The African Venture Philanthropy Alliance (AVPA) and Responsible Business Consulting (RBC) invite you to SUSTAINABLE FINANCING: The Channel to Africa's Sustainable Development, taking place on 03 November 2021. This will be the second of a three-part, virtual Sustainable Finance Dialogue Series hosted by the two organizations.
Building on the outcomes of the first event, this event seeks to chart the
landscape of sustainable finance with key financing stakeholders and give critical insights into how sustainable finance is shaping the future of Africa’s SMEs.
WHERE: Register HERE to participate
Rebecca has ten years of experience in agriculture, impact investing, and asset management. Over the last seven years, she has led and made direct investments in the agribusiness sector in East Africa. She developed the regional agriculture strategy and expanded portfolio that has already reached more than 5.4M smallholder farmers and impacted 27M lives across Rwanda, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Uganda.
She holds MBA from Columbia Business School and BA from Stanford University.
Gilfine Nyangasi is the Assistant Director of Solibrium Limited and holds a Degree in Bsc. Agricultural Economics and Resource Management from Moi University. She has completed the 5 sections of the Certified Public Accountants Examination.
She has a vast knowledge in Accounting and Taxation obtained through training and working for various organizations which include Lachuta Flowers, Kamadep Guest House, Eco2librium, and currently Solibrium Limited. She has held different positions including Accounts Assistant, Administrative and Human Resource Manager and Finance Manager, and Senior Manager as a result of career growth and her ability to organize and manage teams for achievements of organization’s goals and objectives.
Gilfine looks forward to advancing her education in Resource Management and Accounting.
Reuben is an economist working on sustainability and climate risk in finance. He is the Africa Regional Coordinator at UNEP Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) where he leads the SSA regional work program. He has extensive knowledge of climate-related work in Africa, has done research for the World Bank and UNICEF, and published articles for Kenya Bankers Association (KBA), eCahiers de l’Institut, and Africa Policy Journal of Harvard Kennedy School. He has multiple work experiences in Africa and Europe. Previously he worked at Strathmore University, McKinsey, and Credit Suisse.
He holds a Master's in International Economics from the Graduate Institute, Geneva.
Susan provides freelance/ independent consulting services to create and deliver tailored sustainability and communications solutions in: strategy, programme design, and implementation; capability building; stakeholder dialogue and partnerships; and reporting/evaluation to organisations that bring tangible value and contribute to building a responsible business landscape.
Prior to consulting, Susan was Head, Sustainability & Community Engagement, Standard Chartered Bank Kenya. In this role, Susan developed and led the delivery of the Bank’s sustainability, community
engagement and stakeholder agenda. Before this, she worked with Unilever as Head of Corporate Affairs & Sustainable Business, East Africa leading the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan strategy and corporate communications agenda in East Africa. Before that, she was with DHL Express as Head of Marketing & Communications East Africa. She has held various management roles with DHL in corporate responsibility and communications in Europe and Asia. Susan also worked with CSR
Europe, Europe’s leading business network for CSR, as Senior Programmes Manager leading CSR services delivery, project design, and management for CSR Europe’s members.
Susan holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Business Management from Daystar University Kenya; and post–graduate diplomas and certifications in PR, marketing communications, and sustainability. She is currently completing an MSc. in Sustainable Development from SOAS University of London. She is a board member of the Association of Sustainability Practitioners Kenya. She has also been a faculty on Strathmore Business School’s Africa Sustainability Executive Programme, and the Sustainability Practitioner Programme by Cambridge University’s Institute for Sustainability Leadership, Cape Town; for their respective programmes in 2021. Susan is passionate about sustainability, and authentic communications as key drivers for sustainable, responsible, and successful businesses.
Ify Umunna is the Co-CEO of Nourishing Africa where she oversees the programmatic, ICT, governance, and communications of the organization. The mission of Nourishing Africa is “to drive the profitable and sustainable growth of the African agriculture and food landscapes by attracting, empowering, equipping, connecting and celebrating over 1 Million dynamic and innovative young African agri-food entrepreneurs". As such, this hub serves as a platform for these stakeholders to accelerate their work, connect with each other, and celebrate their successes on the continent.
Ify has international experience in gender, maternal and adolescent health and nutrition at The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Adolescent Health (WHO), Geneva; Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, London; and Girl Effect, Abuja. She previously served as the Research Officer at African Philanthropy Forum and the Gender Analyst for the Nigerian Dairy Development Project (NDDP) at Sahel Consulting.
Ify has conducted field research and in-depth report analysis and writing; with a range of published and internal reports including PMNCH Partners’ Forum Report, NDDP Baseline Study, Toolkit for African Philanthropists Vol. 2, and co-authored “The Influence of Religion on the Empowerment and Economic Mobility of Smallholder Women Dairy Farmers in Nigeria” chapter in Muslim Women in the Economy: Development: Faith & Globalization, published by Routledge. She also served as the lead researcher for the newly released “Food Entrepreneurs in Africa: Scaling Resilient Agriculture Businesses” by Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli.
Ify holds a Bachelor in Social Science in International Relations, Sociology and Gender and Transformation (first class) from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, and a Masters in International Development with honours from the University of Warwick, United Kingdom
John Nyagwencha is the CEO of Aqua Clara Kenya, an organization he has been involved with since 2011. In his role, John leads a team of 30 employees and over 500 community agents engaged in the promotion and distribution of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) solutions across East Africa. Under John’s leadership, Aqua Clara Kenya has become an established brand in the WASH sector, gaining B corporation certification and developing partnerships with various reputable local and international organizations. John enjoys creative writing and some of his works have been published in the anthology Kwani?.
Previously, John co-founded three companies, Green Ark Africa, an environmental consulting firm, Angaza Feeds that focused on the manufacture of livestock feeds, and Body-Fit Gym where he is still a director and shareholder.
John is a 2020 Acumen Fellow and an alumnus of the IKEA Social Entrepreneurship Accelerator Programme.
Navalayo Osembo is the Co-Founder and CEO of Enda Athletic, Inc. Osembo is a graduate of the London School of Economics and has worked internationally, including in the US, UK, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Kenya where she utilizes her diverse skills as an accountant, a lawyer, risk manager, and in international development.
She is from a town near Eldoret, Kenya that has produced generations of the world’s greatest distance runners. Prior to creating Enda Athletic Inc., Osembo started a sports academy in Bungoma, Western Kenya to provide sports proteges from disadvantaged backgrounds access to much-needed professional training without compromising their education.
In order to maximize social impact in Kenya through sports, Osembo teamed up with her Co-Founder to create Enda Athletic Inc., a made-in-Kenya running shoe brand that creates jobs, invests in local communities, and spurs economic development through exports.
