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Our Board

Arnold Ekpe

Honorary President

Mr Arnold Ekpe has over 30 years of African and international banking
experience. He served as Group CEO and Executive Director of Ecobank
Transnational Incorporated, transforming the bank from a small, five-country operation into a truly pan-African bank, present in more African countries than any other bank.

Arnold Ekpe has held senior positions at United Bank for Africa, Citibank and First Chicago, and was Vice President and Head of Structure Trade and Corporate Finance for sub-Saharan Africa  for Citibank.

Clive Carpenter

Deputy Chairman

Clive is an international banker and company director with a proven track record in management at the board level. He holds the definitive qualification in corporate governance. He has nearly 40 years’ experience in business and finance, principally within the banking industry and latterly in private sector development. Much of this experience has been gained in the highly challenging environments of African countries. He has specialist skills relating to operating in Kenya and Nigeria, countries with which he maintains extensive contacts at all levels.

David Lamb

Chairman

David is Principal at The Cheverell Partnership which offers guidance and project assessment to businesses focussed on Southern Africa, in particular Zimbabwe. He has investments in several  private companies and is a name at Lloyds. After reading law at Edinburgh University he qualified as an accountant in 1965 and worked in banking in the Bahamas and trading and manufacturing in Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Jeremy Sivyer

Honorary Legal Advisor

Karen Taylor

CEO

Karen Taylor has had more than twenty years experience in the trade exhibitions industry with a reputation for successfully managing both private and public companies. Well versed in senior management of the venue and organising sectors of the events and exhibitions industry. 

Kevin Korgba

Kevin is Co-founder and Managing Director of the Enterprise, Training & Knowledge Group Ltd (ETK Group), a UK-based company providing consultancy, business matchmaking/market entry services and training solutions to individuals and businesses with an interest in Africa. Kevin started his first business in the oil and gas sector in Nigeria and has also done business in Europe, South America and Southeast Asia.

Lanre Akinola

Lanre Akinola, born and raised in Nigeria, is the Editor of African Business, IC Publications and former Editor of This Is Africa at the Financial Times. He worked with the Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa, a pan-African program aiming to build media capacity and improve access to information in order to advance transparency and governance on the continent.

Mark Smith

Mark has worked in the financial services industry for 28 years, working for Thomas Cook, Lunn Poly (TUI UK) and is now at Travelex as Business Development Director, Africa. Mark is responsible for the operation of Travelex Nigeria based in Lagos and he has been a frequent visitor to the country in this capacity over the past ten years.

Noline Matemera

Noline is a highly experienced financial services regulatory lawyer with an in-depth knowledge of financial services law in the UK and the EU. Her experience includes obtaining regulatory authorisation and approvals, advising on conduct of business matters and assisting clients with cross-border regulatory issues. Noline has particular expertise in client assets and self-invested personal pensions.

Pamela Wadi

Pamela is director of the Africa team at FTI Consulting – a global business advisory firm based in London. Pamela is responsible for advising major international clients on the risks associated with her topics of specialization, including assessments of corruption and integrity risks for various mining, oil and gas, financial services and telecommunications clients investing in sub-Saharan Africa. Pamela has wide experience of working in Southern and Western Africa.