Speaker Group: Business Leader

Elise Donovan 2019 Speaker

Elise Donovan is the chief executive officer of BVI Finance and brings to the role wide-ranging work experience in Asia, North America, the Caribbean and Africa , Elise has played a major role in expanding and deepening the BVI’s financial services footprint in cities around world, specifically in the Asia Pacific region, through strategic relationship… Read more »

Matthew Gilbert 2019 Speaker

Matthew is head of the Maples Group’s British Virgin Islands team in London and chairs the Real Estate Finance group. He advises on finance, banking and corporate law matters involving BVI companies and partnerships, including public and private mergers and acquisitions, partnerships and joint ventures, debt and equity financings, and project, real estate and asset… Read more »

David Diaz Formidoni 2019 Speaker

David Diaz Formidoni is an Investment Officer (Energy Debt) at responsAbility Investments AG. Based in Zurich, David leads the sourcing, coordination, structuring and execution of debt investments in financial institutions across Africa for the Global Climate Partnership Fund (GCPF), which is managed by responsAbility. David has more than 6 years of experience in the development… Read more »

Shirley Webber 2019 Speaker

She was previously the Sector Director of Mining, Resources and Commodities at FirstRand Bank Limited in Johannesburg. Shirley joined Absa Bank Limited in 2011 and is the Coverage Head for Natural Resources at Absa (Corporate and Investment Banking). Her responsibilities include maintaining and growing relationships in the mining, metals, oil, gas and chemical industries. She… Read more »

Yvan Renaud 2019 Speaker

Yvan joined Symbiotics in 2005. Prior to this, he worked for BlueOrchard Finance where he was the chief operations officer. Before this, he was a microfinance consultant in Peru and a small enterprise consultant in Western Africa and worked as a fund accountant at Capital International in Geneva. Yvan holds a degree in Business Administration… Read more »

Bola Onadele Koko 2019 Speaker

Bola Onadele. Koko is the pioneer Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange. Prior to this engagement, Koko was the President of FDHL, a financial markets and risk management consulting firm he founded in 2001, where he provided business leadership in the empowerment of the Nigerian fixed income market and consulted extensively for… Read more »

Michael Carlo Fabbroni 2019 Speaker

Michael Carlo Fabbroni is Head of Financial Institutions Debt Africa at ResponsAbility Investments AG. Based in Nairobi, Michael is in charge of the coordination and sourcing of transactions, supervision of due diligences activities, execution of transactions and portfolio management for debt investments in financial institutions, including commercial banks, microfinance banks, leasing companies, and selected consumer… Read more »

Tokunboh Ishmael 2019 Speaker

Tokunboh Ishmael is the co-founder of Alitheia Capital – a Nigeria-based fund manager channeling private equity investments to transform businesses in West Africa where funding gaps create unique opportunities. In 2015, she co-founded Alitheia Identity (www.alitheiaidentity.com) to scale investing across Sub-Saharan women-led SMEs. 

Tokunboh is a CFA Charter holder, corporate financier and M&A banker having… Read more »

Abenet Bekele 2019 Speaker

Abenet Bekele is the Chief Market Operations Officer of the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange (ECX), first of its kind in Africa, a private-public partnership between market actors, the members of the exchange, and the government. Abenet is responsible for the major operations of the exchange including trading operation, clearing and settlement, and actors certification. He has… Read more »