Global Advisors
Trustees
Senior Advisors
ALLIANCE FELLOWS
Global Advisors
Irene Pritzker
IDP Foundation
Irene Pritzker is the founder and President of the IDP Foundation, Inc. The IDP Foundation is dedicated to developing and supporting programs that are sustainable and move away from aid dependent models. She believes a combination of smart philanthropy and investment solutions can be galvanized to make that future a reality, as demonstrated by the success of IDP Rising Schools Program in Ghana. In 2017, IDP became a Founding Partner of Harambeans and launched the Harambeans Global Access Program.
STEDMAN GRAHAM
S. GRAHAM AND ASSOCIATES
Stedman Graham is chairman and CEO of S. Graham and Associates, a management and marketing consulting firm. He is the author of 12 books, including two New York Times best sellers and one Wall Street Journal bestseller. As a businessman, educator and speaker, Graham lectures and conducts training programs for corporations and educational organizations worldwide on the topic of Identity Leadership, based on the philosophy that one cannot lead anyone else until you first lead yourself. He has delivered Identity Leadership programs in The Netherlands, Germany, China, Canada, the UK, Bermuda and South Africa. Graham serves on several boards and has received numerous awards. Mr. Graham has facilitated Identity Leadership Sessions with Harambeans.
Michael Hastings CBE, Lord Hastings of Scarisbrick
British Parliament
Lord Dr Michael Hastings is a member of Parliament in the British House of Lords and former Global Head of Citizenship for KPMG International. He currently serves as the Stephen R. Covey Endowed Professor of Leadership at the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business. He has also served as a Member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Council on Diversity and Talent, the WEF’s Global Agenda Council on the Role of Business and joined the WEF Global Agenda Council on Migration. He was previously a non-executive Director of British Telecom (on the Board for Responsible and Sustainable Business) and was a Global Board member of Millennium Promise. In 2017 he was installed as the second Chancellor of Regent’s University London. Lord Hastings is a mentor to several Harambeans and Co-Chair of the Harambeans Global Advisory Board.
FLAMINIA GIOVANELLI
VATICAN
Flaminia Giovanelli is the retired Under-Secretary of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, and as such was recognized as the highest-ranking laywoman in the Roman Curia. Giovanelli is an expert on economics and political science, with a profound knowledge of ethical, work-related, economic, and financial issues and was able to make decisive contributions to the Holy See’s input on questions of integral development, poverty and social cohesion at international institutions such as the UN, the EU, the Council of Europe and the World Labour Organisation. She is author of several children’s books and co-founder and President of O Viveiro Girl School in Mozambique. Giovanelli has been mentoring and welcoming Harambeans to the Vatican since 2011.
BRIDGET FURY
BRIDGET FURY CONSULTING
Bridget Fury served as Founding Director of the Oppenheimer Generations Foundation and South Africa Director for the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs. In previous role, Bridget advised a range of governments, donors, NGOs, corporations and individuals in social and impact investment strategies and structures. Bridget advises and mentors Harambeans.
JEFF HOFFMAN
global entreprenuership network
Jeff Hoffman is an award-winning global entrepreneur, proven CEO, worldwide motivational speaker, bestselling author, Hollywood film producer, a producer of a Grammy winning jazz album, and executive producer of an Emmy Award winning television show. In his career, he has been the founder of multiple startups, he has been the CEO of both public and private companies, and he has served as a senior executive in many capacities. Jeff has been part of a number of well-known successful startups, including Priceline.com/Booking.com, uBid.com and more. He is a mentor to Harambeans and frequently shares his knowledge and experience with Harambeans through the Knowledge Transfer Sessions.
REGINA ABRAMI
LAUDER INSTITUTE
Dr. Regina Abramiis an award-winning teacher, public speaker, and institutional innovator. She currently serves as the Chang Sun Term Professor and Faculty Director of the Global Program at the Lauder Institute of Management & International Studies. Well-known for her passion for changemakers, curricular design, experiential education, and the practice of strategic foresight and leadership development, Dr. Abrami considers herself an “early adopter” of the Harambean mission to build Africa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem together and better. Prior to joining the Lauder Institute, she was on the faculty of Harvard Business School where she served as Chair of its Immersion Experience Program (IXP).
LORENZO LARINI
IPSOS
Lorenzo Larini is the North America CEO of Ipsos, the world-leading research and insights organization. Before Ipsos, Lorenzo worked at Gartner, where he was responsible for the global business dedicated to Technology and Digital Leaders, one of Gartner’s largest and fastest-growing business units. He has held leadership roles in Consulting, Product Management and Software Engineering within the Media and Telecom sector as a recognized thought leader in matters Digital. Lorenzo has advised the main Boards of many of the largest organizations in the world, regularly presented at global conferences and co-authored multiple articles on technology, including within Forbes.
TRUSTEES
MARY DE WYSOCKI
CISCO
Mary de Wysocki is Senior Director, Corporate Affairs at Cisco where she leads the Global Problem Solving Initiative, committed to positively impacting 1 billion people by 2025. Mary has over a decade of experience leading various corporate social responsibility and education initiatives for Cisco. She is a member of the World Economic Forum and a supporter of numerous Harambean-led ventures in education.
SNEHA SHAH
SEI investments cOMPANY
Sneha Shah serves as the Head of New Business at SEI. She has served as a Managing Director at the London Stock Exchange, Refinitiv and Thompson Reuters. She is a global business leader with deep commercial acumen and a passion for business as a force for good. Multi-faceted growth leader with proven P&L, product innovation and sales leadership experience at global scale. Change agent and culture carrier with an ability to inspire entrepreneurialism and mitigate risk. She is a member of the Young Presidents Organization and mentor and investor in several Harambeans.
YONAS BESHAWRED H'08
STACKSHARE
Yonas Beshawred is the founder and CEO of Stackshare, a Silicon Valley startup on a mission to transform the way that all SaaS tools and infrastructure services are bought and sold. He studied Information Systems at University of Maryland, worked at Accenture and joined the inaugural class of Harambeans in 2008. Yonas is a founding member of the Harambe Board of Trustees.
MARK WEBER
MIT-IBM WATSON AI LAB
Mark Weber is the Senior Lead of Business Innovation at IBM Research, where he leads a global team of designers, engineers, and strategists supporting lab-to-market impact for clients and partners. Prior to his current role, Mark led Strategy & Operations and ran the membership program at the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab. He is the holder of an MBA in finance from the MIT Sloan School of Management. He is a mentor to several Harambeans and a values advisor to the Founder of the Alliance.
MATTHIAS REICHWALD
ROBERT MACPHERSON
RECIPROCUS INTERNATIONAL PTE LTD
Robert MacPherson is a Junior Partner at Reciprocus International Pte Ltd and Founder of Strathpoint LLC. He is also a researcher for the Centre for African Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and his work on Asia-Africa affairs has been widely published. Robert is a founding member of the Harambe Board of Trustees.
OKENDO LEWIS GAYLE
HARAMBEANS
Okendo Lewis-Gayle is the author of Harambeans, founding partner of Harambeans Prosperity Fund and Founder & Chairman of the Harambe Entrepreneur Alliance. He is the inaugural Schwarzman Founder in Residence at Tsinghua University in China and has served as Africa Advisor to the Vatican, Rhodes Scholars, and Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Okendo is a graduate of Harvard University.
Senior Advisors
AKUNNA COOK
COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
Akunna Cook served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs in the Biden-Harris Administration. Previously, she served as the inaugural executive director of the Black Economic Alliance, a non-partisan organization focused on driving economic progress in the black community through policy development, advocacy, and supporting candidates for office. Ms. Cook practiced law Covington & Burling LLP, where she advised former Attorney General Eric Holder on political and legal strategy related to redistricting around the country. She is a graduate of the Yale Law School and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Ms. Cook is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a member of the Washington, D.C. bar. Ms. Cook advices and mentors several Harambeans.
JEREMIAH GORDON
CAPITALG
Jeremiah Gordon joined Google in 2011 and has been the General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of CapitalG since its creation. Jeremiah is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School. Jeremiah and his wife Josephine have hosted a number of Harambeans at their residence in San Matteo during Alliance Silicon Valley treks.
SACHIN SHAH
STANDARD BANK
Sachin Shah is a C-level leader shaping the transformation of Retail and Corporate Banking in Africa over the last 20 years. He has led teams running regional and local franchises achieving exceptional business growth. He is a thought leader, speaker and publisher on digitization, innovation and leadership. For the many Harambeans, he serves as a mentor and shape emerging talent, encouraging upcoming generations to harness the diversity, simplicity and passion for good which resonates across the African continent.
AMANDA PULLINGER
100 WOMEN IN FINANCE
Amanda Pullinger is the Chief Executive Officer of 100 Women in Finance. The organization, which now has nearly 20,000 registered members in 26 locations, is focused on empowering women in the finance industry and inspiring the next generation of pre-career young women. She is also Chair and Non Executive Director of the Board of FlyPlymouth, based in Plymouth, UK. She also serves on the Boards of the HALO Trust (USA), the American Friends of The National Portrait Gallery (London) Foundation and as a Director on the Oxford University Alumni Board. She is President of the Brasenose Society, Vice Chair of the Women’s Network Forum. Amanda is currently a member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. She is a long time friend of Harambeans and frequents Harambean events.
OSCAR ADELMAN
REMI
Oscar Adelman is the Founder and CEO of Remi, a direct-to-consumer sleep and wellness company backed by Foundation Capital. He served as an investor at Sinai Ventures where he sourced several investments including Grow Mobility (50x markup), Swiftmile (lead investor), Skyryse, Doorport (lead investor) and Esusu (lead investor). In addition to sourcing and diligence, he supported the fund’s operations including running their quarterly and annual LP reporting process. Previously, he was a leading young professional at Young Venture Capitalists Association, an analyst intern at BMWi Ventures and OurCrowd. Oscar is a graduate of the New York University Stern School of Business and serves on the Budget & Audit Committee of Harambeans.
PARDON MAKUMBE
CRE VENTURE CAPITAL
Pardon Makumbe is a Founding Partner at CRE Venture Capital. He served as a Principal at EL Rothschild in New York and London and is a graduate of Princeton University and the Wharton School of Business. Pardon is a mentor to Harambeans and, through CRE Venture Capital, has invested in Andela and several other Harambean-led ventures.
PROFESSOR ANYWHERE SIKOCHI
HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL
Anywhere Sikochi (Siko) is an assistant professor and Berol Corporation Fellow at Harvard Business School, where he teaches the Financial Reporting and Control course in the MBA required curriculum. Before his graduate studies, Professor Sikochi was a consultant at Lexecon and Charles River Associates. Professor Sikochi is the author of the case studies on Harambean venture LULA (a mobility startup in South Africa), and the case study “Harambe: Mobilising Capital in Africa.” He also supports and advises many Harambeans.
TIM HARRIS
WESGRO
Tim Harris is a partner at public sector advisory firm Consulum where he leads the Competitiveness practice and the Cape Town office. He was previously the CEO of Wesgro, the Tourism, Trade & Investment Promotion agency for Cape Town and the Western Cape. During the more than six years that he led the agency it was regarded by the World Bank as the best sub-national agency in Africa. Before that served as a Member of Parliament and Shadow Minister of Finance in South Africa. Tim is an Associate Professor of Practice at Johannesburg Business School, a Senior Advisor to the Harambe Entrepreneur Alliance, the leading network of entrepreneurs on the African continent, and a member of the Cape Town Chapter of YPO.
FRANCESCO TRONCI
INVESTINDUSTRIAL
Francesco Tronci is Senior Vice President at Investindustrial, a leading ESG-responsible private equity group based in Switzerland. He is a long-time officer for the NOVA-MBA Association (uniting thousands of Italian MBAs abroad), a volunteer/supporter of Mentors4u (pro-bono mentoring network for university students) and a co-founder of Sardinia in Business and Finance (bringing executives to teach pro-bono to students on the island). Francesco mentors Harambeans and hosts summer seminars for them in Switzerland.
ROBIN ROBERTS
REHEARSE IT!
Robin Roberts is the founder of Rehearse it! and was previously the senior partner for the global executive search firm Egon Zehnder. He commissioned with 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards as a regular officer. Robin is a mentor and investor in several Harambeans and is a founding member of the Harambe Advisory Board.
STEVEN OBIAJULU
ROPES & GRAY
Steven Obiajulu is a lawyer at Ropes & Gray, with a focus on private equity and venture capital transactions. He has advised clients regarding IP and technology issues in corporate transactions (private equity transactions, public company M&A and minority investments) and has represented clients in M&A deals for the acquisition of proprietary software platforms. Steven is a graduate of Harvard Law School (JD 2018) and MIT (SB Mechanical Engineering 2013). Steven supports and mentors several Nigerian-based Harambean companies.
Harambean Advisors
ELIZABETH MASIYIWA, H'18
SIMBA EDUCATION
YASMIN KUMI, H'16
AFRICA FORESIGHT GROUP
Yasmin Kumi is the founder of Africa Foresight Group, an African-owned and managed firm that provides locally accessible, world-class insights and advisory services to grow local companies into global champions. Their services include research, strategy development, implementation support and stakeholder engagement. Kumi became a Harambean in 2016.
MELVYN LUBEGA, H'16
GO1
Melvyn Lubega is the co-founder and director of the GO1 team in South Africa. After honing his skills with the Boston Consulting Group, he joined GO1, an established leader in online learning and education, working alongside some of the largest companies in the world covering a wide range of industries and regions. GO1 empowers organisations to offer world-class training and invest in their most important asset – their people. Lubega became a Harambean in 2016.
MAYA HORGAN-FAMODU, H'17
INGRESSIVE
Maya Horgan-Famodu is a Nigerian-American entrepreneur, founder and partner at Ingressive, a firm that provides market entry, technology research and market operations services for firms and businesses expanding into Africa. She also founded Ingressive Capital, a venture capital fund investing in Africa-based technology companies. Horgan-Famodu became a Harambean in 2017.
CHRISTIAN OKOYE, H'13
SIDEWALK INFRASTRUCTURE PARTNERS
Christian Okoye is a Partner at Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners, a Palo Alto firm responsible for origination, diligence, and execution of technology-enabled infrastructure transactions. Prior to this he was an Investment Manager at Emerson Collective where he managed late stage VC and growth equity investments in emerging market energy access and sustainable infrastructure. Mr. Okoye holds an MBA and MS in Energy Resources from Stanford University and became a Harambean in 2013.
ALLIANCE FELLOWS
BRIAN SIMIYU
SYSTEMS FELLOW
Mr. Simiyu serves as the Systems Fellow at the Alliance. He is a qualified financial analyst and advisor with eight years of working experience. He has been fortunate enough to work for and with some of the most exciting high growth startups, corporations, MSMEs and non-profits on both the continental and global stage where he has served in various capacities such as a Founder, Chief Finance Officer, Managing Partner, Fund Advisor , Angel Investor or Board member to mention but a few. He is a also a fellow of the first Jasiri cohort – a program sponsored by the Allan and Gill Gray Philanthropies, a Partner of the Harambean Alliance.
Denver isaacs
GLOBAL SUMMIT FELLOW
Denver Isaacs is a Global Summit Fellow of the Harambe Entrepreneur Alliance. He completed his BA in Psychology at Cornerstone Institute in South Africa. Mr Isaacs is also an MMA fighter, Regional Boxing Champion, Pro-Amateur Muay Thai fighter, and a South African National MMA medalist to represent South Africa at the 2023 IMMAF World Championships.
bulelani jili
strtategy Fellow
RYAN LEE
TECH OPERATIONS Fellow
Ryan Lee is a Tech Operations Fellow of the Harambe Entrepreneur Alliance. He is a graduate of Boston College and Harvard University. He co-founded two edtech startups involving virtual reality and served as co-director of the Harvard Vatican Leadership Summit.
MILAIN FAYULU
strtategy Fellow
Milain Fayulu is a Strategy Fellow of the Harambeans Entrepreneur Alliance. He is the Founder of Congo Clothing Company and Co-Founder of Congo River Capital. Previously, Milain founded Eben, Flashstay and Intelcongo. Milain holds a Bachelor in Economics from the University of Miami and a Master of Science in Political Science from the Massachusetts Institute of technology (MIT).