DAMINA ADVISORS - Key Persons
Ambassador Antony De Bono has just completed a four year tenure as Malta' Ambassador to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and is currently the Perpetual Ambassador for the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO), which organization he Chaired in the UK for three years. For 12 years Mr. De Bono held the post of Chief of Staff of three Ministers of the Maltese Government with policy and executive level experiences in portfolios ranging from Telecommunications, Health, Environment Industry, Agriculture, Fisheries and National Infrastructural Development. During these twelve years De Bono was instrumental in the rapid development and modernisation of the National Health services. Ambassador DeBono captained Telemalta Corporation the National Telecommunications service provider as its CEO for 14 years with a brief to modernize the telecommunications infrastructure of the Maltese Islands and to project Malta in the International Telecommunications Arena. During his term of office as CEO, Malta was singled out as the role model for telecommunications development at the ITU World Telecommunications development Conference at Buenos Aires in 1994. During this period he functioned as a Director on the Vodafone-Malta Board of directors after having successfully introduced mobile services in Malta in 1989, with Malta, besides becoming the First country in Europe to have a homogeneous 100 % digital switching and transmission network was also the First country that Vodafone invested with, outside the UK. . He has served for more than 15 years as Malta's Special Envoy to the United Nations's Special Agency, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and was Malta's Candidate to contest the post of ITU's Secretary General. For 3 years he served as Deputy Chairman and Chairman of Malta's Postal Services. He is also Chairman of the Telecommunication Executive Management Institute of Canada (TEMIC) Chapter for Europe, Middle East and North Africa. Ambassador De Bono was elected for 2 years as President of the European Commission for Posts and Telecommunications (CEPT) with his office in Copenhagen and chaired the European Telecommunications Network Operators (ETNO) the industry's strongest lobby in the European Union and headquartered in Brussels .Ambassador De Bono who graduated an MA in Business Management and served for four years on the Administration and Engineering Faculty Boards of the University of Malta brings to DaMina Advisors over 40 years of leadership experience in the Public Service, the Political and Diplomatic domains and more specifically extensive expertise in the ICT industry.
Ambassador Chabala is Zambia's former ambassador to the United Nations, France, the European Union, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Italy and Portugal. A three-decade veteran of the Zambian diplomatic service, Ambassador Chabala was also an under-secretary at the Zambian Ministry of Finance, Deputy Permanent Secretary (Economics and Finance), and speech writer to the Prime Minister of Zambia. Ambassador Chabala is currently CEO of Visionary Consulting Associates, a non-profit organization which has helped educate hundreds of HIV-AIDS orphans in central Africa. Chabala is also a member of several advisory boards: Global Alliance for Women's Health, Voices of African Mothers, International Youth Council, United Nations Ambassadors, United States Foundation for Peace In The Middle East and Jewish Heart for Africa (innovation Africa).
Job Titles:
- Security and Political Advisor
Aryaman Bhatnagar is a foreign policy, security and political advisor based in New Delhi. He was a German Chancellor Fellow for 2018-19 and in that capacity worked with the Global Public Policy Institute in Berlin. He has previously worked with the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung India, Observer Research Foundation and the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies in New Delhi. He holds a Masters in International Politics from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.
Mr. Rewane is CEO of Nigerias preeminent market research and consulting firm, Financial Derivatives. He was an informal advisor to former Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua's economic management team on economic and financial regulation issues. Bismarck worked with the First National Bank of Chicago, where he rose to the level of a General Manager and Treasurer of the Bank. Other executive stints were with International Merchant Bank Nigeria Limited, Lion Bank of Nigeria and Intercity Bank Limited. In addition to sitting on the board of the First City Monument Bank Nigeria, he also currently sits on the boards of the First City Group, FCMB (UK) Ltd, Top Feed Nigeria Limited, Delta Packaging Nigeria Limited, Seepec Nigeria Limited, Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Modant Marine Limited, Virgin Nigeria Airways Limited, Nigeria LNG Foundation, UBA Custodian Limited, UNIC Insurance Plc, Navgas (a Vitol subsidiary), and Guinness Nigeria Plc. Bismark holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Ibadan and is an Associate of The Chartered Institute of Bankers,
Job Titles:
- Research Associate Analyst at Da
Bryan Chester Campbell Romero is a Research Associate Analyst at DaMina Advisors, where he covers significant geopolitical events in Cuba and surrounding frontier markets. Bryan also serves as a current developments analyst for Foreign Brief and has occupied position as a translator and advisors for Cornell University and the University of Vermont academic programs in Cuba. Bryan holds a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy (Licenciatura en Filosofía) from the University of Havana, Cuba
David Ensor most recently held the position of Chief Credit Officer of Chartis, the general insurance business of American International Group (AIG), where he had responsibility for all credit-related risk assumed by Chartis worldwide. Prior to David's role at AIG-Chartis, his extensive international career in the UK, US, Canada and South Africa helped to build a number of senior business and risk management roles for major financial institutions such as: AIG, ANZ, Barclays and General Re. David holds a LLB in Law and an MA from Cambridge University (St. John's College), and is also an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, London.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director for Business Development in London
- Associate Director, Business Development & Growth
Elliot is currently an Associate Director for Business Development in London. Before joining DaMina, Elliot worked as a content producer and coordinator for high-profile military technology conferences. His current responsibilities involve working within the financial sector to provide research and analysis for investment strategies. Elliot holds a degree in International Relations from Loughborough University and is a soldier within the British Army's Royal Military Police."
Job Titles:
- Associate Director of Growth and Business Development at DaMina
- Associate Director, Business Development & Growth
Evan is an associate director of growth and business development at DaMina. Evan assists DaMina's UK operations in research, consultation, and sub-advisory revenues. Evan is completing his MA at King's College London, UK where he is undertaking National Security Studies, as part of the War Studies department. He completed his BA in geography at University College London.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Advisory Partner - UK & the British Isles Spv
- Independent Management Consultant
Francis Mensah is a Partner at DaMina Advisors covering UK and the British Isles. Francis is also an independent management consultant with fifteen years of experience in the financial services industry mainly focusing on large complex change projects and business operating model development. Francis' clients include HSBC, Barclays Bank, Santander and the Royal Bank of Scotland. Prior to becoming an independent consultant Francis worked for Accenture, Deloitte Consulting, and Arthur Andersen Business Consulting. Francis is also an independent investor and has a keen interest in spread trading global stocks and taking long term positions in African equities. Francis has an MSc in information systems from the London School of Economics.
H.E Luisa Dias Diogo was prime Minister of Mozambique from 2004 to 2010, while concurrently holding the Finance Minister portfolio. Diogo has had an extensive career in public administration and finance having held senior positions at Mozambique's Ministry of Finance as Staff Officer in the Department of Economics and Investment, Head of the Budget Department, Deputy National Budget Director, National Budget Director, Deputy Minister of Planning and Finance and the World Bank's Program Officer for Mozambique. Diogo is currently Chairman of Barclays Bank Mozambique, a member of the Advisory Board of The Brenthurst Foundation, member of the African Commission's Advisory Council for Peace and Security, and the UN's High-level Panel on Global Sustainability. H.E. Luisa Diogo will be drawing on her unique insights on public finance and administration to strengthen DaMina's risk research and frontier markets risk mitigation consulting capacities with special focus on Angola and Mozambique.
His Excellency Max Bangoura is Guinea's former minister for private sector development. Mr Bangoura asists DaMina clients with commercial interests in Guinea and elsewhere in francophone Africa, especially in mining.
Conrad Enill, a respected former minister of energy and finance of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago has joined DaMina Advisors senior advisory team to strengthen the firm's LatAm and Caribbean frontier markets energy and public finance consulting and research capabilities. Mr. Enill was previously a governor for the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, the International Development Association, the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) and Chair of the IMF G-24. Enil, who is a former chairman of a major political party of Trinidad, and a former senator was at various times also acting Foreign Affairs minister, Minister of Planning, Housing and the Environment, Minister of National Security, Minister of Education, Minister of Local Government, Minister of Trade and Industry, Minister of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education, Minister of Public Administration and Information, Minister of Agriculture. Enil is one of the Caribbean's most experienced and respected public servants.
Honorable Victor Kasongo Shomary is the Democratic Republic of Congo's immediate past vice minister of mines and natural resources. He was until his departure from the government of President Joseph Kabila the principal architect of Congo's recent mining sector reforms. Prior to taking up the post of vice minister of mines and natural resources, he was a senior advisor to President Kabila on mining issues. Honorable Kasongo Shomary also served as the head of the Center for Evaluation, Expertise & Certification in Kinshasa and as the CEO of Okimo, the country's state owned diamond conglomerate. Formerly he worked as a senior consulting executive with Ernst & Young in South Africa.
Job Titles:
- Analyst ( Global Health Research - Sub Saharan Africa )
A product of Yale University Medical School and Middlebury College's department of Neuroscience, Johannes has previously conducted research for Yale University Medical School, Rockefeller University in New York and Middlebury College's Biology Department, Vermont. Johannes has interned at Porter Hospital in Vermont and at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, Ghana. He was previously a global health research Intern at DaMina Advisors New York. Johannes peer reviwed scientific publications are cited below:
Zhou, Y., Adomako-Mensah, J., Yuferov, V., Ho, A., Zhang, J., Xu, M., Kreek, MJ.Effects of acute binge cocaine on mRNA levels of µ-opioid receptors and neuropeptides in Dopamine D1 or D3 receptor knockout mice. (Synapse, 61, 50-59, January 2007)
Zhou, Y., Huynh, J., Choi, J., Schlussman, S.D., Adomako-Mensah, J., Ho, A., and Kreek, M.J. Persistent increases in rat hypothalamic neuropeptide gene expression with HPA hyposensitivity to naloxone during withdrawal from chronic escalating dose cocaine. (Proceedings of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence, 2005)
Job Titles:
- Communications Strategy Officer
- Member of the Global Voices Online
Kofi Yeboah is the Communications Strategy Officer at Damina Advisors. His focus is on developing and implementing digital strategies for Damina's social media channels. Kofi has an extensive communications experience in the social enterprise and non-profit sector. He has worked in emerging markets including Ghana and Kenya.
Prior to joining Danima, Kofi worked as the Communications and Social Media officer for a $3.9m USAID funded project which was implemented by Population Services International, a global health organization dedicated to improving the health of people in the developing world. He has consulted for some international companies including Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT), an international Canadian social enterprise based in Canada. He assisted DOT with development and implementation of a social innovation programme to identify young social innovators from developing economies, with focus on Ghana.
Kofi is also an active member of the Global Voices Online - an international community of bloggers who report on blogs and citizen media from all over the world. He writes stories about the emerging technology development in Ghana and Africa.
Kofi is an alumnus of Amani Institute, Kenya - an institute that focuses on preparing next-generation talent to tackle global challenges in emerging markets. He is also a Kumvana Fellow, a fellowship programme, supported by the Canadian government, that builds the capacities of young African professionals while fostering rich collaborations between Canadian and African partners.
Kofi formerly worked as the Communications Officer for Clean Team Ghana, a social enterprise that provides innovative sanitation solutions to the urban poor in Ghana. His articles and thoughtful comments have appeared in major international media outlets including The Guardian UK, Aljezeera and Global Voices Online. Kofi has a degree in Economics and Sociology from University of Cape Coast, but currently pursuing a graduate programme at the University of Alberta, Canada, where he is studying Communications and Technology. Has travelled extensively across East and West Africa, Middle East, Asia and North America.
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Fellow Co - Head, Frontier Asia Consulting
Lars is an investment professional who haven been involved in Asian frontier markets for more than two decades. He has held a number of senior positions on the sell- and buy-side (including portfolio manager, head of research, head of foreign institutional sales and independent adviser) in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, London and Stockholm.
He has built a track record providing invaluable insights on the region, which is helped by his command of five languages, including two Asian - Thai and Malay. His comments have been published in Financial Times and interviews/quotes appeared in Bloomberg, Reuters and a number of other international publications. Lars has also acted as expert speaker at investment forums and continuous professional development courses in Asia.
For nearly four years, Lars acted as the editor and strategist for the well known and popular Profit Hunter (premium investment newsletter dedicated to unearth the best thematic investment ideas in frontier markets) and The New World (free investment letter tasked to come up with the hottest investment ideas in Asian frontier markets) in London.
Lars writes on Asian financial markets for Myanmar Business Today, the leading weekly business newspaper in Yangon, Myanmar, home to the world's youngest frontier stock market (Yangon Stock Exchange, founded in Oct 2015).
Michele Boaretto has previously assisted European External Action Service at the UN Headquarters in New York. He is a graduate of the LSE European Institute, where he specialised in the foreign and security policy of the EU. Michele primarily assists DaMina Advisors on matters related to EU politics and European integration, with a particular focus on Italian affairs
Mr Korman is the CEO of mid-market US private equity firm Nashone Inc. Korman has over two decades of senior finance and deal structuring experience in the US, Israel and Africa. Scott assists DaMina clients who are active participants in the African capital markets. Scott is a graduate of the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Job Titles:
- Natalee Vernon, DaMina Senior Legal Advisor
Natalee was until recently Legal and Business Affairs Counsel at Mattel, Inc., and previously served in a similar role at Thomson Reuters. Natalee was an associate at Shearman & Sterling LLP New York and previously worked at Bloomberg. Natalee obtained her JD in law from Cornel University and BA in Political Science and Spanish from Middlebury College. Natalee has been admitted to the New York bar.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate Political Risk Analyst - Portuguese Speaking Africa & Brazil
- Risk Analyst
Patricia Neves is an associate political risk analyst with a particular focus on Lusophone Africa and Brazil at DaMina Advisors. Patricia holds a degree in Criminology with Psychology from Middlesex University London and will soon start her MA in Conflict, Security and Development at King's College London.
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Fellow, Sub - Saharan Africa
Philippe de Pontet's expertise in political and investment risk analysis in the continent stems from 15 years of analytical and advisory services on Africa for a diverse client base including multinationals, financial institutions and governments. He has a vast network of contacts honed over the years, helping to inform his analysis and forecasts for investors as they weigh risks and opportunities in frontier Africa.From 2006 to 2016 Philippe worked at Eurasia Group where he rose to Africa practice head, leading the firm's analytical coverage of the continent. Philippe's sectoral expertise centers on the politics of the extractive industries, particularly oil/gas and mining, but he has also led multiple projects in sectors ranging from power to retail goods to agriculture. Prior to joining Eurasia Group, Philippe worked at Intellibridge Corporation, focusing on open-source intelligence for government and private-sector clients with diverse interests in Africa. After receiving his undergraduate degree from Princeton University, he taught at universities in Mexico and China in the 1990s. He received a Masters in International Relations from Georgetown University (MSFS) in 2001 prior to working at Intellibridge Corporation.
Job Titles:
- Corporate Strategy
- Independent Management Consultant
Ms. Johnson is currently an independent management consultant and has previously held director positions at Ernst & Young, Pricewaterhouse, Coopers & Lybrand and Eurasia Group. She has over 20 years of international corporate strategy, advisory and business development experience and is an active advisor to, and member of, several non-profit boards.
Lord Boateng is a former British High Commissioner (ambassador) to South Africa, a former British Member of Parliament for Brent South, a former British Cabinet Minister and Chief Treasury Secretary in the Blair government. He is currently a peer in the British House of Lords as Baron Boateng of Wembly and Akyem. Lord Boateng was also a former UK minister in the Department of Health, a minister of State in the Home Office and Financial Secretary to the Treasury. Lord Boateng has been privy councilor to her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II since 1998. He is a solicitor and barrister at laws admitted in England & Wales (Gray's Inn) and is involved in many charitable organizations including a Trustee of the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Foundation and Feed the Hungry.
Job Titles:
- Global Managing Director & Chief Analyst
Sebastian Spio-Garbrah has been adjudged one of the world's leading frontier markets analysts, and was voted among the ‘Top 30 under 30 Analysts' by New York's Institutional Investor Magazine in 2006. Sebastian helped establish the Africa risk research practice at leading global political risk consultancy firm, Eurasia Group LLC in New York, London (UK) and Tokyo, and concurrently served as a sovereign risk analyst on Sub-Saharan Africa's two largest economies, Nigeria and South Africa for a novel global stability index developed by Eurasia Group with Lehman Brothers, Deutsche Bank, and subsequently, with Citigroup between 2005 and 2010. Since 2010, Sebastian has been Global Managing Director & Chief Frontier Markets Analyst at DaMina Advisors where he advises the boards, CEOs and portfolio managers of many of the world's leading multinationals and largest institutional investors on Africa. A prolific writer and an ambidextrous thinker, Sebastian has been quoted extensively by the international media.
Previously, Sebastian led debt capital markets surveillance unit at Thompson Reuters in New York. Sebastian also advised former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair's Commission on Africa. Sebastian sits on the board of Christian Children's Fund of Canada, African Business Media, Canada - Africa Chamber of Business and Jewish Heart for Africa - Innovation Africa. Sebastian is a member of Toronto's High Park and Parkdale Rotary Club and a Fellow at the Washington Center for the Study of the Presidency. Sebastian holds a B.A (double) in Economics and Political Science from Middlebury College, Vermont and a Juris Doctor (J.D) in law from Rutgers University, New Jersey.
Job Titles:
- Non - Executive Director
- Non - Executive Director, Corporate Affairs & Corporate Governance
Stephanie is a Non-Executive Director, where she oversees governance issues for the company`s global corporate platform across four continents. Stephanie has also worked extensively within the Canadian government and with various Africa-focused development organizations in Canada. Stephanie has a wealth of experience helping organize high profile events for various international organizations and NGOs in North America, Europe and Africa. She recently assisted with the planning and organization of the Internet Governance Forum which hosted over 2,000 delegates in Nairobi, Kenya. Stephanie is the co-founder of the Africa Development Forum at The University of London, School of Africa and Oriental Studies; Co-founder of Re-Connect Ghana, a platform for connecting youth in Ghana with peers in the Ghanaian diaspora; and Executive Director of the Gordon Guggisberg Ghana-Jewish Friendship Foundation. Stephanie holds a B.A Honors in Political Science and Law from Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada and a M.A in International Studies and Diplomacy from SOAS, University of London.