NERDIA CONNECT - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Director, Africa Government Affairs
• International Business Development Consultant

Adeyemi Sowande has a Master's in Business Administration from EDHEC Business school in France. Here, he specialized in consulting and international business development. Prior to this, he attended Olabisi Onabanjo University where he graduated with a Bachelor's in Computer Science Engineering. He is incredibly involved in entrepreneurship internationally where he actively participates in the G20 Young Entrepreneurship Alliance summits. Adeyemi is a seasoned International business development consultant with over 10 years of experience in creating solutions for government and business leaders. He has worked with several state governments across West Africa to attract foreign direct investments while also working with their economic teams to formulate multi-year developmental plans. At Nerdia, Adeyemi is responsible for managing and liaising with the public sector and facilitating the collaboration between both public and private sector groups.

Job Titles:

• Founding Partner
• Founder - CEO
• Principle Partner & CEO

Anthony Agbonkhese is the founding partner of Nerdia. His education includes a Bachelor's in Business Administration (BBA), Certified Professional Accountant (CPA, CMA), Certificate in Project Management, and Master of Business Administration (MBA). With a passion for Africa's development and opportunity creation, Anthony founded Nerdia in 2013. Since Nerdia's inception, Anthony has collaborated with organizations to create a positive presence in Africa while developing the local content. His experience spans over 15 years of international trade involvement, business development, consulting, and advisory services. Other experiences include managing Accounting & Project teams, guest speaking, and being a college instructor. As the founder - CEO of Nerdia Connect Inc., Anthony is driven to actualize Nerdia's vision to be Africa's leading Advisory firm on international trade, opportunity creation and business development

Job Titles:

• FIBP - CEO, Founder Rainmaker Global Business Development
• Global Business Leader

Clark is a visionary global business leader who has advised hundreds of companies on the nuances and strategies of business expansion and diversification. His creativity and out-of-the-box thinking have guided companies and organizations to exponential growth as they embrace the global marketplace. He has been proud to apply his skills to small businesses and multinational, public, state-owned companies and government agencies in Business Events, Economic Development and Tourism. In addition to his role at Rainmaker, Clark has held several executive level positions through his career. To highlight a select few, Clark founded the FDI Canada Forum and was the Founding Director of the British Trade Office (Calgary). He was a part of the G20 Task Force for Investment and Trade and the President of the Association for Corporate Growth in Calgary, as well as Vice-Chair of the American Chamber of Commerce Canada. His focus on business expansion and recovery has been a critical foundation for his appointments. His passion for volunteering has helped build his understanding of the global marketplace and allowed Clark to learn from some of the world's top business and thought leaders.

Job Titles:

• CEO Ratio Consulting

Dr. George Nwangwu has close to two decades of experience as a lawyer spanning various legal practice aspects and academia in Nigeria and the United Kingdom. As an international consultant to multilateral institutions, he has experience in crafting frameworks for Infrastructure/Utility Regulation & Finance, Energy Law, Project Development, Environmental Law and Policy, Private Sector led Infrastructure Finance and Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs). In this capacity, he has provided full support to government agencies, mineral exploration, and production companies. Dr. Nwangwu was a DFID and World Bank-funded consultant with the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE). In this capacity, he held the following posts: Environmental Legal Adviser, Infrastructure Legal Adviser, Special Assistant on legal and strategy issues and finally Head of Strategy and Multilateral Relations. He obtained postgraduate degrees from the University College London, University of Hull, and University of Oxford. To date, Dr. Nwangwu has participated in over 100 privatization and PPP transactions worth over $10 billion either on the side of the public sector or private sector. He was the PPP Coordinator, Nigeria Federal Ministry of Finance as well as a lecturer in the Department of Commercial Law, University of Lagos. His latest book, Public-Private Partnerships in Nigeria - Managing Risk and Identifying Opportunities, is a bestseller.

Job Titles:

• Director, Research & Cultural Intelligence

Racheal holds a Master's in International PR, and a Ph.D. in Journalism, Media and Culture from Cardiff University in Wales, United Kingdom. She is a seasoned management professional who leverages communications, culture, and research to create competitive advantage, social capital, and long-term impact for businesses and organizations. She has almost two decades of extensive management consulting and training experience in Africa and international markets. Racheal has worked extensively in Nigeria as an entrepreneur, a consultant and in several leadership positions. Her unique approach to intercultural business relations helps organizations and individuals understand various cultural landscapes and their business implications. At Nerdia, Racheal's work involves translating organizational values and strategies across different cultures to achieve measurable outcomes and leverage communication to grow a firm's competitive advantage.

Job Titles:

• CEO Stations Direct Counsel & Capital Connect Online

Iyinoluwa Aboyeji is an entrepreneur in the public interest. He is passionate about partnering with missionary talent and capital to build an African future. He is the Founder and General Partner of Future Africa, a people powered innovation fund that provides capital, coaching and community to mission driven innovators turning Africa's biggest challenges into business opportunities. He also founded and led Flutterwave, a business building payments technology and infrastructure to connect Africa to the global economy. Over those years, he led the company to become one of the fastest growing payments technology and attracted significant investment, valuing the company over $1 billion.

Job Titles:

• Executive
• Head of Business Development
• Partner & CBDO

Justin Hospedales is a graduate from Acadia University with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Political Science. He went on to obtain post-graduate certificates from Harvard University, Google, and Mortgage Professionals, Canada. Justin is an executive that specializes in relationship management, business development, and international relations. With over 15 years of experience at some of North America's most prominent marketing and financial institutions, he has helped increase profitability by creating award-winning solutions. Whether driving new business opportunities in emerging markets or navigating through complicated regulatory issues, Justin brings a unique approach to problem solving. As head of business development, Justin is responsible for increasing Nerdia's global footprint which includes establishing new partnerships, driving revenue generating programs and strategic initiatives

Job Titles:

• CEO Centurion Law Group and Chairman Africa Energy Chambers
• Founder and CEO of Pan - African

NJ Ayuk is founder and CEO of Pan-African corporate law conglomerate, Centurion Law Group; Founder and Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber; and author of Billions at Play: The Future of African Energy and Doing Deals and co-author of Big Barrels: African Oil and Gas and the Quest for Prosperity. He is recognized as one of the foremost figures in African business today.

Job Titles:

• Director, Africa Legal Affairs

Oneyka Ojogbo is a qualified attorney in New York State and Nigeria and holds an LL.M degree from Columbia University. She is passionate about the right to education, gender equality, equal representation and economic empowerment through sports and energy. Oneyka is a senior attorney and team lead at Centurion Law Group with significant investment, finance and projects experience in Africa, Europe, and North America. She routinely advises governments, sponsors, lenders, multinational and local companies on a wide range of transactions, including cross-border projects, that cover infrastructure, energy, investments, aviation, sports and entertainment. She assists foreign investors in Africa from the inception of the transaction to closing. She has worked in over 30 Africa countries, gaining a keen understanding of the varied laws across the continent. At Nerdia, Oneyka is responsible for assisting international companies navigate the regulatory and compliance requirements to ensure clients fully understand the laws of the land.