Our Board

BOARD TREASURER

Kodjo is the CEO and Founder of Unscramble Africa. He is an entrepreneur with experience building businesses and many year of experience across investment banking, management consulting, and business development. Prior to starting Unscramble Africa and AfriCollateral Ltd., he was VP and Global Head of Commodities and Credit Derivatives Product Valuation at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in Houston, New York, and London.

He is a certified wine sommelier and is the first and only African certified Vinitaly Italian Wine Ambassador. He started Africa Wine Academy to train young Africans working in restaurants, hotels, and hospitality in wines and spirits. Africa Wine Academy is currently the only WSET APP (Wine & Spirit Education Trust Approved Program Partner) in West Africa.

Kodjo has an MBA from the Yale University School of Management with a focus in Strategy and Asset Management. He holds a Master of Science degree in Financial Mathematics from the University of Chicago and Bachelor of Science degree in Physics and Mathematics from Hampton University.

Dhiren is a senior executive, advisor, and co-founder with over 20 years track record of advising, investing and underwriting debt transactions across multiple jurisdictions. His professional and entrepreneurial accomplishments in the UK and Spain, alongside having been raised in Kenya, brings about a unique blend of experience, cultural awareness and energy that thrives in both commercial and philanthropic environments.

Dhiren has an MBA from Rome Business School, and a BA (Hons) in Industrial Economics from the University of Nottingham.

Beyond the corporate and academic world, Dhiren is deeply passionate about Africa, and making a positive impact on society through sports, education, philanthropy, and personal investments. Some his interests and activities include:
• Under-14s Development Coach for Ealing Hockey Club.
• Guest Lecturer in the Masters in Finance degree at IE University, Madrid.
• Advisor, Consultant and Fundraiser for start-ups in Media, Real Estate, Fintech and GenAI.
• Donor to several homes for orphaned children in Kenya.

Jewelle is a seasoned corporate executive and trailblazer in communications, sustainability, and diversity leadership, with over 30 years of experience at Sumitomo Corporation of Americas (SCOA), the largest subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation, a Japanese integrated trading firm. In 2019, she became the first female Corporate Group General Manager in the organization, heading the newly formed Communications and Diversity Promotion Group and founding SCOA's first Diversity & Inclusion Department. Jewelle had also held key positions in the PR and communications sector, including roles at Hill & Knowlton in Hawaii and New York, where she specialized in environmental issues, crisis management, and Japanese business development. She also participated in both the UN Rio Earth Summit and the Kyoto Protocol as part of her sustainability work.

As Co Founder & CEO of MaxBalo Group and Co-Founder & Partner of GIAC, Akwasi brings over 20 years of experience in entrepreneurship, sales, customer experience, investment, scaling companies, acquisitions, finance, and Spin-offs. He’s passionate about building high-performance teams and relentlessly pursuing the highest metrics of value creation and razor focused on revenue growth and exceptional customer experience while driving impact. His work experience spans across these companies: IBM, Cisco, Department of Transportation, Khapsul, GIAC, LevaData, Fama, and MaxBalo.  He holds an MBA from the University of Minnesota and a B.S. in Computer Science from Alabama State University.

Chike Nwoffiah is an educator, multi-sector investor and media executive. He is a graduate of University of Lagos, Nigeria and Columbia University's Graduate School of Business INM program. He has a Producer’s Diploma from the Hollywood Film Institute and certificates in Arts and Culture Strategy from University of Pennsylvania and Constitutional Law from Yale University. After twelve successful years as a corporate strategist for a Silicon Valley bio-tech company, he transitioned into the creative sector and quickly became a respected regional and national voice in arts and culture advocacy for marginalized communities.

He is the founding director of Silicon Valley African Film Festival (SVAFF), an annual festival, now in its 16th year, that presents over 100 films by Africa’s seasoned and emerging filmmakers from about 40 countries. He is the president of Rhesus Media Group and also founding partner and director of the Africa Film Fund, a San Jose, California based venture fund that empowers African filmmakers to tell their unique stories and contribute to the cultural and economic growth of Africa, through strategic investments in high-potential film projects.

Nwoffiah is an award winning film and theater producer and director with over 50 productions to his credit. In December 2024, the 46th President of the United States of America, Joseph R. Biden, awarded Nwoffiah, The President’s Gold Volunteer Service Award for his contribution to the public good.

BOARD PRESIDENT

Nozomi is the Founder and Director of Msterio.org and Msterio.jp, organizations that uniquely connect young people through shared experience for mutual understanding and respect. She worked at the American Embassy in Tokyo, Fuji Television’s morning show, Itochu International in New York, and Morgan Stanley where she was employed for 18 years, ultimately as an Executive Director. She devotes her full time to MSTERIO and several charity organizations as a board member and Princeton in Asia (PiA) as a country advisor for Japan.

Sid Mofya's journey began in Zambia through the UK to Silicon Valley where he presently works with world-class leaders and organizations at the intersection of venture capital and entrepreneurship. He collaborates with innovators and capital allocators to fuel best-in-class innovators, create cross-sector collaborations, build sustainable ecosystems and scale solutions and impact globally. He has led teams across global ecosystems with organizations like the Draper Venture Network, Shell, the UK Ministry of Justice and Pricewaterhouse Coopers. 

As a Kauffman Fellow, he has supported organizations cultivating the next generation of innovators including Restless Development, BongoHive Technology Hub, and LIONS@frica. Creativity and a love for the outdoors is in his DNA. He also enjoys composing music, coaching soccer, and hiking in the San Francisco Bay area, where he lives with his wife and two daughters.

Sese is an International Development Specialist with deep and varied experience in private sector investment and related advisory services, particularly in the areas of strategy development, design of business development interventions for businesses and project management. Previously, she worked for many years with the World Bank Group, serving in several different positions with the Multinational International Guarantee Agency (MIGA) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC). Presently, she works as a consultant, leading teams to develop strategies for private sector development in several countries in Africa.

Sese is passionate about philanthropy and giving back to society. In the past 5 years, she has successfully applied her experience international development to the non-profit space in Ghana. Currently, she’s the President of Caring Sisters of Anlo Traditional Area, a non-profit organization established over 30 years ago to tackle the challenges facing the women and girls in the Anlo area. She also serves as a Trustee on the boards of the National Partnership for Children’s Trust (an education-focused Trust) and the Vodza Ecotourism Initiative.

Veselina is a finance professional and an accomplished academic at Haas School of Business at University of California, Berkeley.

She teaches courses in accounting, finance and stock valuation and excels in transforming complex financial concepts into straightforward, actionable insights, driving strategic sustainable growth and efficiency.

Her life’s mission is to help her students develop the skills, knowledge and attitude needed for professional and personal success and become the leaders who work every day to make the world a better place for everyone.

Leonie Alexandre is a highly experienced finance and administration executive with a robust background in leading financial operations and strategic initiatives across both nonprofit and for-profit sectors. Currently based in Florida, Ms. Alexandre excels in driving financial growth, ensuring regulatory compliance, and aligning financial strategies with the core missions of the organizations she serves.

In her current position as Director of Finance and Accounting at Charter School Growth Fund, she has played a pivotal role in overseeing financial operations. Her reputation for strong leadership, collaborative teamwork, and expertise in financial reporting standards and compliance has made her a trusted professional in her field.

Alexandre's educational credentials include a Master's in Business Administration from Saint Joseph’s University and a Bachelor's degree in Accounting and International Business from Pennsylvania State University. She remains passionate about advocating for financial literacy and educational initiatives in her community, continuously using her skills to create a positive impact within the nonprofit sector.

Patrice Tanaka is a best-selling author, public speaker on business and life purpose, serial entrepreneur, and co-founder of three award-winning, PR & Marketing agencies, and the consultancy, Joyful Planet LLC, focused on building “purpose-driven” individuals and organizations to help them unleash greater success, fulfillment and joy in their personal lives, workplaces, and communities.  Her VISION of a JOYFUL PLANET is eight billion people actively living their purpose and leveraging their talent, expertise, and passion in service of other people and or planet.  Patrice has lived in New York City for most of her adult life but calls Hawaii “home” and she is committed to living her life with the “Aloha Spirit.”  

Prof. Mieko Ikegame is national of Japan with academic background in business administration, political science and anthropology from Tokyo Women’s University, Simon Fraser University in Canada and graduate school of Stockholm University in Sweden. She is one of the first Japanese women employed by the United Nations and served 33 years in the UN system including UN Secretariat, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP). In 2006 she was nominated as one of the 100 most influential Japanese women in the World by the Newsweek Japan.

In 2013 she joined African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) as Special Adviser to the CEO. In 2023 she  was appointed as Special Envoy of Thabo Mbeki Foundation 2023 by the former President Mbeki. In 2024 she was designated as honorary professor of global governance and international diplomacy at the University of South Africa. Currently, she holds also various positions including high level executive senior adviser of Japanese companies and private sector associations in enhancing trade and investment in Africa. 

After graduating in languages from Cambridge University, Ian taught for a few years in Switzerland and Hong Kong before starting his diplomatic career with the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In addition to a range of jobs in London, including on the Commission for Africa chaired by then Prime Minister Tony Blair, this profession took him to postings on four continents, among them China, Venezuela and Samoa as well as three countries in Africa. Ian considers himself very privileged to have been able to work in - and learn from - many different cultures and meet a wide array of impressive and interesting people, something he still enjoys when the opportunity arises. Some personal highlights from a varied career include heading the British embassy in Guinea during the West African ebola crisis; hosting a royal visit in Turkmenistan; and organising a large concert by British soul singer Joss Stone in Asmara. 

During this time Ian has maintained a keen interest in international development, notably health and children's issues; and enjoyed combining this with a personal interest in music by helping and encouraging young Eritrean musicians. When time permits he enjoys travelling, photography and cultural outings.