2022 CONFIRMED SPEAKERS
2022 CONFIRMED SPEAKERS
WAPI is privileged to host some of the foremost professionals working in property investment today. As the goal of our summit is to enrich the working experience of our delegates through relevant information and insights, we take great care in selecting a high calibre of speakers, who, in many respects, set the tone for the summit. Futhermore, as a speaker you get the most visibility and the most significant corporate brand exposure. If you would like to get in touch with us about speaking at WAPI Summit, please contact Susan Swartz – susan@apievents.com
Trevor Ward has been specialist consultant in the hospitality, leisure and real estate industries for over 30 years. He is the Principal of the W Hospitality Group, and Chairman of Hotel Partners Africa, with offices in the UK, Ethiopia, Nigeria and South Africa. He is regarded as one of the foremost experts on the hotel industry in sub-Saharan Africa, and is engaged primarily in development consultancy ranging from investment appraisals to operator selection, owner’s representation and asset management, valuations, financing, development management, procurement and agency.
Dolapo Omidire is the Founder and Team Lead at Estate Intel. He spent over 2 years at Broll in Nigeria as the Lead Research Analyst working on market and feasibility studies for international and local institutional real estate investors. Dolapo also spent over a year at AXA Mansard Investments as an Alternative Investment Analyst. Dolapo is a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (UK) with a specialty in Commercial Property Research and also holds a BSc in Investment and Finance in Property from the University of Reading, UK.
Tilda is a Research Associate at Estate Intel, in charge of the team’s research and insights. She is also responsible for analysing macro-economic and real estate data to generate high level insights on the real estate market across Sub-Saharan Africa. Her knowledge and experience spans all real estate sectors and includes key markets across East, West, South and North Africa. Tilda holds a Bachelors in Real Estate from the University of Nairobi and is currently pursuing an MSC in Analytics and Consultancy from Heriot Watt University.
Chuka is a Senior Project Manager leading the real estate sector for Turner & Townsend in Nigeria. He has over 10 years’ experience delivering projects across multiple asset classes ranging from corporate occupier, healthcare, hospitality and data centers. Chuka has extensive experience in delivering sustainable projects accredited by LEED and IFC Edge. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Cardiff University, UK and an MSc.in Construction Economics and Management from University College London.
Chris Titmas is a seasoned and internationally experienced Professional at an Executive level, with 30 years industry experience and has strong exposure to Project & Construction Design, Development & Delivery on iconic high-end hotels and other sector projects in several global regions, having delivered projects on behalf of astute private vendors, international property & equity funds, as well as institutions and PPP’s having worked in the UAE, MENA, Indian Ocean Island regions and Southern & West Africa. Chris’ current remit is Managing Director for Profica International.
Mark Slade is the co-founder and creator of Little Company Nigeria Limited. A family-run hospitality and property group with big ambitions. Focused on the very best hospitality experience, Mark and his wife Millie co-founded Jara Beach Resort in 2019, inspired only by providing unforgettable experiences along Lagos’ beautiful coastline. Mark has extensive general management and operational success in Nigeria and across Sub Saharan Africa in media, marketing and property development. Mark was born in the southwest of England and has called Lagos home since 2008, with Millie and their two children.
Ronald Philip heads strategy across the Middle East, Africa and South Asia for Agility Logistics Parks, a leading developer of warehouse parks and part of the $9Bn Agility conglomerate. In his role, Ronald leads strategic planning, partnerships and growth into new markets, new asset classes and building new capabilities. In Africa, Agility Logistics Parks already has a presence in 5 countries and is expanding further. Prior to Agility, Ronald worked with McKinsey & Company, focused on real estate and infrastructure sectors, serving CxO and Minister-level clients globally. He worked with the World Economic Forum, PwC’s infrastructure practice, GE Consumer Finance and the World Bank earlier in his career. Ronald was educated at Harvard University and the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Kozhikode. Ronald is engaged in the proptech space in his day job at Agility and personally as an angel investor in and advisor to proptech startups in Africa.
John Oamen is the CEO of Cutstruct Technology, creators of LiveVend. He is passionate about helping the construction industry achieve its full potential, and has created the LiveVend platform to digitize and solve some of the major pain points surrounding pricing, material procurement, workforce, and construction project management that currently exist in the construction industry. His goal is to help stakeholders build quality structures with a keen eye on environmental impact. He is a key player in the Nigerian prop-tech space, and his life’s purpose is to convert his practical experiences to learnings for the next person in need.
Tolu joined Actis in 2015 as a member of the real estate investment team based in Lagos, focusing on West and Central Africa. In this role his is responsible for fundraising, origination, execution, portfolio management and exits. He currently serves as the Fund Manager for the Actis West Africa Real Estate Income Fund (“NREIF”). Prior to Actis, Tolu was a Vice President at African Capital Alliance (“ACA”). At ACA Tolu invested in retail, hospitality, residential and office assets in West Africa. He started his finance career as an Associate in Citigroup’s Investment Banking business where he covered North American chemical companies. He holds a BBA in Information Systems and Analysis from Howard University, a Masters in Science in Engineering from The Johns Hopkins University and a Masters of Business Administration from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
I am a multifaceted, highly-qualified, and self-motivated professional. My on-the-job experience has afforded me a well-rounded skill set in areas of; Sales and marketing, Customer Service Management, Business Development, Project Planning & Promotions
A hospitality investment and development professional with a wealth of experience gained in the US, Europe, and Africa. Experienced hotel investment advisor in 25+ African markets; hotel investment analysis with a major US hotel REIT; and solid business school education in international hospitality management. Currently working on lodging development for West Africa at Marriott International. Please feel free to contact me, if you would like to discuss hotel partnership opportunities with Marriott in West Africa.
Having graduated with a Distinction from the University of Lagos in the Master in Environmental Design Programme in 2012, Omoyemi has since worked with One of Nigeria’s Foremost Architectural Firms – FMA Architects Ltd in the area of architecture, planning and sustainability for close to a decade. She is a full member of the Nigerian Institute of Architects, Chartered Member of the Royal Institute of British Architects and a LEED Green Associate who has received a couple of awards in her professional journey from organizations such as the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) as An International Greenbuild Scholarship Recipient and more recently; an AEP Sustainability Entrepreneur winner from Fate Foundation Nigeria Sponsored by the Mitsubishi Corporation. Currently, she serves on the Board of the Green Building Council Nigeria as the Director, Policy and Advocacy where she works engages with stakeholders on the development of sustainable design policies for the construction industry. Omoyemi serves as a volunteer who supports the course architecture and sustainability both locally as a Secretary of the Library and Publication Committee, Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA) and Internationally at Conference Volunteer with the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada(RAIC). Her Contributions are also valued as a professional who promotes the benefits of Green buildings through various speaking engagements where she continues to advocate on the need to build sustainably.
Cesar is an electrical engineer in charge of all electrical works at ITB. He is also LEED GA accredited, EDGE expert certified and Certified Energy Manager (CEM) from AEE (Association of Energy Engineers). Cesar also holds a PMP certification from PMI (Project Management Institute). He has been involved in various ITB delivered green buildings in Nigeria:
Ms. Ajene-Sagna is the Founder/Managing Partner of Catalyst Realty Solutions (CRS); a full service real estate firm offering strategic advisory, implementation capability and asset management in the property sector for private, corporate and institutional pan-African clients. She has over 20 years experience as a high-achieving senior executive. Her prior role was Group Head of Business Development Africa for Rendeavour – Africa’s largest urban land developers with over 12,000 hectares of land on 7 projects (averaging 1-2000 hectares) in 5 cities across Africa (Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, DRC, Zambia) and 250+ million USD in infrastructure investments over each projects’ lifetime. Ms. Ajene-Sagna spent over 14 years with JLL – a global full service real estate firm (Fortune 500, S&P, 5 billion USD revenue, 66,000 employees and 225+ Corporate offices). Her last role was as Head of West Africa out of Lagos/Nigeria with landmark mandates comprising of:
Previous positions at JLL included Head of the French International Desk in Paris/France, where she provided CRM and Portfolio/ Asset management services to key international clients such as Société Générale, Credit Agricole CIB, Sanofi, SAP, and France Telecom/Orange. In Washington DC/USA she established 50 year real estate master plans for the US Military Army/Air Force as part of the US Military Housing public private partnerships initiative (over 2000+ homes). Her projects received US Congressional approval for implementation. Ms. Ajene-Sagna holds a Master’s in Business Administration from Harvard Business School, a Bachelor’s in Arts (High Honors) from Dartmouth College and a diploma from the Tuck Business School Bridge Program. She has qualifications with the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS) and is obtaining her boardroom Diploma in Company Direction with the UK Institute of Directors. She frequently shares her knowledge on strategy and asset management via various medium including CNBC, Business Day and industry-level forums, and has taught at the Lagos Business School Strategy Department. Ms. Ajene-Sagna serves in the investment committee for Rising Tide Africa (raising the RiTA fund) and sits on various boards.
Ayo Ogidan is an alpha set graduate of Business Administration from Babcock University, with almost 20 years experience in Sales/Marketing, Business Development and Relationship Management. Over the past 14 years, Ayo has set himself apart by majoring in the sales of Middle to Ultra Luxury properties as well as the execution of several real estate joint venture transactions. He is currently the Head, Business Development (Nigeria) at Seso Global – a verified real estate market place with operations in Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa.
Deborah is a Real Estate Expert and Board Director with 20 years’ experience in business transformation, property development, finance, and strategy in the UK and Africa. She is an Independent Director on the RICS Global Standards and Regulations Board and a Non-Executive Director of First World Communities Limited, a company focused on delivering affordable housing for medium to low-income earners across Nigeria. Prior roles include Acting CEO of UPDC PLC, Africa Director at Broll, COO at Landmark Africa, and Head of Property Finance and Acquisitions at Stanbic IBTC Bank. She is currently completing her MBA at London Business School.
Oyinda Akinyemi is an Executive director in Stanbic IBTC Capital and heads Equity Capital Markets Execution for Africa Regions within Standard Bank. With over two decades of capital market experience, she has led several landmark transactions across various sectors, including energy, banking, real estate, consumer, industrial, telecommunications, etc. She is actively involved in various industry advocacy initiatives, having served as a member of the Rules and Regulations sub-committee of the Capital Markets Committee, Committee on attracting new listings of the 10-year Nigerian Capital Markets Master Plan and Director – Finance of the Association of Issuing Houses of Nigeria.
Muyiwa Oni is the Regional Head of Equity Research – West Africa, for Stanbic IBTC Bank, a member of the Standard Bank Group. In his Head of research capacity, he sets direction and drives the client franchise development of the analyst team. The clients for the West African equity research business are primarily made up of offshore frontier market institutional investors and domestic institutional investors. Muyiwa has over 16 years’ experience in sell-side equity research with a background in the building materials and oil and gas sectors. Prior to that, he worked in IBTC Asset Management limited as a buy-side analyst supporting the portfolio managers. He also has experience in the oil and gas, petrochemicals, and food sectors. He is a top-rated analyst by Financial Mail. He holds a BTech in Chemical Engineering and an MSc in Financial Management from the University of Surrey.
Pierre is a registered chartered accountant and a member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants. Pierre completed his articles at PricewaterhouseCoopers and spent time in the UK from 2001 to 2004 working for Credit Suisse First Boston in risk management, asset valuation and the accounting of proprietary and market-making portfolios. He is also a chartered financial analyst and a charter holder of the CFA Institute. Pierre joined the Novare Group in 2005 as a member of the teams managing the Novare funds of hedge funds and the multi-manager portfolios with responsibility for product structuring and operational due diligence, then moved to Novare Equity Partners in 2009 to establish the Novare Africa Property Fund where his duties include the operational and financial structuring of the underlying investments of the fund. Pierre is a director of Novare Fund Manager and several companies within Nigeria. He has 23 years of industry experience.
Mojibade Sosanya, also known as “The Lady MC”, is an ex-banker cum an award winning event host, a TV presenter, an actor, a strategic communications consultant and a brand influencer. She’s a proud alumna of Covenant University and has a Master’s degree in Marketing Communications from the School of Media and Communications, Pan Atlantic University, Nigeria. She has served as the Compere for numerous private and public sector, national, international and multi-national organizations, cutting across various sectors and industries. As a versatile Compere, she specializes in compèring both physical and virtual events as necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Vivian Anthony is currently a Sales Manager for Pennek Nigeria and a Real Estate broker. She graduated from Enugu state university where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in Marketing, she went on to obtain a Masters degree in Public and International affairs from the University of Lagos, Nigeria. Vivian is a trusted sales advisor with well over 10 years In the sales business, ranging from the banking sector to real estate, with a good number of satisfied clients. She possesses excellent customer service and a commitment to work hard, listen and follow through. Her impeccable sales knowledge gives her the upper hand and edge in any environment she finds herself in, making her an asset to any organization.
Michael Obiaju Esq is a Nigerian legal practitioner, property consultant and real estate broker and analyst. He is a renowned lawyer with litigation practice with the likes of Adedipe & Adedipe legal practitioners in Port Harcourt, Chancellors Chambers in VI Lagos, and SimmonsCooper partners also in VI Lagos. He also made his contribution to the growth of the public sector when he worked with the legal department of the Nigerian Merit Award in Maitama Abuja. Michael Obiaju Esq had his first exposure to real estate with BrickStation Limited Lekki Lagos, after which he moved on to Pennek Nigeria Limited. He has played lots of advisory and representative roles for Pennek in the real estate industry and still counting.
Mr. Karl Hala is an experienced hospitality management professional with over 35 years of experience in the hospitality industry. He has an enviable passion for hospitality, as well as a flare for businesses in the hospitality space. Over the years, he has taken deliberate actions toward the development and resultant growth of various hospitality enterprises, with a special focus on the African hospitality market, earning him the nickname Africa’s hospitality guru. Karl Hala has contributed tremendously to the growth and success of Africa’s hospitality industry. In his present office as the General Manager of Lagos Continental Hotel, Lagos, Nigeria, which he resumed in June 2021.
Allan Wantenaar formed a strong foundation for his career as a specialist Hotel Advisory Consultant, having worked for international corporates who specialise in this sector, including Grant Thornton (now BDO) and JLL, before joining HTI Consulting in early 2019. Allan has worked in the consulting space for over ten years with over 70 completed projects in markets throughout South Africa as well as countries elsewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa, including; Botswana, Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Swaziland, South Sudan, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe (amongst others). His advisory assignments include; Feasibility Studies, Due Diligences, Operator Selections, Valuations and Management Contract Negotiations.
Kola Aina is Founding Partner at Ventures Platform, an early-stage “discovery” venture capital fund championing the next generation of African entrepreneurs. He is a leading executive and board director who combines a powerful mix of entrepreneurial, investment, and technical experience across diverse industries including technology, finance, media, agriculture, infrastructure, and real estate. As a venture capitalist, Kola identifies and invests in early-stage technology companies focused on the disruption of financial services, healthcare, education, agriculture, and enterprise software. He has built a strong investment portfolio of best-in-class, high-growth companies. Current investments include category-defining companies including Mono, PiggyVest, Reliance HMO, and Paystack, which was acquired by Stripe in 2020. A passionate ecosystem builder, Kola is also the Founder of Ventures Park, a co-working space and community for entrepreneurs as well as Ventures Platform Foundation, which empowers entrepreneurs by providing access to capital, education and digital resources and advocates for entrepreneur-friendly policy. He is Chair of the Advisory Group on Technology and Creativity to the President of Nigeria and Co-Chair of the Committee on Job Creation & Youth Employment to the President of Nigeria. He is also a board member and advisory board member for institutions including ARM Financial Advisers Limited, Reliance HMO, and the Yemisi Shyllon Art Museum.
Damola Akindolire is a building professional with more than a decade of experience that cuts across various sectors including real estate and wealth management. He has vast experience in physical assets management as well as project management. Current Managing Director, Alpha Mead Development Company responsible for growing the total asset of the company from N400m to N32bn. Manager, Saunders Development Company (real estate arm of Sankore) he was responsible for providing real estate advisory for High Network Individuals and Corporate clients. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Builders (CIOB UK) as well as Australian Institute of Builders
I lead the team at Big Cabal Media, which publishes the tech and youth publications, TechCabal and Zikoko. Big Cabal is building the next generation of African media brands and creating some of the most interesting and exciting original content from the continent. We work with brands through our Cabal Creative Studio, doing everything from brand design to video production. I believe in products that address real human needs, brands that stand for something, marketing that thrills and great ideas executed well. As a leader, my skills lie in convincing great people to deliver their best work as part of coordinated teams; taking complex products from idea stage through development and running an effective business development to ensure our greatest ideas become bankable. I’ve taken Big Cabal through a transformation that’s made it one of the most exciting new media companies on the continent, delivering 400% YOY revenue growth and high-impact projects like Jollof Road and TechWomenLagos. An experienced media and marketing professional, I’ve worked for and with a range of businesses across sectors in both North America and Africa. My last job was with Ventra Media, where I worked in leadership of one of the most formidable digital media agencies in Nigeria, with a focus on digital publishing, product development, content production and monetisation.
A serial entrepreneur with a vision to consolidate the financial and real estate sectors in Africa leveraging technology to make life easier and create wealth in the ecosystem. Currently the CEO at BUYLETLIVE where I lead the strategic direction and source funding for expansion to drive the business through its growth phase. In 2018 I established an over-the-counter payment exchange which has grown to become a Finance and Asset Management company with business arms in retail credit, cooperate lending and cross border payment settlement. Prior to this, I was a manager leading the Civil Engineering team on roads and infrastructure development at the iconic Dangote Oil Refinery, the largest single train refinery in the world. I hold a First-Class Degree in Civil and Structural Engineering from The University of Bradford, UK, an Msc Infrastructure from Nottingham University and MRes in Offshore Structure from the prestigious University of Cranfield. I am vastly read and have attended a number of Leadership and Development programs including a Certification from the Columbia Business school on Digital Strategies for Business: Leading the Next Generation Enterprise.
Am driven every day by the challenges faced around me, the once that most people believe is difficult to surmount. They fire me up to become a better person, if only I can positively impact just one life by providing solutions to these problems. Am a business Strategist by experience, a Psychologist by training. I help businesses strategize for long term. Analyze their market, analyze existing and possible business opportunity and come up with strategies that can help the business build sustainable model. I specialise in helping businesses create and develop new market opportunities, helping them properly deploy available resources to achieve maximum impact; including market impacting solutions for their target market and community.
The ‘Afropreneur’ (entrepreneur with an African focus), as he self-describes, Idris Ayodeji Bello is a Founding Partner at Loftyinc Capital Management, owners of the early stage-Afropreneurs Fund (I&II), and co-founder of The Wennovation Hub, an innovation platform based in Nigeria, that has successfully accelerated the launch of several technology start-ups in social impact sectors. A first class honors graduate of Computer Engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria, he has an M.Sc in Computer Science & Data Mining from the University of Houston; an MBA in Entrepreneurship & Strategy from Rice University in Houston and an M.Sc in Global Health Science from the University of Oxford, where he was a 2011 recipient of The Lord Weidenfeld Scholarship for demonstrating remarkable potential as a future leader from an emerging economy. Idris spent the greater part of a decade working at Chevron Corporation and ExxonMobil USA, where he led several large upstream technology projects across the USA and Sub-Saharan Africa. Idris has also worked with the Clinton Foundation Health Access Initiative where he played a major role in the deployment and evaluation of Swaziland’s first mobile health patient appointment reminder system as part of the country’s National AIDS Program. Listed among CNN’s Top Ten African Technology Voices, he is a Singularity University Impact Fellow, Harambean Fellow, Clinton Global Initiative University Fellow, MIT Global Start-up Fellow, SAP Ashoka Global Changemakers Award Winner, Dell Technology Award Winner, StartingBloc Innovation Fellow and a Nigeria Leadership Initiative Future Leader. As a leader, Idris has mentored and catalyzed scores of contributors across the growing African landscape and is an angel investor and advisor to several African startups including Andela, Flutterwave, RelianceHMO, Trella, Chefaa, among others. He continues to devote his efforts to the development of technology-enabled social enterprises that empower the underserved, and develop transformative ideas to change lives on the African continent. He spends most of his time between Houston, Lagos, Cairo, and airport lounges. Angel investor and leading expert in deploying technology and innovation to drive public sector reforms and enabling good governance. Experienced in providing consulting expertise and strategic advisory services to startup firms and social enterprises in emerging markets, especially in Africa. Passionate about professional networking, creating alliances, exploring new ideas.
Experienced Chairperson with a demonstrated history of working in the architecture & planning industry. Skilled in AutoCAD, Business Planning, Hotel Architecture, Project Management , and Mixed-use Design. Strong hospitality development professional graduated from Bristol University, Bristol, UK. Founder/CEO of DAA Architects, a leading design consultancy in Lagos, Nigeria. DAA has a primary focus on hotel, convention and commercial design, and has worked with a variety of Hotel operators including, Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Accor, Best Western, Sheraton, Radisson and Movenpick. DAA were also Executive Architects on the Calabar International Conference Centre, one of the major Conference facilities in Nigeria. DAA were Executive architects, project coordinators on the recently opened Marriott Hotel in Lagos. Founder of leading Facilities Management company Global Property & Facilities International based in LAGOS.
Peacemaker Afolabi is a Nigerian entrepreneur & CEO of Brass & Castles Homes and Properties Limited. He is a global player with strong passion to help Africa solve its real estate needs. He is leading Brass & Castles to expand footprint into Ghana and Rwanda market. With experience spanning over a decade, he has carved a niche in construction, development, and community projects. He has participated in conferences in Ghana, Dubai and recently Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), Kigali 2022. He has made subject-matter appearances in international and local media such as CNBC Africa, Arise TV and TVC.
Wilbert Frank Chaniwa is one of THE foremost African Hospitality Investment Development Experts. Born in Harare, Zimbabwe, he has over 23 years of Hospitality experience and has worked in 4 countries across the continent of Africa, with over 10 International Hotel, Restaurant and Leisure brands across the Hospitality Spectrum in the private sector, gaining an incomparable perspective and experience on building Hospitality brands and reputations in Africa. Wilbert started his career with African Sun in Zimbabwe and West Africa, and has also worked with Southern Sun , The Royal Portfolio Group in South Africa, Golden Tulip Group in East Africa (Tanzania) to name but a few. He is currently Chief Operating Officer with Shelter Suites & Hotels that owns the franchise for Wyndham Group in West Africa and is responsible for growth of the Hospitality Portfolio of the group.
Bashir Abiodun Bello, is the Chief Finance Officer of Mac-Folly Hospitality Limited, Owners of the Lagos Marriott Hotel. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accountancy from the University of Benin in Nigeria, is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) as well as a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN). Aside from his professional Accountancy and Taxation qualifications, Bashir has spent roughly the last 30 years in senior and management positions in the Finance and Administration departments of world-renowned multinational hospitality brands including Hilton Hotels, Millennium & Copthorne Hotels, the Radisson Hotels Group, Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide and Marriott Hotels in Nigeria and the Middle-East. With pre-opening experience in four branded luxury properties, Bashir switched to the Owners’ side of the hospitality industry in August 2020 when he joined the team of Mac-Folly Hospitality as the pre-opening and pioneer Chief Financial Officer of the subsidiary and contributed to the opening of the iconic Lagos Marriott Hotel in GRA, Ikeja, Lagos. As CFO of the Lagos Marriott Hotel’s Owning company, Bashir, with his team, oversees the hotel’s financial operations from the Owners perspective and provides financial guidance to the Ownership in the formulation and implementation of Strategic Plans and Budgets for the Hotel. Bashir also provides administrative support to the hotel Management with reference to policy compliance and enforcement, business advice and operational assistance.
Kojo Ansah Mensah is a Business Executive with diverse experience in banking, accounting, real estate development and manufacturing.
Kojo is the Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Mobus Properties Limited. Mobus is a pan-African real estate company with presence in Ghana and Nigeria. Under Kojo’s leadership Mobus has developed several landmark projects in Accra and Abuja; including:
• Capital Place – Accra’s first office park development
• Phoenix Villas
• Richfield Lifestyle Estate
• Park Apartment
• River Park Estate
• Jonah Heights
Kojo Ansah Mensah is a graduate of University of St. Thomas in Minnesota (USA), where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts (Accounting) and Master of Business Administration (Finance) degrees. Kojo began his professional career with Wells Fargo Bank, and subsequently went on to work in various capacities for Cargill and United Health Group, all in the United States of America. After a decade working in the diaspora, he joined Jonah Capital as the Principal Financial Analyst providing support to the Jonah Management Team across all sectors in Sub-Saharan Africa. Kojo was subsequently seconded to Abuja, Nigeria to lead Houses for Africa Limited, a subsidiary of Jonah Capital, engaged in mass housing development. Kojo was appointed Group CEO of Mobus Properties in 2015 and has since charted the path for the award wining developer with notable developments in Accra and Abuja.
Under Kojo’s stewardship, Mobus Properties Ghana Limited has been the recipient of several international awards including Best Resident Multiple Units Development, Best Office Development, Best Mixed Used Development by the International Property Awards.
Posi (Olaposi) is the Managing Director of Herel Limited – a real estate, lifestyle and hospitality development and investment company with investments across the real estate value chain. He is an architect and entrepreneur with experience in project development, management and transaction structuring. He has served in leadership capacity in different organisations, such as; Previs Developments – a James Cubitt Group company and Dynasty Real Estate, where he served as Managing Director. A graduate of the University of Lagos with a First-class degree in Architecture, a Masters with Distinction in Environmental Design and a certification in Entrepreneurial Management from the Enterprise Development Centre, Pan-Atlantic University. Posi is the Vice President of Change Africa Foundation; a social enterprise focused on African growth and development. The foundation is the pioneer of Konamii Africa: inter-orphanage homes soccer initiative/fiesta which has collectively mobilized over 5,000 youths, 500+ volunteers and cooperate organisations to support the less privileged.
Tomiwa Jafojo is an accounting graduate from the American University of Nigeria and a Member of their Honors Society, reserved for students of outstanding academic performance. He is currently enrolled at the Henley Business School, University of Reading in the United Kingdom where he is studying a master’s in real estate Investment & Finance. In 2010 he commenced his career in Akintola Williams Deloitte and was an auditor in their oil & gas department. In 2013, he qualified as a chartered accountant with the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA) of the United Kingdom while working at SIAO Chartered Accountants, the most respected indigenous accounting firm in Nigeria. His career in real estate commenced at a boutique investment banking firm, Frontier Capital, where he was the lead real estate analyst and was responsible for corporate finance mandates to raise capital for projects. Notable projects he led while there were the Owerri Mall development (large retail) and Continental Reinsurance Towers located at 17 Olosa Street Victoria Island (Grade B office). Tomiwa moved to the Persianas Group, the largest indigenous retail developer where he was asset manager overseeing their portfolio of approximately 90,000m2 of prime retail space with a value of US$300m. Assets under his management include the Palms Lekki, Palms Kwara, Palms Ibadan, Polo Park Mall Enugu & Palms Ota. He is a board member of Kwara Mall Development Company and the Tropicana Mall Development Company. Persianas today own controlling interest of Retail Supermarkets Nigeria Limited (Shoprite) and EDLP Nigeria Limited (Jara), both are assets under his management and he responsible for the leading the development of the X Arena, a 10,000 multifunctional arena, being constructed adjacent to the Palms Mall, Lekki.
Deo Onyango is a structured finance and climate business industry specialist covering sub-Saharan Africa with the IFC. His work focuses on supporting IFC’s client Financial Institutions to build viable and scalable climate finance operations by promoting investments in climate smart sectors and development of green financing instruments. Prior to joining IFC in 2020, Deo spent 12 yrs. with General Electric lastly as MD, Head of Onshore Wind and Hybrid Power Solutions for GE Renewable Energy in Africa. He joined GE in 2008 in the Capital business based in London. Deo began his career with Citi in 2001 in the bank’s financial analyst program and rose to Vice President in Citigroup’s Sponsor Finance team based in London. Deo holds a Masters in Finance (MSc) from London Business School, a Graduate Diploma in Investment Management from London School of Economics and an undergraduate degree in commerce and economics from the University of Nairobi.
Michael is an entrepreneur, marketing consultant and senior manager with 30 years’ experience, creating successful marketing campaigns, running major events, developing organisations and building partnerships to deliver significant value. He the author of Amazon no.1 bestseller The More3 Formula and writes the popular blog From Kingston to Calabar – An Unexpected Journey. Currently, he is General Manager of EbonyLife Place, a leisure resort in Victoria Island with a 20-room boutique hotel, three restaurants, 5-screen cinema, and event spaces. Also, partnering with Ace Hospitality to manage Landmark Hotel & Beach Resort in Oniru, Lagos. He is the former Managing Director of Cross River Tourism Bureau (2010-15).
Senami brings over 14 years of investment banking, real estate funding and product structuring experience in the capital market while nurturing various stakeholder relationships. She is the erstwhile Managing Director (Acting) of Meristem Capital where she led the client coverage team with an additional focus on growing the global investor base. She serves on a couple of startups as a board adviser, having gained qualifications in corporate governance, leadership, and strategic direction from different portfolios over the years. Prior to that, she held various roles at Corporate Finance, Sterling Bank Plc, Listings & Quotations FMDQ Exchange and Corporate Finance, Dunn Loren Merrifield. Senami holds a master’s in science (Msc) degree in Finance from the Rochester Insitute of Technology, New York, and a Bachelor of Science (B.SC) degree in Economics from the Obafemi Awolowo University. She is an alumna of the Lagos Business school LBS. She is a CFA level 2 Candidate and was recently recognized under the “ Top 100 Career women in Nigeria ” Senami is passionate about amplifying the narrative on mix-use real estate developments and access to funding opportunities. She is an associate member and serves under various mentorship capacities in WIMBIZ – Women in Management, Business and Public Service a non-profit organisation focused on increasing and supporting the success rates of women in senior positions in corporate organizations.
Dr. Sijibomi Ogundele is the young, energetic and innovative CEO and Group Managing Director of Sujimoto Group, the No.1 Luxury Real Estate Company in Nigeria that has become the standard for Luxury Development in sub–Saharan Africa within the last 8 years. A serial impact entrepreneur committed to raising the standard of luxury living in Africa by leveraging social enterprises and various industries to tackle the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, ranging from building sustainable communities and cities to clean water and resilient industry and infrastructures. Rising from the slum of Agege, Mr. Ogundele was determined at a young age to overcome poverty and mediocrity, armed with just one thing – his dream and the power of his imagination. At 41, Dr. Ogundele has built his company, Sujimoto Group into a Luxury Construction behemoth and group of industries, said to worth over $600 million USD. Dr. Ogundele is currently at the forefront of creating Africa’s first 3-in-1 Twin Tower that combines Residence, Hospitality and Retail services together in one location, as well as launching Mr. Meat – the Uber for quality and affordable meat and Suji Water – a premium table water brand at an economy price, and other innovative businesses. Known for being the audacious Developer of the prestigious GiulianoBySujimoto in Banana Island, the jewel of Banana Island; the much talked-about LucreziaBySujimoto tower, set to be the most sophisticated high-rise building in Africa; the LeonardoBySujimoto waterfront building – a 33 floor luxury tower that is set to the tallest building in Lagos; the QueenAminaBySujimoto, first-of-its-kind luxury high-rise located in highbrow Abuja and the developer of the proposed Sujimoto Tower in Johannesburg South Africa and Downtown Dubai. Dr. Ogundele has featured in various local and international media platforms including CNN, CNBC Africa, Forbes Africa and Channels TV, as a brave young Entrepreneur, and an astute businessman with the capacity to change the Nigerian Real Estate Industry. As a testament to his ingenuity, the prestigious TF1 which is dubbed French CNN and the No.1 TV station in France and many Francophone countries, flew all the way from France to Nigeria, to document the outstanding achievements of the man they call ‘the Luxury Czar’ of African Luxury Real Estate – Sijibomi Ogundele, whose audacious and innovative business philosophy has continuously put the African continent on the world’s map for luxury projects. Sijibomi Ogundele is an avid and a voracious reader, who believes in continuous and never-ending improvement, a born philanthropist whose sees giving back to society as an obligation. He is a graduate of Law from Anglia Ruskin University, United Kingdom. He currently serves on the advisory board of several top organizations.
An award-winning, multidisciplinary, and versatile infrastructure executive and energy sector guru, Rolake has more than 15 years track-record of helping to finance and scale businesses across Africa. Following a career pivot in 2020, she is currently the Chief Commercial Officer of leading infrastructure developer, Mixta Africa, helping the group craft and execute its commercialisation strategy for infrastructure and housing projects within its Lagos New Town (LNT) development in Nigeria, and also across subsidiaries in Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia, Cote d’Ivoire, as well as the commercialisation of its key hospitality asset, Lakowe Lakes Golf and Country Estate. She was also recently appointed as the overseeing Country Executive for Mixta’s operations in Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal. Mixta has delivered more than 15,000 units across Africa to date Prior to Mixta Africa, she was Senior Advisor to IFU, the Danish Investment Fund and sat on the global advisory board of Canadian Private Equity firm, Stonechair Capital advising on its renewables and gas sector Energy Africa fund. From 2014 – 2019 she was head of energy and infrastruct for FBN Capital and FBNQuest Merchant Bank, raising debt and equity capital for local energy companies, and during which time she was also member from 2017-2019, of the private sector economic advisory group advising the Office of the Vice President on a range of national development policy issues with a focus on infrastructure. Prior to FBNQuest Merchant Bank, she was head of the energy, infrastructure and power research team at pan-African Ecobank Group covering 33 African markets out of London. In her early career, she worked as a political risk analyst with Control Risks and Eurasia Group and worked in international development with the European Commission in Brussels and the International Crisis Group in Dakar, Senegal. She has a BSc & an MSc degree from the London School of Economics (LSE) and a joint MBA degree from the London School of Economics, HEC School of Management Paris and NYU’s Leonard Stern School of Business (TRIUM).
Craig Erasmus holds a degree in Chemistry and Environmental Management, as well as an MBA in Project Finance from the Gordon Institute of Business Science. Craig is currently the Vice President Design & Technical Services for Accor in Africa & Indian Ocean, with overall responsibility for the construction, design, technical services and engineering/maintenance support for the Accor network and pipeline of hotels in the region Presently the group has over 158 hotels in the region, with a further 46 hotels under active development or refurbishment. Prior to joining Accor, Craig spent 10 years with the Mantis Collection as a Director, being primarily responsible for the Development Division of the Group.
Charles is an Associate member of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), and Registered by the Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVARBON). He is a Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) accredited Civil and Commercial Mediator; and member, Chartered Institute of Mediators and Conciliators. Currently, he heads Occupier and Landlord Solution Strategy (OLSS) of Knight Frank Nigeria, and Port Harcourt regional office along with Property/Facilities Management/ Capital Markets functions. He has held various positions of responsibility with hands-on experience in Capital Markets (Brokerage), Property & Facilities Management, and Valuation. He was at some point in the course of his carrier, Branch Manager Abuja, and Kaduna Branches. Charles is currently a Partner of Knight Frank, Nigeria.
TAIWO ASANA is a business manager and administrator in the hospitality industry. She has been an Outstanding personnel executive offering over 17 years of proven track record in the hospitality industry which cut across management, sales & marketing, office administration, business management and operations. Excellent problem-solving skills, communication, decision
making, and strategic planning abilities. Dynamic and pragmatic executive adept at directing, coordinating, and leading high-performance teams to execute critical business initiatives.
Full capacity to aggressively build and expand concrete client bases; Opening and setting up new hotel units in different states across the country under the AHS brand. Highly dedicated to continuous business improvements and focusing on efficient business operations, maintaining hotel operating standards in all AHS Units. Currently she works as Director of Operations with Amber Hospitality Services an indigenous hospitality brand in Nigeria. Taiwo Asana has MBA in Management Science from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology.
Ade Sun-Basorun is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of FoodCo Nigeria Limited. He is a seasoned executive with experience leading business transformation at FoodCo, McKinsey & Company and General Electric (GE) in Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya and the US. In 2017, he joined FoodCo Nigeria Limited as an Executive Director and has successfully repositioned the business from a supermarket-chain operation to a diversified consumer goods company with interests in retail, quick service restaurants, manufacturing, and entertainment. Growing from five outlets, FoodCo is now the largest supermarket chain in South-West Nigeria, outside Lagos, and is only one of two omni-channel retailers in the country with 16 outlets spread across Lagos, Oyo and Ogun States. He has co-authored several publications on the African consumer sector including:
• Reaching for the Stars: Digital innovation in emerging market banking
• Africa’s Growing Giant: Nigeria’s new retail economy
• Rise of the African Consumer
He graduated with Honours in Electrical Engineering (Computers & Communications) from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana. He also holds a distinction in the MBA (Strategy) program of the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois.
Oguche is currently the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Pension Fund Operators Association of Nigeria (PenOp). In this role he leads the efforts of Nigeria’s pension industry in engaging regulators, the government, the media, financial markets and other stakeholders in order to ensure that the interests of the pension operators are protected and promoted and also in ensuring that the pension industry has a positive effect on National Development. Oguche was previously Nigeria’s Regional Director for OurCrowd, a crowd funding and venture capital firm with headquarters in Israel. He was also previously the Chief Investment Officer/Executive Director of a growing integrated real estate and alternative asset management company. Prior to this, he worked as a Special adviser to Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment. His portfolio was “Access to Finance”. In this role, he advised on and implemented policies, strategies and programmes that could help to increase access to finance for Nigeria’s teeming entrepreneurs. Prior to this, he worked with Standard Chartered Bank as an associate Director in their Lagos office, where he was in charge of the credit quality of a portfolio of assets worth USD 7 billion dollars. This included various loan products and derivatives to banks, the government and sovereign owned enterprises (SOEs) in Nigeria. In Standard Chartered, he had short term assignments in South Africa and London, working in the Risk management, Credit and Corporate Finance functions. In Standard Chartered Bank he held various roles spanning operations, Risk management & Credit, financial institutions and strategy. He possesses a degree in Banking and finance (University of Lagos) and is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers Nigeria and an associate of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers Nigeria. He is an avid writer and he has a column in some local and international mediums where he writes and advices on strategy, finance, entrepreneurship and emerging markets. He is deeply involved in community work, as he mentors a group of volunteers, focusing on building global businesses and leaders out of Nigeria. He is a firm believer in Nigeria, married to his best friend and they have two boisterous children. He has been privileged to experience life as an entrepreneur, a policy maker and an employee in a world class organization operating in an emerging market. These varied experiences have enabled him to appreciate life and business from different perspectives arming him with a unique blend of the excellence of the private sector and the social impact objective of the public sector.
Tola is the co-founder and CEO at Spleet, a financial services and prop-tech startup fractionalizing rent into monthly payments. Tola is an accomplished product manager and designer with over 11 years of experience working on products in the fintech, real estate and banking industry. In addition to product management and design, Tola has experience in operations management and project coordination. His passion for solving problems in Africa and for social impact led him to create Spleet: a property tech company that is changing the way people rent homes in Nigeria and beyond. Tola is an avid chess player and a collector and enthusiast of contemporary African art.
Tola is an investment banker and has had various roles within corporate and investment banking with specializations in Real Estate Finance and Project & Structured Finance. He has over 15 years of in-country and regional work experience (including Nigeria, Ghana and Cote D’Ivoire) which spans across various asset classes (with an estimated portfolio size over US$1.5 billion) within the real estate sector. In addition, his project finance deal mandates include debt capital raising for major infrastructural projects in the oil & gas and industrial sectors. His early work experience include treasury operations and commercial banking roles in Fidelity Bank and Intercontinental Bank (now Access Bank) in Nigeria respectively.
Tola has a first degree in Economics from the University of Lagos, Nigeria and master degree in International Money, Finance & Investments from Durham University, UK. He obtained a RICS Postgraduate Diploma in Project Management and MBA in Real Estate & Construction Management from the University College of Estate Management, Reading, UK. His research project themed “Africa – The Next Frontier?” focused on the impact of real estate funds on commercial real estate development in sub Saharan Africa. In addition, he has attended a number of dedicated real estate training and conferences both regionally and internationally. Tola has been actively involved in a number of real estate industry advocacy committees set up to engage key regulators to unblock constraints to catalyse the growth and development of Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). He is a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI).
Dennis Quansah is Program Lead for IFC EDGE Green Building Market Transformation Program in Ghana and Nigeria. He is an Urban Development professional with experience in the built environment in Ghana. His expertise includes Sustainable Real Estate Development, Real Estate Marketing and Agency, Real Estate Management, Real Estate Valuation and Business Development. He has also undertaken socio-economic surveys for voluntary relocation and other resettlement packages. He holds an MSc in Urban Policy and Development and an Undergraduate degree in Land Economy in Ghana. He is also a member of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors.
Tayo Odunsi is a Chartered Surveyor with over 10 years of professional real estate experience. He holds an undergraduate degree in Estate management from the University of Lagos, a MSc. Real estate finance and investment degree from the Henley Business School, University of Reading, UK as well as a MBA from the Imperial College London. Some of his previous roles were at FBN Capital, GTHomes and ARM Investment Managers. He is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), a member of the Project Management Institute (PMI), the Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG) and the African Real Estate Society. He also serves as a Director at Ventures Park, the leading co-working space in the heart of Abuja. He’s an ardent art lover, valuer and curator. Tayo enjoys soft rock, gardening and mentoring young people.
Temitope Runsewe is the Managing Director of Dutum Construction Company Limited, one of Africa’s leading indigenous construction and civil engineering firms. Under his leadership, Dutum has become synonymous with the effective delivery of diverse construction projects and services to a broad base of clients in the public and private sectors. Dutum Construction is committed to providing world-class construction projects and services by combining expertise, experience, and a long history. The company is in the forefront of providing superior construction services across Africa, having completed some of the most important public and private infrastructure projects, all of which wear the Dutum mark of quality, safety, and technical knowledge. Temitope exemplifies the Dutum ideal of bringing Africa’s hidden beauty to the foreground through impactful infrastructure development. He has led various iconic projects across Africa as the Chief Executive of Dutum, including housing estates, hotels, business and commercial buildings, bridges, airport hangers, highways, and so on. He is passionate about boosting the skilled workforce in the African construction industry and drives this by providing ongoing capacity development for the professionals across Dutum’s various projects. He also invests in the community through the Tope Runsewe Community Development Initiative, Tope Runsewe Scholarship for The Poor, and serves as the Regional Chairman (Southwest) Nigerian Young Professionals Forum.
Based in Lisbon, Erwan looks after the Group’s strategic growth across West and Central Africa. He has sourced, negotiated and signed over 20 hotels, resorts and serviced apartments projects across 12 countries, establishing the Group’s presence in 7 new markets. Tasked with increasing the Group’s regional hotel portfolio, Erwan is an expert hospitality developer and deal-maker in the African market. A seasoned executive, his experience includes all aspects of hotel development from sourcing to execution, including in legal contract negotiations, due diligence and financial analysis. He oversees the underwriting, strategic planning, investment analysis and asset management activities for all type of deal structuring, including conversions and take overs, financial commitments, franchise and straight management agreements. Previously, Erwan’s hospitality experience includes the launch and management of his own consulting firm, Mise en Place, out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He also worked with Hilton Worldwide as a Director Brand Performance Support in London, UK and as General Manager with Accor in San Francisco, USA and French Polynesia, Asia. French National, Erwan is also fluent in English, Portuguese and Spanish. Erwan has a bachelor’s degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management from Hotel Management School of Paris and an MBA in International Hospitality Management, AACSB-EQUIS accredited majoring in Corporate Finance and Development from Cornell University and ESSEC Group – IMHI.
Ayotunde Adesulu is a registered surveyor and valuer and a graduate of Covenant University with a bachelor’s degree in Estate Management. He is undergoing his master’s in project management at the University of Lagos. He joined Novare in 2017 as the Head of Leasing from whence he has risen to the role of CEO of the Property Management arm of Novare Group in Nigeria. Prior to joining Novare, Ayotunde worked as an Estate Surveyor and Valuer at Dan Odiete & Co, Abuja, and as a Retail Leasing consultant at Broll Property Nigeria as a Broker, Senior Retail Broker and Ass. Head, Retail Leasing. He has acquired experience in retail and commercial industry in leasing as well as property management from working on various portfolios with ACA (Africa Capital Alliance), Resilient Africa, Actis and Hyprop which owns various developments across Nigeria and Africa.
Laide Agboola holds a Master of Science degree in Finance and a Diploma of Finance from Imperial College Business School, London, as well as a Master of Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Sheffield, Sheffield. Currently, he is the Founding Managing Partner and Director of Purple Capital Partners Limited, a specialist investment firm with interest in Principal Investment and Real Estate. Under his guidance, Purple Capital Partners have developed and financed investments in the real estate and financial services sector, including the groundbreaking small format retail development, the Maryland Mall. The company has successfully raised funding from a wide investor base and banks. His other experience includes working with leading Corporate Finance teams including those of Investment Banking & Trust Company Plc (now Stanbic IBTC Capital Limited, a subsidiary of Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc), UBA Global Markets Limited (now UBA Capital Plc, a subsidiary of United Bank for Africa Plc) with brief stints at BGL Plc and Alitheia Capital Limited. Olaide is a member of the Institute of Directors
Deelan is registered as a Professional Quantity Surveyor with the SACQSP. He gained experience in various Commercial Developments, Public Educational Facilities, Residential, Industrial Projects and developed key experience in Project Feasibilities and Viabilities. Deelan heads up the Whole Life Cycle service offering at Turner & Townsend Advisory in Africa. His area of specialization is running and developing total cost of ownership models, focusing on renewables in the industry journey to Net Zero.
Anne Rinu is the Regional Head of Property for Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) West Africa; a seasoned Chartered Surveyor (RICS) with 35 years’ experience in global business development: notable success in creating starter organizations, developing transformational cluster strategy, resource optimization and execution of visionary projects in collaboration with subject matter. At SCB, Anne provides, leadership, delivering an integrated plan across 6 countries and businesses, whilst balancing strategy, governance and stakeholder management, financial performance, people and talent, risk management and business conduct. Her deep knowledge combined with astute professionalism and strong client network drives her continued success. Anne’s career spans the private and public sectors; Director, W Hospitality and Consultant to the Commonwealth Secretariat (UK) where she advised the Government of St Lucia. She led the first public sector real estate outsourcing at London Borough of Hackney. Examples of accomplished track record includes City of London land transactions, urban regeneration projects, and public sector business acquisitions at Lambert Smith Hampton (UK). At Stanbic IBTC, supported the transformation to a commercial bank. She acquired strong entrepreneurial skills as a business owner, advising on shopping malls, commercial and residential developments. At SCB, Anne oversees a global property partnership. Expertise includes environmental sustainability plans, security/safety and wellbeing initiatives. Her professional competence covers strategic real estate advisory, facilities and asset management. Anne is able to inform, influence and drive ideation across all sectors. Key strength lies in resilience, matching creativity with enterprise, enforcing global best practice combined with innovative mindset. She is known for supporting Corporate Boards in creating exponential solutions recognizing market conditions. Chair, Advocacy, Nigeria British Chamber of Commerce, British Business Group (Nig), Chair, RICS Assessors Panel, amongst other boards. Holds a master’s degree in Corporate real estate, CORENET, M.Sc. in Property Development & Management, B.Sc. Land Administration and has attended various executive leadership programmes. Other passion includes mentoring, philanthropy, education and public administration for which she is noted at the ‘C – Suite’.
Hein started his career at Sanlam Employee Benefits in 2001 and was promoted to first line manager in 2006 and regional client service and portfolio manager in 2007. He was responsible for a diverse portfolio of clients including Impala Group Retirement Funds and Anglo Group Retirement Fund. During this period he gained invaluable experience in the industry and was part of the operational executive committee. In July 2010 he joined Novare as chief operating officer of the Group’s African pension fund asset management business. Based in Lagos, Nigeria he was responsible for overseeing and managing all aspects of the day-to-day operations and ensuring operations were in sync with business strategy. Hein joined the Novare Equity Partners team in January 2013 in Nigeria and currently serves as the Chief Executive Office, Novare Fund Managers Nigeria Limited of assets under management. He has 20 years’ experience within the investment industry. Hein is a director of Novare Real Estate Nigeria and several other companies within Nigeria.
Dinesh Rathi has 20+ years of experience working in India and Nigeria. Before joining the Tolaram Group, Dinesh served in various business development roles at Unilever Group and the ICICI Bank. In November 2004, he joined Tolaram Group as Finance Controller in Lucky Fibres and was promoted as General Manager in June 2005. During his 3.5 years tenure, Lucky Fibres witnessed strong growth and a profitable track record. Dinesh was promoted as Group CFO – Nigeria in January 2009. His areas of expertise include Strategy, Finance, Accounting and Mergers and Acquisitions. He has been the CEO of LFZC since March 2018.
Emmanuel is a Chattered Architect in Nigeria and AIA international Associate, He’s an environmentalist and a sustainability leader by the faculty of supply chain management at Rutgers University, U.S.A. He is also a certified green/sustainable professional with GREENASSOCIATE & LEED AP Bd+C credential with US Green Building Council, An Edge Expert and presently the only LEED Faculty in West Africa. He’s a 2017 Mandela Washington Fellow and won the single Africa scholarship slot for GreenBuild 2018. He holds a BSc. Architecture and an M.Arch degree from the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University and currently an M.Phil/PhD Civil Engineering candidate with research focus on sustainable and energy efficient materials at the University of lbadan, Nigeria. His most recent projects include the facebook office Lagos, where he was involved in providing eco-friendly materials to meet the clients needs. Other projects include the Betking Lagos Office, Shell Nigeria Office enrolled from LEED Gold & WELL and AFREXIM Bank regional office Abuje enrolling for LEED Platinum (the first LEED platinum in West Africa).
Ope is a graduate of Business Management and Information Technology from the University of Hull. Ope has been with the Purple Group since its inception playing a major part in the development and implementation of the company’s business strategy. He played an active role in the development and finance of the Group’s Real Estate portfolio, including Purple Maryland and Purple Lekki as well as the establishment of Purplemoney, A CBN licensed Microfinance Bank. Ope is currently the COO of Proptech, digitizing the Purple product range for a whole new audience online.
Temilola Sonola is currently the International Finance Corporation (IFC), EDGE, Green Building Market Transformation Program contact for Lagos, Nigeria. She also supports markets in the West Africa region and works closely with other regions in ensuring green buildings becomes mainstream in all markets. EDGE, Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies, works with the built environment for green building awareness and certifications; with the financial institutions in creating innovative sustainable financing and with the government to find ways of incorporating sustainable building into codes and policies. She has had a rewarding career with IFC for two decades, in different areas of Real Estate & Facilities Management, HR & Administration, Accounting and Client Support Services. She holds a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Lagos and is a Facilities
Management Professional of International Facility Management Association.
Kehinde Ogundimu is the Chief Executive Office of NMRC and a member of the Board of Directors. He joined NMRC as Chief Financial Officer in March 2015 bringing more than 20 years of finance leadership expertise in public accounting, oil & gas, secondary mortgage, commercial banking and executive management experience to his role in NMRC. In his position as Ag. CEO, he is responsible for the overall corporate direction of NMRC. Within Finance, he guides the Controller, Treasury, Tax and Shareholders’ relations to pursue the company’s growth strategy and meet shareholders’ expectations. Prior to joining NMRC, Kehinde worked and held various positions at Capital One Bank, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Chevron and Price waterhouse Coopers. On the Nigerian capital market, Kehinde has led multiple equity and debt financing transactions and raised several millions of dollars equivalent in Nigerian naira. Kehinde holds a BS in Electrical Engineering, Master of Business Administration, is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Charterholder.
Timi is the Country Commercial Manager at Agility Logistics Parks based in Lagos, Nigeria, where he is responsible for sales and marketing of the 270,000m2 Agility warehouse park under construction on the Lagos-Ibadan Express Way that is opening late 2022, providing industrial real estate solutions and services to both national and international corporate clients requiring space for storage, distribution, packing, processing and manufacturing. He also oversees the evaluation of further warehouse park locations across Nigeria and executes the corporate marketing plans at the country level for Agility Logistics Parks. Before assuming his current role, Timi was the Commercial and Industrial Sales Manager at Rendeavour, Africa’s largest new private city builder, where he was responsible for leading the industrial, commercial and residential sales drive in Alaro City. Prior to this, he was part of the Sub Saharan Africa Corporate Solutions team at JLL, a Fortune 500, global, commercial real estate services firm specializing in real estate and investment management, where he was responsible for managing and delivering solutions to corporate clients, negotiations, strategic advisory services and providing innovative marketing solutions. Timi holds a B.Sc. (Hons) from the University of Lagos, Nigeria and is a Chartered Surveyor and member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) with a specialty in Commercial Property Practice. He is also an Associate member of the Nigeria Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV).
Tunde Daniel Balogun is an astute entrepreneur, dogged real estate expert and a proficient business analyst. He Co-founded Small Small, a real estate company that leverages technology to provide solutions including property letting services with flexible payment plan, and property investment solution through Buy2Let.ng. He holds a degree in International Business Management and Business Administration from Stamford University. He participated in the 2012 edition of the Clinton Global Initiative held in Washington D.C. He is a Global Ambassador for Jump-Start Africa, an empowerment program dedicated to bolstering young Africans for leadership roles.
Yemi is an Estate Surveyor and Valuer with cognate work experience spanning over 20 years in the Nigeria Real Estate space. He is a Partner at Estatelinks Limited and has been involved in various real estate consultancy jobs for government, financial institutions, multi-nationals, blue-chip companies as well as individuals. He is a member of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) as well as African Real Estate Society. He has spoken to both local and international audience on Real Estate related topics and has also benefited from various property related conferences and workshops both within and outside Nigeria.
Funke is a Director in the real estate team at Actis, based in Lagos. Funke joined the firm in 2007 where she is responsible for origination, execution and portfolio management in West
Africa. Funke has over 15 years’ experience in private equity with the last 5 years focused on investing in Commercial Real Estate. Funke is a chartered accountant and holds a Bachelor of
Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Lagos and a Master in Finance from the London Business School.
Tosin Ajose is a business lawyer with over a decade experience. She is well known for her commercial savvy, excellent analytical skills, vast transactional experience and her relentless
desire to add value to her clients through innovative solutions, forward thinking and attention to details. An astute public speaker and an IFLR ranked lawyer, with over 100 transactions to her credit across, corporate commercial, mergers & acquisition, private equity, capital markets, finance (project/corporate) and infrastructure practice areas. Tosin, until very recently headed the Real Estate/Construction, Capital Markets and Corporate Commercial Teams in a top tier commercial law firm in Nigeria. Tosin, has done extensive policy work in the Financial Services space, first as a Legal Enabler under the Central Bank of Nigeria’s FSS 2020 initiative, subsequently as a professional member of the National Housing Finance Programme set up by the Federal Ministry of Finance with a mandate to overhaul the Nigerian mortgage finance sector, she is currently a volunteer with the Presidential Delivery Unit, office of the President Federal Republic of Nigeria and a member of the Mining thematic group of the National Economic Summit Group. Tosin is a thought leader in the Real Estate, Construction and Capital Markets space, she holds to her credit over 10 speaking engagements annually both within and outside the legal industry. Tosin is a regular resource person and trainer at the Pan African University (Lagos Business School) and the Centre for Housing Studies (University of Lagos). Tosin sits on the Board of 2 indigenous Nigerian companies and a not for profit board where her
contributions to strategic thinking and governance are greatly acknowledged.
Ayo Ibaru heads the real estate advisory practice at Northcourt. He holds an undergraduate degree in Estate Management and an MBA from the University of Lagos. His previous roles were at Diamond bank (Value Assurance, Insights and Innovation) where he developed frameworks for increased revenue and policy efficiency. At Stanbic IBTC bank, he was part of the Custody/Investor services business where he managed equity and fixed income investments for institutional clients. He also managed enterprise costs at Stanbic IBTC Holding Company. He is a member of the Society of Property Researchers.