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Board of Directors.
DFC Holding is headed and managed by a team of experts with years of industry experience.
— Board Chairman
Felix Achibiri
Felix Achibiri is an alumnus of Harvard Business School, an astute entrepreneur and businessman with over 20 years of experience spanning leading companies in several sectors of the Nigerian economy. His extensive corporate experience comes with proven achievements in oil and gas, engineering and construction, financial services, agribusiness, mobile money operations, digital biometrics, inclusive real-estate and energy sectors, both locally and internationally. Felix Achibiri has core skills in Leadership, Business Conceptualization, Development and Strategy.
He sits on the board of companies, such as, GEL Utility Limited, Genesis Energy Group UK, Fortis Microfinance Bank Plc. where he served as the Chairman of the Board. He is the Founder and Chairman of DFC Holdings Limited, a privately owned, internationally diversified African Company, set up to take advantage of investment opportunities in different Continents, as identified by Holding entity.
In recognition of his entrepreneurial and business acumen, Felix Achibiri is a recipient of several local and international awards, amongst which are: Member, the prestigious Conservative African Business Group London, Member, British Safety Council, Member, African Energy Association, Member, Body of Fellows of the Institute of Credit Administration (ICA), Fellow, Institute of Professional Industrialists and Management Development (IPIMD), Fellow, Public Administration and Management Development Institute (PAMDI), Fellow, Institute of Credit Administration (ICA) and Chairman of the industrial policy council (IPC) of the Institute of professional industrialists and management development of Nigeria, and so on.
— group managing director
Femi Lawal
Femi is the Group Managing Director of DFC Holdings Limited, a seasoned Investment Banker and Business Incubator with over 24 years of cognate working experience, spanning Financial Engineering, Corporate Finance, Project Finance, Debt/Equity Solutions, Mergers, Acquisitions & Integrations, Strategic Planning, Capital Raising, Public-Private Partnerships, and Consulting in diverse economic sectors, including but not limited to manufacturing, power, real estate, agriculture, oil & gas, communication/ICT and construction. He holds both a B.Agric. and MBA degrees from the University of Ilorin.
Femi started his career with a stint at PricewaterhouseCoopers where his consulting career spanned Financial Services, Oil & Gas, Telecoms as well as Manufacturing sectors. He later joined the International Finance Corporation (IFC) where, as Regional Advisory Services Coordinator, he developed detailed designs and work plans for Advisory Services Initiatives in the region on all the major sectors and across major markets in Sub-Saharan Africa. Femi has also worked in the investment banking sector at various capacities including Head, Project Finance, Head, Corporate Finance, and Investment Banking Sales & Distribution across a number of notable Investment Banking Firms. He was also Group Chief Operations Officer, AT&A Asset Management Limited and Group Executive Director – Finance and so on.
— Director
Hon. Gerry Weiner
Hon Gerry Weiner is a Canadian Citizen, a former minister in the Canadian Government and as well as a former elected member of Canadian Parliament. He was appointed chairman Board of Directors for the old Port of Montreal by the Canadian Government in July 2009. As a two term member of parliament (1984 and 1988) he held the following positions; Secretary of State, Minister of Multiculturalism and Citizenship, Minister of Immigration, Member of the planning and Priority Committee of the Cabinet, Parliamentary Secretary to External Affairs, Queen’s Privy Councilor.
Within these periods, his significant accomplishment included; responsibility for the creation of the Department of Multiculturalism and Citizenship, principal author of the Canadian Multiculturalism Act, establishment of Race Relations Foundation as well as Heritage Languages Institute, initiated the annual March 21 campaign to fight racism and discrimination in Canada, directed National Literacy Secretariat, created the Immigrant Investor Program, negotiated redress settlement for Canadians of Japanese origin among others at the national levels of government. At the municipal level, he was a member of the executive committee and councilor for Ville de Montreal between 1998-2002. Within the same period, he was equally a board member Federation of Canadian Municipalities. Earlier in 1978-1984 he was successively elected councilor and Mayor for Ville de Dollard-des-Ormeaux. Significant achievements included; co-founding of the Pierrefonds-Dollard Inter-municipal library, Initiator of the first Neighborhood Watch program in Quebec, Co-Chair of the Emergency Medical Services Committee
— Director
Barbara James
Barbara James is an expert in the field of African private equity and venture capital development. She is founder and CEO of the first independent pan-African private equity Fund of Funds – Henshaw Capital Partners. She has been instrumental in the development of innovative venture capital solutions in Africa, including initiating the African Diaspora SME Fund; advocating for UK (and G8) tax incentives to investors in African venture capital; an African Technical Assistance Fund and the first independent African venture capital Fund of Funds.
Barbara established the African Venture Capital Association (AVCA) and was responsible for the development, fund raising and implementation of programs to promote and strengthen the private equity and venture capital industry in Africa. In 2007, she advised the Kenyan, Tanzanian and Ugandan Governments on the setting up of an SME venture capital fund, a technical assistance facility and an enabling regulatory environment for venture capital in East Africa.
Barbara has a BSc in Computer Science, an M.Sc. in Business Systems Analysis and Design and a Phd in Finance and Innovation. She is a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) and a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) and has trained professionally as a venture capital General Partner (investment manager) and Limited Partner (investor).
— Director
Saadat Khan
Saadat Khan has more than 29 years of experience in the trade finance industry, out of which 22 years were spent in the USA with J.P. Morgan, New York in managing the relationships of the large multi-national companies to deliver complex trade solutions. While at J.P. Morgan, Saadat had senior responsibility for the Middle East and North Africa, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia, leading the Bank’s efforts in covering global multi-national clients including corporate and financial institutions. He was Executive Director and Head of Global Trade Services at J.P. Morgan for the Multi-National Companies based in Dubai, UAE.
In addition, Saadat as Lead Executive, has personally managed global relationships for certain of the Bank’s top tier multinationals, acting as a trusted advisor on highly visible, multi-billion-dollar transactions.
Saadat led the development of several innovative products that met the often complex trade finance needs of customers whilst satisfying both regulatory and risk management requirements. His in- depth understanding of regulatory and risk management issues often sees him being consulted, both internally and externally, during the development of solutions.
He is a recipient of numerous “Deal of the Year” awards from industry publications including Global Trade Review and Trade Finance, Saadat has been recognized for his origination and execution of “elephant deals” on behalf of his clients and the Bank.
—EXECUTIVE Director
Diana Nwajiaku-Smart
Diana is a Principal Partner at Spera Venture Partners where she drives Advisory services, Structured Finance and General Business services. Diana is a seasoned finance and strategy professional with over 12 years leadership and governance experience in the financial services, energy, telecommunications and power industries across Africa, Europe, Canada, and the United States of America. A member of the International Academy of Financial Management, she is an avid entrepreneur and investor with interests in companies in the FMCG, energy, technology, financial services, and other sectors. She holds a B.Sc. In applied accounting from Oxford Brookes University, and an MBA from the University of Nicosia, Cyprus.
Diana’s experience cuts across many sectors where she has made indelible marks through her excellent work ethics, financial and administrative dexterity and attention to details. While working as the Chief Financial Officer at the Platform Capital Group, she raised 10 million dollars import export finance for a leather producing portfolio with annual production capacity of over 40 million shoes. As CFO, She played a key role in the company’s investment strategy.
Over the years, Diana has shown resilience and commitment, excellence and capacity in all the positions she has handled across the following sectors: Banking, Fintech, Financial Services, Power, Telecom, Manufacturing and Investment Banking and others.
—EXECUTIVE Director
Taiwo Adepoju
Taiwo Adepoju is the Managing Partner of Strengths Africa. He is the Founder/CEO of the Phenomenal African Woman Foundation with presence in 16 Africa Countries and the United Kingdom. He is a Gallup Certified Coach, Business Strategist and The Chief SpokesMAN for women in Africa.
He is known as The Startup Specialist (essentially primed distinctly to help those who have a phobia for starting, help those who need the know-how on starting and those who don’t even know what to start.) inclined towards excellence with significant engagements in Africa with a focus on:
- Personal Responsibility using the PRIDE methodology.
- Entrepreneurship and Business Strategy
- Social Impact (with strong leanings towards Inspiring, Celebrating, and Empowering women and youth in Africa).
He champions the Strengths and Personal Development movement across Africa through his Strengths| Africa Platform and the Strengths-Based Development Association of Nigeria (SBDAN) that he cofounded.
Taiwo is a business strategist and management consultant that has led corporate strategy across the financial services, hospitality, energy, tourism, haulage, and logistics space for over twenty years. He has an invaluable depth of leadership experience in the public and private sector with a knack for taking calculated risks.
He has an MBA from the Business School Netherland and a first degree in Political Science at the University of Ibadan. He also has a certificate in the Science of Well-being from Yale University and Foundations of Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania (Penn).
Taiwo has significant exposure and experience in helping individuals and organizations overcome the fear of starting by with clarity and support in cocreating an easily attainable plan.