Our Speaker Line-Up
Our conferences are renowned for featuring critically acclaimed, world-class speakers. This year’s lineup boasts a powerful roster, including CEOs from leading African stock exchanges, alongside esteemed pension professors from top U.S. institutions, and complemented by investment managers and CEOs representing the diverse landscape of the African continent.
Our Speaker Line-Up
Oguche is currently the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Pension Fund Operators Association of Nigeria (PenOp). possessing a degree in Banking and finance from the University of Lagos, Nigeria. He leads the efforts of the pension industry in Nigeria in engaging the regulators, the media, the financial markets and other stakeholders in order to ensure that the interests of the pension industry and pension operators are protected and promoted and also in ensuring that the pension industry has a positive effect on National Development
Jerry Moriarty is CEO of the IAPF which represents pension savers in Ireland. Its members are responsible for some €128bn in retirement savings and aims to ensure people in Ireland can have pensions that are secure, fair and simple. Jerry is currently Chairman on the board of PensionsEurope and chairs its Future of Pensions Working Group. Since 2018 he has been a member of the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority’s Occupational Pensions Stakeholder Group.
Salum Awadh is a corporate advisor, Investment banker, Public speaker, Author, VC Enthusiast, and Entrepreneur. He holds an MBA in Finance, Chartered Global Investmemt Analyst (CGIA), USA, and certification in Islamic finance and banking with Charted Institute of Management of Accountant -UK, CIMA (Islamic Capital Markets), Professional Certificate In Capital Investment Techniques with Metropolitan School of Business and Management UK, Securing investment returns in the long run by University of Geneva, and Innovation Finance from University of Cape Town. He was recently appointed by the President of United Republic of Tanzania as the Chairman of Cereals and Other Produce Board in Tanzania and is the CEO of SSC Capital, a corporate advisory, investment banking and financial services firm.
Kim Robinson, Consultant, Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, assists pension funds and asset managers to recover when there is loss due to alleged fraud. She is a Harvard educated attorney, Fulbright Scholar, commercial mediator accredited in South Africa and the United Kingdom, and a Certified Ethics Officer with the Ethics Institute of South Africa. She is also CEO of Renaissance Strategic Solutions, a Johannesburg based consulting firm.
While an Associate at Morgan Lewis (then McCutchen Doyle), she second chaired and successfully represented the plaintiff in The Utility Consumers’ Action Network v. Pacific Bell where the court awarded $24 million in damages.
Ms. Robinson’s experience in South Africa dates from 1991 when she was a Human Rights Intern at the law firm of Smith, Tabata, Inc.
A stalwart of the South African technology industry, Firth’s successful software engineering career has spanned many roles. He has held numerous board positions, chaired the Board of Governors at a private local school for girls, he provides mentorship for technology start-ups and acted as an advisor to a NASDAQ-listed multinational software and database company.
Firth is the Chairman and CEO of MIP Holdings, a South African Fintech that supplies administration systems to the financial services industry, with customers like Sanlam, Hollard, Investec, Capitec, Standard Bank, PPS and Legalwise. MIP’s systems cover the lives of some 24 million beneficiaries in South Africa with a staff compliment of more than 600 people.
Richard is an advisor to a South African start-up called Matric Live which is a multifunctional education app that is reinventing the way pupils learn by making learning contextual, visual and not just theoretical. Matric Live currently have more than 400,000 South African learners using the platform.
Finally, in 2023, Richard was nominated by the Gauteng Government as one of their 365 Men of the year Awards for being a positive role model and asset to the country.
Tim is a passionate believer that Africa has the capacity to solve her own challenges through technology-driven solutions. It’s upon this premise that he developed FundMaster from scratch, an innovative world-class ERP for the African Pensions Industry. For over 24 years, Tim has been at the forefront of driving innovation and providing tailored solutions for the African pensions market, by combining local insights with world-class technology. His extensive experience, underscores his proficiency in navigating the complexities of the pension sector and collaborating with a diverse range of stakeholders, including governments, social security organizations, central banks, insurance companies and diversified financial institutions, and other key players.
He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Financial Management (FAAFM), a Chartered Pensions Analyst Manager (CPAM), Certified Business Analyst, Certified Project Manager (PRINCE2 Practitioner), Certified Database Administrator and a seasoned Enterprise Software Developer.
Tim is the Co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Systech Limited (www.systechafrica.com), a Pan-African enterprise software development house that specializes in Retirement Benefits technology solutions. Tim and his team at Systech Limited are making significant strides in revolutionizing retirement benefits technology across the continent.
Tunji is a highly skilled economist, entrepreneur, and committed financial inclusion advocate on a mission to create dedicated financial offerings for Africa’s underserved informal sector. As an economist, he has over 15 years of experience in public and private sector roles across West Africa to include being senior special assistant to the statistician general of Nigeria and Consultant to the European Union under the EU SUFEGOR Project. He is currently CEO of AWABAH, a digital Pension Platform for Africa’s workforce
Nancy is the Head of Legal for DSY EB & Invest. She is responsible for the legal & compliance and tax have extremely good work relationship with SARS, FSCA&NT and she is actively involved with the regulators when it comes to aligning the law and pension and tax practices. She was twice the past President of the Pension Lawyers Association of South Africa. She a member of the IRFA Legal and Tax Committee and the Chairperson of the Tax committee. She served as a trustee and the PO on a number of boards with her past employees.
Semoli started his career with Momentum Actuaries and Consultants in 2001 as a fund accountant, later promoted to investment consultant. In 2006 he joined Metropolitan Asset Management as a business development manager. In 2008 he joined SYm|mETRY Multi Managers (now Old Mutual Multi Managers) as a business development executive. His successes include setting up Old Mutual Life Assurance company of South Africa (OMLACSA) in Lesotho, introducing a partnership between Old Mutual Kenya and the government of Uganda and designing an administration strategy for the Government of Malawi through Old Mutual Malawi. Semoli serves on several boards as a non-executive director and continues to apply his entrepreneurial skills to penetrate the African market as Regional Investments Strategist for Mergence.
Anthea Gardner is a rare breed of fund manager who has worked across both equity and fixed income asset classes, delta one and optionality product, locally and abroad. She returned to South Africa from the UK and Tunisia in 2013 and started Cartesian Capital in January 2014, where she is the Fixed Income and Hedge Fund manager, while overseeing the Balanced Funds and Corporate Cash Management Solution. She is the author of bestselling finance book, “Make your Money Work for You”, which was recently converted into an audiobook. She is a shareholder and director of Inyosi Empowerment Group and member of the renewables energy investment committee for Revego Fund. Anthea holds a first class pass for her master’s research thesis on Derivative Option Pricing. She is a keen sportsperson having completed a number of long-distance triathlons including an Ironman. Anthea is an avid reader of biographies and history, and has a penchant for philosophy. There can be no doubt why she called her business Cartesian Capital; named after the French philosopher and mathematician, René Descartes, who famously said: “I think, therefore I am”; and whose mathematical legacy includes the Cartesian Plane and superscripts (xy).
Samiha is a Financial, Tax and Management Consultant with over 8 years of multi-industry experience in providing top level financial and sustainable management consulting to corporate and ‘not for profit’ firms, nationally and internationally.
She has served clients from a variety of sectors; Hospitality, Tourism, Technology, Media, Telecommunications, Energy (renewables, oil & gas), Consumer Business, Transport and Manufacturing. She leads corporate engagements ranging from national audits to large finance transformation and organizational improvement projects, often coordinating cross-cultural teams.
Being resident and professional in Zanzibar, she is ideally placed to bridge the logistic gap between foreign investors and investment opportunities available. In 2022 she has assisted strategic investors place over $100m on the island.
Samiha specializes in Forensic Accounting and Fraud Investigation, conducting Forensic Audits for large organizations globally, in public and private sectors.
She is a board member of the Zanzibar National Chamber of Commerce and works with other associations to promote women, youth and sustainability in business in the private sector in Zanzibar
For over 23 years, Yugen has partnered with businesses and governments to achieve success. He has worked with C-suite executives and senior leadership across public and private sectors, both locally and internationally. His expertise lies in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) implementation, strategy and governance enhancements, process improvement, transformation initiatives, and risk management.
His passion extends to empowering small and medium businesses (SMBs). As an accredited coach, He has guided over 1,500 entrepreneurs towards economic prosperity. His achievements have been recognized by Forbes Africa magazine, featuring his work in the energy and resources sector, alongside his dedication to African SMB growth.
Beyond his consulting experience, He does contribute actively to the business community. Having served on various boards, including Momentum, and speaking at renowned events like Mining Indaba and industry conferences. He has also shared his knowledge as a lecturer at South African Accounting Academy and the University of Johannesburg. His experience spans Big 4 environments, providing a well-rounded perspective for tackling complex business challenges.
Ziyad was until recently the CEO and founder of New Africa Advisors, a corporate finance and merger & acquisitions advisory firm covering Mauritius and the Indian Ocean region. He is now the CEO designate of Mauritius-based AFG Capital Ltd, a subsidiary of the West-African banking Group, AFG Holding which operates a network of seven banks across West Africa and the Indian Ocean region. AFG Capital has obtained an in-principle approval for an investment banking licence from the Financial Services Commission of Mauritius.
He served the Rogers Group for 6 years as Chief Finance & Investment Executive since October 2011 where he spearheaded the group’s strategic initiatives including its divestiture from the Cim Group and the latter’s spin-off on the Stock Exchange of Mauritius, the setting up of its real estate cluster and its new financial services arm, Rogers Capital.
Between 2006 and 2011, Ziyad was the Managing Director of MCB Capital Partners, the private equity arm of the Mauritius Commercial Bank managing the USD 100m proprietary fund of this leading bank where he led a number of acquisitions in Mauritius, Reunion, Madagascar and France generating successful exits for the bank.
