University, an MPA/ID from Harvard University, and he is pursuing a PhD in Politics and International Studies at Cambridge University. He is one of the Atlantic Council’s Millennium Fellows.
Sureka Asbury
Zambia
Born in Zambia, grew up in Zimbabwe and now living in South Africa, Sureka is a pan-African investment professional with over 15 years’ experience in financial services. She was part of the team that set up Securities Africa, a pan-African stockbroking firm that grew its commissions tenfold within a year to over USD 1 million. As the head of equity trading, Sureka was responsible for setting up and coordinating the brokerage’s trading function across 23 African countries.
She joined global media giant Thomson Reuters in 2012 as the Editor of Trading Africa, transforming the fledgling platform into an innovative community focused on African capital markets that drew hundreds of people across the continent every day. Sureka is passionate about social justice. She was the treasurer of the Organizing for Africa Johannesburg chapter and in 2015 she co-founded Volunteer Afrika, a not-for-profit organisation that mobilizes volunteers to assist NGO's with targeted pro bono work.
She is a member of the South African Institute of Financial Markets, a graduate in financial accounting from the University of South Africa and is in the final year of her MBA at the Gordon Institute of Business Science. Sureka is also a cricket fanatic and is classically trained in piano and violin.
Mutsa Chironga
Zimbabwe
Mutsa is Partner in McKinsey’s Africa Office, and has been with McKinsey for over nine years. Of Zimbabwean origin, Mutsa has a deep passion for Africa. Mutsa leads McKinsey’s financial services practice in Africa. He has worked for 10 banks and insurance companies in over 10 African countries – spanning Southern, West and East Africa. He has also served banks in South East Asia. His work focuses on performance transformations, seeking to significantly shift efficiency or profitability ratios. His areas of expertise include sales force effectiveness, digitization, and advanced analytics.
Mutsa has co-authored several publications including McKinsey’s award-winning report on Africa’s economies: "Lions on the Move: the Progress and Potential of African Economies”. He frequently addresses audiences across the world on Africa’s growth prospects. Prior to joining McKinsey, Mutsa worked at the World Bank in Washington, DC; as an economist in the UK government; and in accountancy at Arthur Andersen. Mutsa served for five years as a board member of a non-profit, Pump Aid, which extends access to water to rural communities in Malawi, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
Mutsa holds a Ba (Hons) in Economics from Cambridge University, and a Masters in Public Administration in International Development (MPAID) from Harvard University.
Sue Chuzu
Zambia
Sue is Director for AGCO Zambia Limited and Marketing and Communications Manager supporting Africa and the Middle East. She played an instrumental role in the seamless start-up of AGCO Zambia Limited and has continued to play a pivotal role in the organization. She was the First AGCO Africa Ambassador in 2012, a role that later saw her joining the company 4 years ago.
Prior to joining AGCO Zambia, Sue worked for Standard Chartered Bank Zambia in various capacities and was trained in Malaysia, Singapore and China. She also has an extensive background in Media and Communications working as a News Anchor, Television Presenter and Public Relations Officer from the age of 18.
Sue holds an MBA from ESAMI; was the best graduating student with distinctions from Cavendish University in BBA and has a Certificate in Diplomatic Practice, Protocol and Public Relations. She recently was accepted to pursue a Doctorate of Business Administration with specialization in Marketing.
Sue founded the Package Yourself Initiative a social platform that empowers young women and men from the age of 12 to 30 through mentorship, building their s elf-confidence, ambition, decision making and leadership skills. She is also passionate about women and youth in agriculture.
Tshepo Ditshego
South Africa
Tshepo Ditshego is the Executive Associate to the CEO of Discovery Invest. Tshepo is responsible for enabling and operationalising strategic initiatives in Discovery Invest. Before he moved to Discovery he was the Head of the Retail Project office at STANLIB (2012-2014), where he designed and implemented the retail strategy for a division with over R350 billion in Assets under Management. This portfolio also required that he heads up the Continuous improvement and E-Commerce area in STANLIB.
He also simultaneously held the head of the Direct and Bank Channel business unit looking after R18 billion in assets under management and over 100,000 clients (2010-2014). Prior to taking on the role of Head of the Retail Project Office, he was head of Retail Management Accounting & Information and Corporate Social Investment for STANLIB.
Tshepo holds a B-Comm Accounting Degree from Wits University and a Masters in Business Administration from Gibs. He achieved distinctions for Marketing, Micro-economics, statistics and management accounting. He also won the top student award for Leadership the through storytelling elective. He was voted by his classmates as the MBA candidate most likely to succeed in business.
Nhlanhla Dlamini
South Africa
Nhlanhla Dlamini is MD of Maneli Group, a company he founded to catalyze growth and employment in Africa’s industrial sector. Maneli Group is currently active in the agricultural sector, with several farms and export factories, and the company intends to branch into green energy in the future.
Prior to founding Maneli Group, Nhlanhla worked for McKinsey & Company for 5 years in their South African and U.S. offices, and also for Morgan Stanley as an investment banker in London. While at McKinsey, Nhlanhla established the McKinsey-Golden Key scholarships for top achieving students at Wits University and the University of Cape Town.
Mr. Dlamini holds a Bachelor of Commerce (with Distinction) from Wits University, a Postgraduate Diploma in Management (with Distinction) from the Wits Business School, an MPhil in Development Studies from Oxford University, and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. His Masters’ thesis on youth unemployment in South Africa earned him a Distinction at Oxford. He is a Goldman Sachs Global Leader and a 2008 Rhodes Scholar. He was also recognized as one of the 100 global Leaders of Tomorrow at the St. Gallen Symposium in 2013.
In his spare time, Nhlanhla is passionate about sports, travel and music. He captained his rugby teams at Wits and at Harvard, winning the International Fall Brawl Championship in 2011. Nhlanhla has traveled to over 60 countries and even enjoyed a brief stint as a DJ in England.
Dorothy Ghettuba
Kenya
Dorothy Ghettuba is the Co-founder and C.E.O. of Spielworks Media Ltd - an East African regional leader in content creation, production, distribution and broadcast. In six and a half years since its inception, Spielworks has produced award winning properties; 15 Television Shows, 10 Web series, and over 41 original African movies for the Television, Mobile, Web and Video On Demand platforms.
Dorothy is also the co-founder of NGOMA TV East Africa’s first ever, online and mobile platform dedicated to streaming and as well as on demand entertainment content. She is also the co-founder of Keja TV an online subscription video on demand (SVOD) platform targeted at Africans in the Diaspora and on the continent.Dorothy through her companies is dedicated to developing creative talent, creating quality content and telling authentic African stories that resonate and engage audiences.
Dorothy's honors include the Top 40 Under 40 Women in Kenya in 2011 and 2014 and a prominent selection as one of the Top 40 Under 40 Women in Film in Africa as well as Top 50 Business People in Kenya. Dorothy
is also an alumnus of The Bucerius School on Global Governance and is dedicated to telling the African story.
Amanda Gicharu
Kenya
Amanda is the co-founder of Tech Republic Africa, a Kenya-based startup that creates premier technology education experiences for African youth aged 7 - 19, to increase capacity and innovation within the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) fields. She is also the founder of Amanda's Kitchen, a food media platform that raises awareness on wholesome nutrition and balanced lifestyles. The site is a leading source of information on healthy recipes, cooking tips and menu planning.
At 25, Amanda was Head of Consumer & Brand Marketing at Google Kenya, where she developed several award winning campaigns spanning 35 countries. Amanda joined Google from the United Nations Development Programme, where she led content development of critical donor relations publications, securing funding of over $100 million.
Amanda is an American Express Ashoka Emerging Innovator and Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Fellow. She is also the reigning Culinary Champion of Unilever's Royco Fuata Flava cooking contest. She holds degrees in communications, social entrepreneurship and nutrition. A respected thought leader on STEAM education, entrepreneurship and innovation, Amanda regularly contributes to a number of national media outlets and speaks regularly at entrepreneurial and tech events across the region.
Amanda has also scaled the Alps, Mount Kenya and Snowdonia mountains.
Jason Goldberg
South Africa
Jason is the co-founder of Edge Growth and also Vumela Fund and he is the founder of 10X-e. He has a B.Sc Elec Eng and a B.Phil in Sustainable Development (both Cum Laude)
Jason started his career at Bain and Co. as a corporate strategist. Jason then founded Edge Growth to create jobs by building businesses. He has spent the last 10 years investing in, starting, scaling, and advising high potential ventures. Edge now has cR700m capital under management and works with 50-100 early stage venture teams at any time.
Recently, Jason launched 10X-e to help Founders navigate the most complex stage of building a business: transitioning from a start-up to a scaled enterprise. Jason intends to industrialise the Scale Up process by democratising Scale Up know-how and toolkits.
Raqiya Yusuf Ibrahim
Somaliland
Raqiya Yusuf is director of Complaints and Legal Service of Somaliland National Human Rights Commission. She was one of the very first women to qualify as a lawyer in her country. Against all negative advice from the elders, she set up a Somaliland Women Lawyer Association ("SWAL"), which is a female lawyer association, gathering women legal professionals dedicated to protect and improve women and children's human rights. SWAL now counts over 100 members and employs over 30 women. It also receives funding from UNDP, UNODC, and UNFPA. Last year SWAL brought over thousand cases to court.
Raqiya has dedicated all her professional life improving women and children's rights. She runs regular human rights workshops informing female citizens and lobbying for better laws at parliament (e.g. she has recently introduced a bill criminalizing marital rape). Raqiya also regularly advises international NGOs on human rights.
She obtained an LLB law degree in Somaliland (Hargeisa University), management (Hargeisa College) and accounting (computerized School) as well as an English certificate from the Iqra institute. She has worked as a lawyer in both the Regional court and District court of the Somaliland region. She has worked for the police force undertaking investigations on the women and child desk.
Jan Kornik
South Africa
Jon is a Principal in Google’s Energy Access & Investments team, responsible for clean energy investments in Africa. Through this work he has led Google’s investments into both the largest solar photovoltaic and wind farms on the continent.
Jon’s career has largely focused on delivering clean energy across Africa. Previously he has acted as a management consultant in this space, first for McKinsey & Company and later through independent consulting engagements which included helping the South African government think through how to draw cheap capital into a nascent renewables sector. He founded and grew the African office of South Pole Group, an international carbon finance firm, with work ranging from developing emission reduction projects across Africa to training Ghanaian banks on carbon finance. He also acted as a judge for National Geographic’s Terra Watt prize aimed at supporting disruptive startups delivering energy access, and served on Echoing Green’s Social Investment Council.
In his spare time, Jon loves running to audiobooks, snowboarding, and being taught how to grow up by his daughter. Jon has a Bachelor of Business Science and Masters in Finance from the University of Cape Town and a Masters in Business Administration from Columbia Business School.
Nike Lawrence
Liberia
Nike is a Corporate Strategy Specialist within the Dangote Group, where she is responsible for the Group Corporate Strategy team’s work in agriculture. The Group aims to contribute meaningfully to Nigeria achieving self-sufficiency in rice and sugar production. Working as an extension of the Group President’s office, Nike assists in determining how the Group will compete in the future by developing business cases for new opportunities and supporting existing subsidiaries in meeting their strategic goals.
Prior to moving to Nigeria, Nike held various roles in the finance industry – as Vice President in the Hedge Fund Strategy and Research Group at Morgan Stanley, Vice President in Corporate Development and Strategy for Deutsche Bank Asset Management, and as a Portfolio Associate for Acumen Fund West Africa. Nike drove Acumen’s expansion into Sierra Leone and Liberia and sourced and evaluated new investment opportunities in Ghana’s and Nigeria’s healthcare, education and agribusiness sectors.
Nike holds a B.S.E. in Operations Research and Financial Engineering from Princeton University and an MBA from Harvard Business School, where she was a Social Enterprise Fellow and Runner-Up in the HBS New Venture Competition (Social Track) as a co-founder of Tomato Jos, an indigenous tomato paste production company in Nigeria.
Emile Malan
South Africa
Emile’s motivation and approach to decision-making is simple. Africa has an estimated 25% of the world’s disease burden, yet a mere fraction of the world’s healthcare resources. Anyone who can lend a hand should. As a doctor, his exposure to the full weight and impact of the HIV epidemic in South Africa keeps him motivated to make a difference.
A Johannesburg-based South African who lived in the UK for 8 years, he is currently Area Medical Operations Director (GSK) working across sub-Saharan Africa & Asia, deeply convinced that Africans and their partners must continue to collaborate to address the significant disease burden. Asked why he has stopped practicing medicine and serving patients directly, he has a clear conviction that one can serve patients without having to directly treat them.
Amongst his key achievements he lists; team leadership and scientific engagements (2014 – 2016) and extensive work in HIV and implementation of GSK’s new travel sponsorship programme; he was instrumental in the setting up of a large independent biologic drug registry in 2011; a strategic partnership with private healthcare provider in 2009
His qualifications include an MBChB (2002, Pretoria) and an MBA (2009, Kingston-upon-Thames).
His areas of expertise and interest are healthcare, pharmaceuticals, management, mountain biking and being a good father.
Sucess Masra
Chad
Succès Masra, who considers himself as a “Development & Tolerance Soldier”, is a talented young African, sincerely passionate about Chad and Africa’s Development through his position at the African Development Bank. He is also President of Generation ABCD, a Leadership & Entrepreneurship Platform launched the day Nelson MANDELA passed away, to promote Mandela's legacy among the Next Generation of Decision Makers.
A serial entrepreneur (2) and writer (3 books), trained in Political Sciences and Governance at Sciences Po Paris (with the Best Scholarship of Merit), Succès conducted a PhD Thesis at Paris School of Economics on “Africa and the Challenges of the Post-Oil Economy, Leaded by Gael Giuraud.
A Visiting Lecturer at Sciences Po Paris, and a former Ernst& Young & BNP Paribas Fortis Employee, Succès is contributor to the 2013 African Competitiveness Report and the French Presidential Report for the 2015 COP21. He is lead author of a book in collaboration with other young leaders to be published in September 2016 titled: the Last Letter of MADIBA to the future Decision Makers of our World. He is a former Senior Advisor to the President of the African Business Club; a former AfDB Young Professional; and Recipient of the Best Leadership Initiative of the Paris 2016 Global Leadership Programme.
Thandi Mazibuko
South Africa
Thandi is a plant superintendent at Mining Plant A, a mining plant operated by Richards Bay Minerals (RBM), a Rio-Tinto-owned mine on the northern coast of KwaZulu-Natal. RBM extracts and processes the heavy minerals that occur on the dunes north and south of Richards Bay using a wet-mining process. Ponds are created in the dunes several kilometres from the shoreline. On each pond floats one or more dredgers and a concentrator. RBM currently operates four of these plants.
She manages the operational aspects of one of the plants, and leads a team of more than 40 permanent employees and 30 contractors. She is a metallurgist by profession, with a BTech in Metallurgical Engineering that she obtained in 2010. Thandi began her career in mining in 2005 as an operations assistant. In 2007 she was awarded a bursary to study metallurgy, and between 2010 and 2014 she has worked as a process metallurgist in several sections of the mine. She then moved to operations as an operations specialist before becoming a superintendent in 2015.
Cumesh Moodliar
South Africa
Cumesh is a qualified attorney and the Regional Head of Investec Private Bank for the Eastern Cape. The private bank in the region has 55 employees and consists of three key pillars, Banking, Property Finance and Private Capital. The region has offices in Port Elizabeth, East London and a presence in the Southern Cape. The bank's business has focused private client offerings in the property and private capital spaces and a full transactional banking offering.
Cumesh joined Investec in 2012 and has been based in the Port Elizabeth office. Prior to that he managed an established Eastern Cape based law firm, Goldberg & De Villiers for a number of years, where he headed up the commercial law department. He had joined the firm as a Candidate Attorney, and remained there for a period of 18 years before joining Investec.
In 2015, Cumesh attended the Programme for Leadership Development at Harvard Business School, which helped deepen his leadership skills, business analysis, strategy formulation and problem solving. Cumesh holds a BA, LLB and LLM (Tax). He is currently a deputy President of the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber, a regional business chamber.
Neema Ndunguru
Tanzania
Neema Ndunguru is a certified Project Manager (PMP) with extensive experience in working on Pan-African development projects. She is currently the Director for Business Environment at the President's Delivery Bureau (PDB) in Tanzania, where she supports implementation of national priority initiatives aimed at creating a conducive business environment.
She previously served as a Project Manager with the Investment Climate Facility for Africa (ICF), where she managed over 20 investment climate improvement projects across 8 countries in Africa including Cape Verde, Liberia, Kenya, Rwanda, and Zambia.
Prior to ICF, Neema worked with the East African Development Bank (EADB) where she gained exposure to challenges faced by the private sector in the region. Additionally, Neema has worked with the Foundation for Civil Society in Tanzania. In 2015, Neema was selected as one of 25 Young African Leaders in the inaugural Building Bridges Leading in Public Life Programme. A Social Anthropologist at heart and in training, Neema also holds a Master of Philosophy in Development Studies degree from the University of Cape Town.
Chris Ochieng
Kenya
Chris is a developer with global experience having planned, conceptualized and executed mixed-used developments and urban nodes in Middle East and Africa. He is the Managing Director of Athena Properties, a subsidiary of Centum Investment.
Chris formed Athena, which offers end-to-end solutions in real estate from inception to exit. He formed the company from scratch and currently has 35 employees and has created more than 3,000 indirect jobs. Athena is currently developing and managing Two Rivers Development in Nairobi, which is an urban node on 106 acres and 900,000 sqm of built-up area. He is also developing Pearl Marina in Entebbe, a city on 400 acres with a built up area of 1.5 Million sqm; Vipingo in Mombasa on 10,700 acres; and Bahari Beach in Tanzania on 300 acres, among other projects.
Prior to Joining Centum, he worked at Dubai World Trade centre, Palm Dubai project, Yas Marina project and Dubai Sports City. He is also involved in charity organisations, with a focus on mentoring African youth and enriching the capacity of less fortunate individuals in society.
Chris is a Civil Engineer by training and is a Certified Project Management.
Victoria Ibezim Ohaeri
Nigeria
Victoria Ohaeri, an SXSW 2013 honoree, and Harvard University alumni, is the founder and executive director of Spaces for Change – a non-profit that uses digital technology to crowdsource policy research data, facilitate public dialogue and mobilize the participation of the often-unheard segments of the population – youth, women and local communities – in the development of social and economic policies in Nigeria. With over 10 years research work and advocacy experience in Africa, Europe, and North and South America, she is currently the country team lead in an ongoing international energy sector research program focusing on Nigeria, Bangladesh and India. The 4-year multidisciplinary research program seeks to investigate the stark gender inequalities in access to energy resources, and build the evidence-base for developing policy reforms that can overcome these disparities in Nigeria.
Victoria also leads S4C’s frontline advocacy and litigation campaign to address the recurrent threats of urban violence and forced displacement in Lagos slum communities.
She writes weekly columns in three Nigerian national dailies, with her public commentary focusing mainly on energy, environment, the extractive industry, urban governance, gender and human rights. Victoria has a post-graduate diploma in social and economic rights from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland and a Master’s Degree from Harvard Law School, (Harvard University), USA.
Bame Pule
Botswana
Bame Pule is the founder of Africa Lighthouse Capital, an independent investment firm founded in 2012 to invest in and nurture businesses into African champions. The firm has a particular focus on helping investee companies expand into multiple key African markets.
Prior to founding Africa Lighthouse Capital, Mr. Pule spent six years (2006-2012) working at Actis Capital. Actis Capital is the largest private equity firm in the world that invests in emerging markets and is the largest private equity firm in Africa. Mr. Pule’s transactions at Actis Capital included an investment in the largest mattress manufacturer in Nigeria (Mouka Foam); a large logistics firm in South Africa (RTT); and the exit of an oil & gas company in Nigeria (Seven Energy). Prior to working at Actis Capital, he began his private equity career at ShoreView Capital in the United States and he also spent two years (2000-2002) working at Goldman Sachs in New York. At Goldman Sachs, Mr. Pule specialized in providing corporate finance advice to financial services companies.
Mr. Pule has Bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Political Science from Pomona College in Claremont, California (1996-2000). Mr. Pule also has a Master in Business Administration (MBA) degree from Harvard Business School in Boston, Massachusetts (2004-2006).
Andre Hilton Ross
South Africa
As Head of Financial Institutions, Africa, with Barclays Africa Corporate and Investment Bank, André plays a leading role in the work done with the Group’s Financial Institutions and Central Bank clients across the continent. He has been at the forefront of numerous landmark deals in Africa and two awards he has been recognized with include the 2013 ABSIP Dealer of the Year, and Banker’s Africa Debt Deal of the Year Award. Previously, he worked in development finance, based out of Israel.
Named in the 2015 “FN Extra Mile: 40 in finance who go further for others”, André is passionate about youth empowerment and using sport in effecting social change. He co-founded and chairs the Jala Peo Foundation, a sport-for-development NGO, whose programs have received the Beyond Sport Local Impact (2014), Murray and Roberts Jack Cheetham Sport Development Program of the Year (2014) and the South Africa Sports Industry Development Program of the Year (2015) Awards.
Holder of a Bachelor of Accounting and MBA (Cum Laude, UCT) degrees, André also serves as a Non-Executive board member of Afrigrow and Vice-President of the South African Schools Cycling Federation.
A sucker for punishment, he has completed the Absa Cape Epic and climbed Kilimanjaro.
Sadiq Usman
Nigeria
Sadiq is currently the Head, Corporate Business Development at FMN Plc., one of Nigeria’s largest food and agro-allied companies. As part of the senior management team, he is responsible for identifying and exploiting organic and strategic growth opportunities for the conglomerate. He is also a Non-Executive Director of NNFM Plc. and a Board Member of Nigerian-Belgian Chamber of Commerce.
Prior to this role, Sadiq worked with the previous Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in the capacity of an adviser on Economic Development. While at the CBN, he gained significant experience in crisis resolution, banking reform and policy development. Sadiq also served on the Bankers' Committee sub-Committee on Economic Development and Sustainability for 5 years with 4 Bank CEOs.
Before taking up the role at the CBN, Sadiq was a Vice-President at JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A., where he worked in a variety of roles serving the financing needs of sub-Saharan African clients. Sadiq has a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Business and Finance from the University of East Anglia, UK. He also has a Master’s degree in Development Economics from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, UK.
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