Fabio Nava

Vice President, JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group

Christopher Balliet Bleziri

Principal Investment Officer, Banque Ouest Africaine de Développement

Christopher is an Investment Professional with an extensive project finance transactions experience in Sub-Saharan Africa, providing advisory and structured finance solutions to Governments, large corporates and PPP projects. He has a track record of deals spanning over different sectors (renewable and non-renewable energy, roads, utilities, coastal erosion, mining, pharmaceuticals, banking, hospitality).

Claire Fillatre

Senior Investment Officer, Proparco

Claire has 13 years experience in corporate and investment banking.

She graduated from the ESCP Europe Business School and holds a in Master’s degree in Business Law.

She started in 2007 as an Analyst, then Associate, in the Real Estate Financing & Advisory team of HSBC France. As from 2011, she was a Relationship Manager within HSBC’s Coverage, in charge of a portfolio of CIB multinational industrial groups.

She joined Proparco in August 2017 as Investment Officer in the MAS (Manufacturing, Agribusiness, Services) team, based in Paris, where she specializes in real estate / hospitality projects.

Olaf Schmidt

Manager- Tourism Investments Africa, IFC

Olaf Schmidt is Manager, Tourism, Real Estate, Retail, Manufacturing, Health, Education, Africa Region at IFC (International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group).

He has done investments across all continents over the past 15 years. His previous responsibilities as Global Sector Lead for Tourism, Retail & Property and Hub Lead for MAS (Manufacturing, Agribusiness, Services) in Western Europe included helping build business with European sponsors across emerging markets and providing global coverage of investments with a variety of instruments including equity, mezzanine finance, and debt.

Before joining IFC in 2003, he worked in strategy consulting with A.T. Kearney in France and Germany and spent two years with OTF Group (formerly Monitor Country Competitiveness) in Africa.

Olaf holds a Business Administration degree from ESSEC, France and Mannheim University, Germany, and a MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Magatte Wade

Président du Conseil d’Administration, Africa Real Estate & Président du comité de pilotage, DISFIN - GPIH

M. Wade, consultant international est également membre fondateur du Conseil d’Administration de l’Agence d’Exécution des Travaux d’Intérêt Public (AGETIP), Ancien Directeur Régional IBM Afrique, membre d’honneur du réseau des AGETIPs (AFRICATIP), membre du Conseil d’Administration d’ECOBANK SÉNÉGAL (et Président du Comité Audit), Président du Conseil d’Administration de Africa Real Estate.

Fabio Nava

Vice President, JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group

David Damiba

Chief Investment Officer, Kasada Capital Management

• • David Damiba has 25 years of finance experience with an extensive African fund management, portfolio construction and risk management track record covering all asset classes across more than 20 African countries.
  • Before joining Kasada in 2018, David was a Partner at Helios Investment Partners, where he co-founded and co-led the firm’s activities in African mezzanine and structured credit. In that capacity, David originated, led, structured and executed a variety of transactions targeting equity-like returns with significant structural downside protection and an emphasis on yield and self-liquidation.
  • Prior to joining Helios in 2012, David was a Managing Director and founder of Africa Funds at Renaissance Asset Managers (UK). David’s area of focus at Renaissance was on providing structured solutions across the capital structure to a wide range of entities.
  • David has a BA in Economics from New York University (NYU) and an MBA from INSEAD.
  • David is Burkinabé and British and speaks English and French.

Hilaire Dongmo

Principal, Actis Real Estate

Hilaire joined Actis Real Estate in 2015 from Cheyne Capital in London. He is an investment professional on the acquisitions team, and is responsible for leading investment projects, including origination, analysis, execution, having had a particular focus over the past year on Francophone Africa.

Hilaire has an extensive experience as a former investment banker, credit investor and now private equity professional as well as in depth knowledge across asset class in emerging markets

Prior to joining Cheyne Capital, he worked for Rothschild, Morgan Stanley and Barclays in Mergers and Acquisitions.

Hilaire graduated from SciencesPo Paris with a Master of Science in Finance and also holds a Master’s degree in Applied Mathematics and Statistics.

Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard

Founder & Chairman, APO Group

Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard is the Founder, chairman and 100% owner of APO Group, the leading media relations consultancy firm and press release distribution service in Africa and the Middle East. APO Group is working with more than 300 clients, ranging from governments to international institutions, prominent personalities and companies. Clients include Facebook, Uber, GE, Orange, DHL, Philips, the NBA, Standard Chartered Bank, Siemens, Canon, PwC, EY, McKinsey & Company, flydubai, DP World, just to name a few. While APO Group’s Advisory division also serve clients like Aliko Dangote, the International Criminal Court and many more.

APO Group’s strategic partners include Bloomberg, Thomson Reuters and CNBC Africa. APO Group is the Main Official Sponsor of World Rugby’s African association, Rugby Africa, and the strategic partner of Getty Images in Africa and the Middle East. In December 2018, Nicolas stepped down as CEO of APO Group and appointed Lionel Reina as CEO. Lionel Reina is the former CEO of the EEMEA region (Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa) for Orange Business Services, the B2B division of French telecoms company Orange S.A.. Reina has also served as Chairman of the Board of Orange Business Saudi Arabia, and Middle East Director in the Gulf region for Accenture. As Chairman, Pompigne-Mognard is focusing on delivering high-level counsel for the company’s clients and developing his investment fund dedicated to Africa.

Olivier Granet

Chief Executive Officer, Kasada Capital Management

Olivier Granet is the Managing Partner and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Kasada Capital Management, the consultancy firm entrusted with an exciting project that will culminate in a dedicated Investment Fund from AccorHotels and Katara Hospitality, with a targeted reach of USD $1 billion for sustainable hotel development in Sub Sahara Africa.

He was the former CEO of AccorHotels Middle East and Africa, and was responsible for a portfolio of over 200 hotels consisting of 50,000 rooms across over 30 countries.

With almost 20 years with AccorHotels, Olivier joined the Middle East team in 2011 during a time when the Group had 40 hotels in the region. Heading up the region’s development, he made remarkable strides in growing the network, achieving one new property signature every two weeks and opening one hotel a month. The Middle East platform has more than tripled in size under his leadership and the Group became the number one operator in the Middle East and Africa.

Along with his development and management acumen, his focus is on the Group’s talent strategy to identify, grow and develop a robust pipeline of 50,000 colleagues by 2021.

Olivier holds a degree from the Grenoble Institute of Political Studies (Sciences-Po Grenoble) and an MBA from ESSEC Business School in Paris.

Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard

Founder & Chairman, APO Group

Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard is the Founder, chairman and 100% owner of APO Group, the leading media relations consultancy firm and press release distribution service in Africa and the Middle East. APO Group is working with more than 300 clients, ranging from governments to international institutions, prominent personalities and companies. Clients include Facebook, Uber, GE, Orange, DHL, Philips, the NBA, Standard Chartered Bank, Siemens, Canon, PwC, EY, McKinsey & Company, flydubai, DP World, just to name a few. While APO Group’s Advisory division also serve clients like Aliko Dangote, the International Criminal Court and many more.

APO Group’s strategic partners include Bloomberg, Thomson Reuters and CNBC Africa. APO Group is the Main Official Sponsor of World Rugby’s African association, Rugby Africa, and the strategic partner of Getty Images in Africa and the Middle East. In December 2018, Nicolas stepped down as CEO of APO Group and appointed Lionel Reina as CEO. Lionel Reina is the former CEO of the EEMEA region (Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa) for Orange Business Services, the B2B division of French telecoms company Orange S.A.. Reina has also served as Chairman of the Board of Orange Business Saudi Arabia, and Middle East Director in the Gulf region for Accenture. As Chairman, Pompigne-Mognard is focusing on delivering high-level counsel for the company’s clients and developing his investment fund dedicated to Africa.

Marjorie Saint-Lot

Country Manager Ivory Coast, Uber

Marjorie Saint-Lot is the Country Manager for Uber Cote d'Ivoire. In this role, Marjorie focuses on building the country strategy with a focus on growth and sustainability.

Marjorie has been with the Uber since November 2019 and previously worked in strategy and development for Orange Cote d'Ivoire with key achievements in leading their external growth and diversification program. She has acquired more than 13 years of international professional experience in various sectors and with a recent focus on market intelligence and strategy.

Born in Côte d'Ivoire, she has a passion for disruptive technology and business models made for Africa's sustainable development. She has completed a Master 2 in Economical and Financial Engineering from l'Universite de la Reunion.

Olivier Hennion

Managing Director, IT Hospitality

Since his debut in 1995 in Turku, Finland, Olivier has never left the IT environment and the hospitality industry. He has never stopped working closely with hotel and brands, bringing him significant expertise and experience.

After having opened and managed several subsidiaries in Europe on behalf of various major players in this industry, in 2008 he decided to establish IT Hospitality in Casablanca to develop the African market.

With 3 locations on the continent, its organization is specialised in integrating infrastructures and services selected by hotel brands to offer their customers. East Africa and the Middle East will be the next steps.

Olivier holds an Executive MBA from Edhec.

Yassine Arfane

Directeur Général, Vigon Systems

Maher Ghidaoui

Directeur Général, Azalaï Hôtel Abidjan

Après un diplôme en gestion hôtelière à Namur en Belgique, Mr Ghidaoui débute sa carrière dans l'hôtellerie en 1997 en tant que directeur d’hôtel à Sousse. Il travaille dans plusieurs grands hôtels et acquiert une expérience solide dans la gestion de l’exploitation hôtelière, comptant trois ouvertures d’hôtels, une fermeture, et quatre rebranding ce qui lui permet de voyager à travers l’Afrique pour exercer sa passion. Il travaille dans de nombreux pays africains tels que, La Tunisie son pays d’origine, l’Algérie, le Congo, le Burkina Faso, la Gambie, et la république centrafricaine.

Après 22 ans d’expérience dans la gestion des hôtels, Maher Ghidaoui a rejoint le groupe Azalaï en juillet 2019 en tant que directeur d’Azalai Hôtel Abidjan.

Rita Levy

Founder & Managing Director, Work4Stars

Rita Levy is the Founder & Managing Director of work4stars, which she created 10 years ago in Brussels. Today, she is located between Casablanca and Barcelona.

Rita comes with an international professional experience as a Lawyer, Diplomat, and now 20 years in the Executive Search and Talent search sector.

She is multilingual and fluent in seven languages, having lived in North, Central and South America, as well as Europe and the Middle East. Not to mention Africa. It provides her with this almost innate sense of adaptation to different cultures and environments.

Since the very beginning of work4stars, the emphasis of the business development was placed on the African continent. Rita has gained a wealth of experience working with international hotel groups, private hotel owners, local hotel groups.

Rita has been a guest lecturer at Polimoda in Firenze, during a summer seminar explaining “Luxury in the Fashion, Hotel industry and been invited and participated in high level meetings on Human Capital policies.

Yasmina Limam

Sales & Marketing Director, Accor Hotels Ivory Coast

Mohamed Wade

Managing Director, Amandla Capital Real Estate

Mohamed is the founder and CEO of Amandla Capital Real Estate (Amandla Capital), a hospitality real estate investment platform, where he leads business development and investment structuring.

His career as an entrepreneur, investment professional and executive in emerging markets spans 30 years. Before Amandla Capital, Mohamed focused on direct investment and financial advisory services after having promoted access to finance for SMEs and processed agribusiness debt and equity investments in Africa and Eastern Europe at the International Finance Corporation (IFC – World Bank). He started his career in manufacturing and services in West Africa.

Mohamed sits on the board of directors of several companies in West and North Africa (fintech, education and telecom system integration) and was an advisor to BMCE Bank of Africa’s inaugural African Entrepreneurship Award.

He holds a MSc in Finance (ESSEC) and is a graduate of Sciences-Po Paris.

Mamoudou Fadil

Vice-président, Société Nouvelle des Cocotiers (SNC)

La famille FADIL fait partie des plus grandes familles du Cameroun. Elle est présente dans la sphère économique du pays depuis plus d’un demi-siècle. Le feu capitaine d’industrie El Hadj FADIL Abdoulaye Hassoumi le visionnaire qui a posé les bases solides d’une famille conquérante fait partie des figures emblématiques qui marqueront à jamais l’histoire de l’entrepreneuriat camerounais. Au-delà des richesses créées et des vies impactées, le grand bâtisseur a le mérite d’avoir su préparer la relève. Mamoudou FADIL, le consul honoraire de la république de Côte d’Ivoire à Douala, est un brillant dirigeant qui par ses actes contribue à rehausser l’image du Cameroun et à pérenniser le patrimoine de la famille FADIL.

La cinquantaine révolue, Mamoudou FADIL est un dirigeant d’entreprise camerounais qui, pendant près de trois décennies, a fait ses preuves dans le monde des affaires. Très tôt, il oriente ses études vers le secteur hôtelier. Diplômé de Mount IDA College à Boston, MA et de Drexel University à Philadelphie, PA aux Etats – Unis en gestion Hôtelière et Restauration, Mamoudou décide de rentrer au Cameroun en 1993 afin d’apporter son expertise au développement du groupe familial. Malgré les crises que traverse le pays, il parviendra à maintenir le niveau et la qualité de services de l’Ex-Méridien Hôtel, patrimoine familial que lui a confié son feu père tout juste avant sa brutale disparition, au sommet de l’hôtellerie camerounaise.

Mamoudou FADIL est un challenger qui aime les défis. Travailleur acharné, le vice-président de la Société Nouvelle des Cocotiers (SNC), Compagnie propriétaire du patrimoine hôtelier familial, depuis 1993 se créera sa propre voie avec le développement de plusieurs entreprises dont les succès varient dans des domaines aussi variés des NTIC au négoce international en passant par la communication, l’élevage, l’immobilier et la promotion de l’art africain.

Installé officiellement Consul Honoraire de la République de Côte d’Ivoire en Novembre 2018 avec résidence à Douala, Mamoudou est non seulement un entrepreneur expérimenté, mais aussi un grand rassembleur.