People for prosperity

For over 23 years, Makeda has worked at the intersection of development, business, and innovation, promoting equitable economic growth and improved livelihoods across Africa. She is the Co-founder and Managing Partner of weVentureHub, an Ethiopia-based startup incubator and venture development firm. She also founded and served as CEO of NetbizImpact, an early-stage business investment firm in Nairobi.

Makeda recently took up the role of Country Director for Ethiopia with TechnoServe, where she leads transformative initiatives to drive inclusive economic growth and sustainable development. She has held leadership roles such as Investment Director at Grow Africa (Ghana and Malawi), a World Economic Forum initiative, and senior positions with USAID, where she led high-impact projects and advanced innovative financing models. Her expertise spans directing $30-$500 million multi-country projects, brokering senior partnerships, delivering strategic advisory across the continent, and fostering transformative innovation.

As a certified business coach, Makeda empowers leaders and teams to achieve transformative results, leveraging her extensive experience to foster innovation and drive impact. She also serves on the Executive Board of nonprofits, including the African Capacity Building Foundation in Harare, Zimbabwe, where she provides strategic guidance to advance sustainable development. Makeda has been nominated to join the World Agriculture Forum (WAF) council, a global body that brings together leaders across sectors to advance agricultural development and address key issues like food security, sustainability, policy, technology, and trade.

Having studied, lived, and worked in diverse regions such as Austria, Central America, Kenya, Ghana, Malawi and Switzerland, Makeda brings a global perspective to her work.

Michael has held a number of senior executive positions in retail and consumer-oriented companies. Over the past 10 years he has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of three different businesses in turn-around situations: NTN Buzztime, 3 Day Blinds and Anchor Blue Retail Group.

Prior to those positions, he was President and Chief Executive of Bally North America, a member of the Board of Directors of Bally International AG and Senior Vice President of Global Re-engineering. Preceding his time at Bally, Michael was Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of Movado Group Inc., joining Movado from Ross Stores where he served as Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning, Business Development and Marketing. He began his professional career at Bain & Company in San Francisco, where he worked primarily with retail and consumer-oriented clients.

Michael currently sits on the Board of Directors at TechnoServe and Ross Stores. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Rachel Hines is a former Managing Director at J.P.Morgan where she ran the Emerging Markets Capital Markets group. Prior to J.P. Morgan, Rachel worked at the World Bank and at the U.S. Agency for International Development in Harare, Zimbabwe. She is currently an investor in women-founded ventures through Plum Alley Investments, the Managing Partner of MRH Capital, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She is on the Board of LaGuardia Community College, a leading 2 year college for workforce training as a pathway out of poverty. She is a former Trustee of Sesame Workshop where she chaired the Investment and Finance committees, and Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy, where she was Treasurer.

Rachel has an MBA from Yale University and a B.A. from Wesleyan University. Rachel is also a founding member of the AllinBklyn giving circle in Brooklyn, where she resides with her husband, Michael Cembalest, and their three boys.

Peter Flaherty is managing director of Arcon Partners, which engages in investment and advisory activities for early-stage companies. Prior to Arcon Partners, Peter spent more than 25 years with McKinsey & Company, where he worked with leading financial institutions and media companies, with a particular focus on transformational change.

Peter is chair of the Educators for Excellence Board and is a member and former chair of the Advisory Council of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He is on the board of Rockefeller University, The Foreign Policy Association, the Leadership Academy of the New York City Schools and The Kenyon Review. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Peter is a graduate of Stanford University, the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and the Harvard Business School.

Jennifer Bullard Broggini began her career in finance and has spent her recent years as a Board Director for various organizations including, Director of Kieger AG (asset management), Director and Chair of the Audit Committee for Banque Fiduciary Trust Geneva (part of the Franklin Templeton Group), Director of The American School in Switzerland, and Director of the Ticino Chapter of the Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce. She was also an elected member of the town council in Savosa, Switzerland. Previously Jennifer held a number of positions during 15 years with Manufacturers Hanover Trust (which merged during that time to become JPMorgan Chase) in New York and Switzerland, including Vice President of Corporate Banking, Head of Swiss Mergers and Acquisitions, and Vice President of Private Banking.

Jennifer’s interest in Europe developed while studying with St. Lawrence University in France, and she subsequently spent 35 years living in Switzerland. She and her husband have two daughters and have recently moved to Virginia where she has joined various local boards. She is fluent in Italian, French, and German. Jennifer’s father, Ed Bullard, founded TechnoServe.

Michael is an investor and strategic adviser in real estate related technologies via Fuse Strategies LLC and as a Venture Partner at Navitas Capital. He spent 30 years as a senior executive with Tishman Speyer, establishing many of its international businesses, spearheading global innovation, and chairing its Investment Committee.   Prior to joining Tishman Speyer, he was a senior official with the City of New York’s lead economic development agency.

Michael is on the Advisory Board of the Taubman Center in State and Local Government at the Harvard Kennedy School, while also serving on the boards of several early-stage enterprises.  He is a former Global Governing Trustee of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), serving as chair of the jury for awarding its highest honor, the ULI Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development. He graduated cum laude from Princeton University and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government with a Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning.

Monica is responsible for the development and implementation of the Venture Capital (VC) funds program; leading teams in identifying opportunities, delivering on and managing fund commitments across the VC market.

Prior to joining CPP Investments in 2019, Monica built and led innovation in high growth tech environments, including Facebook, Box, and Starbucks.  Most recently she was Global Director at Workplace, an area of Facebook she helped launch in 2016.  Monica also spent 10 years with McKinsey & Company in San Francisco and New York.

Monica holds a BS in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.

Monica currently serves on the board of Technoserve, an international development non-profit. CPP Investments is a global investment management organization with ~$400B in assets under management.

Olusegun Aganga CON is a Chartered Accountant with a professional career extending over four decades, in financial services, investment banking, and the public sector. His wealth of experience covers a broad range of sectors including investment banking, investment advisory, traditional and alternative asset management, insurance, oil and gas, manufacturing, services, and construction.

Mr. Aganga is an Adviser to a number of companies and governments in the UK, US, and Nigeria and he is an Advisory Board member of the Queens Commonwealth Trust in the United Kingdom. He was previously a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs in London and prior to that, he was a Senior Director at Ernst & Young, London where he also had various leadership roles. He was responsible for the hedge fund practice and was recognized as a subject matter expert for the sector in Europe.

Within the public sector, he served first as Nigeria’s Minister of Finance and Chairman of the Economic Management Team; and then as its Minister of Industry, Trade & Investments. Mr. Aganga has been widely acclaimed as being responsible for many transformational milestones in Nigeria, including – establishing the country’s Sovereign Wealth Fund; issuing the Nation’s first Euro Bond; structuring and financing the first standard gauge rail in Nigeria and as a major contributor in making Nigeria the premier destination for investments in Africa. He was the Chairman of the World Bank and IMF in 2010 and in 2011, he chaired the 8th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva making him the first African to chair these two organizations.

Mr. Aganga remains one of the most regarded investor influencers for Nigeria, based on his extensive experience both internationally and in Nigeria, and his track record in and out of government. In recognition of these contributions, he was awarded the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON), one of the highest-ranking national honors by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

He founded the Nigerian Leadership Initiative (NLI), a platform for accomplished and credible Nigerians in the diaspora and in Nigeria to sharpen their values-based leadership skills and play a role in transforming the country.

Mr. Aganga has degrees from the University of Ibadan and Oxford University.

Imoni Akpofure is an experienced finance and sustainability professional with 30 years of developed and developing country experience.  She is a generalist with wide industry and geographic coverage and has a deep understanding of Sub-Saharan Africa.

Imoni spent a significant part of her career in development finance.  She recently served as Regional Director for Africa at CDC Group Plc, where she focused on investments in West Africa and in Lusophone Africa. Prior to joining CDC, she spent 18 years at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), rising to the rank of Director for Western Europe. Within IFC, she also held senior positions within the Africa, Infrastructure, Environment and Social, and Global Manufacturing and Services departments.

She is currently a non-executive director of Guaranty Trust Bank Plc Nigeria, and Africa50, Morocco; she also serves on the Investment Committees of Africa50 and the Fund for Agricultural Finance in Nigeria (FAFIN).

She holds an MBA from INSEAD, France, an MSc in Environmental Engineering from Newcastle University, UK, and a BEng in Civil Engineering from Imperial College, London.  She speaks French and has a working knowledge of German and Spanish.

Daniel is the global co-leader of the Chemicals, Agriculture, and Nature Practices. He advises global companies on agricultural and specialty chemicals – along with investors in the sector – on corporate strategy, M&A, and commercial excellence.

Daniel focuses on improving the performance and health trajectory of agricultural businesses and chemical companies through multiyear journeys. Specific areas include corporate strategy, digital, and advanced analytics across all key functions, innovation, and change management. He has worked with clients all over the world, including China, Europe, Israel, Latin America, and South Asia.

Since joining McKinsey, Daniel has developed expertise across the agricultural value chain, including global agricultural inputs, investment, and technology innovations. Amid rapid changes and disruptions in the food supply chain, he helps companies define successful growth strategies, including pursuing and successfully executing M&A.

Daniel is an advisory board member of the JDC, a relief organization that supports Jewish people in Israel and around the world.

Scott Baker is a partner in the San Francisco offices of Reed Smith LLP. Scott focuses on all areas of intellectual property and unfair competitive practices law, including patents, trade secrets, copyrights, and trademarks, with particular emphasis in computer and other technology-related industries.  Recently selected as one of the “Top IP Litigators in California” by the Daily Journal, Scott is experienced in a wide range of business litigation, including real estate, contracts, licensing, partnerships and the like.  Additionally, he is well versed in all aspects of ADR.

Gerald Baldwin has served as a director at Peet’s Coffee & Tea since he acquired the company in 1984, and he is the proprietor of J. Baldwin Wines in Sonoma Valley, California. Jerry has also served as the President of Association Scientifique Internationale du Café, as well as Chairman and Trustee of Coffee Quality Institute. He is a co-founder of Starbucks. Jerry resides in Glen Ellen, California.

Thomas Barry founded the investment management company Zephyr Management LP in 1994. With offices in Bangalore and London, Zephyr manages emerging markets funds, both in private equity and in listed securities. Zephyr Management has managed private equity funds in Africa, Mexico and Korea.  Tom served as President and CEO of Rockefeller & Co., the investment management arm of the Rockefeller family, from 1983 to 1993. He held previous positions at T. Rowe Price Associates Inc. from 1969 to 1982, including President of T. Rowe Price New Horizons Funds Inc.

Tom is active in numerous nonprofit institutions: he is a member of the Yale President’s Council on International Affairs and the Dean’s Council of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University; a trustee of the University School in Cleveland, Ohio, and the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut; and a board member of TechnoServe, Summer Search, ACCION and Trickle Up.

Tom holds an MBA from Harvard Business School (1969) and an undergraduate degree from Yale University (1966), where he majored in Latin American Studies. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Bob Bechek is an advisory partner with Bain & Company, based in the firm’s Boston office.

In 2018, Bob completed his second term serving as the firm’s worldwide managing partner (chairman of the board and CEO).  Prior to that, he held a wide variety of other leadership roles over the course of over thirty-five years at Bain, including serving as co-head of the firm’s Global Technology, Media and Telecom practice.  He has deep and varied experience helping clients with strategy and other general management challenges.

Prior to joining Bain, Bob was Vice President and General Manager of AKR Robotics, Inc., a company he started in the U.S. after managing R&D for the parent company while based in Paris, France.

Bob received his MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Titus Brenninkmeijer is a social entrepreneur whose work has focused on assisting global entrepreneurs to grow sustainable businesses through the development of commercially viable applications. Titus’ decades-long experience in international retail allows him to leverage deep knowledge of consumer behavior and trends to help his partners successfully target current and future consumer needs. Before entering the solar energy industry in 2003, he spent 25 years in the retail industry in the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Brazil and the U.S.

In 2005, Titus founded Solgenix, an investment company with a focus on privately-held solar energy companies in developed as well as emerging markets. He is also a co-founding member and sits on the Steering Committee of the REDCO (Rural Energy Delivery Companies) Alliance, a group of thirteen solar energy entrepreneurs from Latin America, Africa and Asia. Titus serves as Chairman of the Energy Access Foundation (EAF), which he co-founded in 2006. The EAF is a nonprofit organization devoted to providing support and funding for innovation in clean energy delivery in the rural marketplace in emerging markets.

In addition to the TechnoServe board, he serves on the boards of ACCION, a nonprofit that supports microfinance institutions in close to 30 countries across the globe, and the Huntington Library and Gardens based in San Marino, California.

Titus holds a B.A. from Boston College and an MBA from the Haas School of Business at University of California, Berkeley. He resides in a solar-powered home in Santa Barbara, California.

Mónica is the co-founder with her husband, Herb Allen, of Fundacion Colibri. Mónica grew up in Puerto Rico and has resided in New York City for nearly 30 years. She is president of the privately funded nonprofit established after Hurricane Maria in 2017 to support transformational change and long-term recovery in Puerto Rico.

Mónica previously practiced as a public interest attorney in the areas of family, immigration, and
public benefits law, most recently as Director of Legal Services Center at The Door, a New York City-based organization that provides services to at-risk adolescents. Prior to joining The Door, she was Director of the Public Interest Law Center at New York University School of Law and a Staff Attorney at Queens Legal Services.

Mónica continues to serve on the board of The Door as well as the Board of Trustees of Broome Street Academy, a New York City charter school that targets the needs of young people who are homeless or receiving foster care services by integrating academic and youth development services. She’s also a member of the governing board of Espacios Abiertos, an organization that promotes an open and more transparent democratic society in Puerto Rico.

Jean-Marc Duvoisin currently advises several start-ups and serves on non-profit boards in the sustainability sector.

Before retiring from Nestlé which he joined in 1986, he was Senior VP of Strategic Business Partnerships, Joint Ventures and Brand Licensing at Nestlé. Previously, Jean-Marc served as Chief Executive Officer of Nestlé Nespresso SA from March 2013 till December 2019. In 2010, he became Deputy Executive Vice President of Human Resources & Centre Administration and a member of the Nestlé Executive Board. He was Director of Corporate Human Resources at Nestlé since 2007. Jean-Marc also served as Chairman of the Nestlé Pension Funds for five years.

Jean-Marc holds an MSc in Economy from Lausanne University HEC, an International Economics Degree from Inst. Univ (HEI), Geneva, and an MA in Political Science from Lausanne University. A Swiss and Italian citizen, he is married with two children and speaks English, French, and Spanish fluently.

Russell Faucett is the Managing Director of Gyrafalcon Advisers, a private financial adviser. Prior to Gyrafalcon, Russ was the President of Barrington Wilshire LLC and the General Partner of Barrington Partners L.P., investment companies that specialized in investing in the equity and debt securities of publicly traded U.S. and European companies in financial difficulty.  Russ also was a general partner of an investment banking company for middle market companies, a problem loan advisor to several major California commercial banks, and an executive vice president of a commercial finance company and president of a venture capital company.

Russ serves as a member of the Board of Directors and the Finance and Investment Committee of Accion International. He also serves as a member of the Administrative Board of Cornell Lab for Ornithology and is a member of the Board of Directors of Island Press and TechnoServe.

Russ graduated with Distinction from Pomona College with a BA in Physics and from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a MS in Industrial Management. Russ enjoys classical music, studying ornithology and conservation biology, and the challenge of international economic development. He has years of experience in Latin America – climbing, trekking and birding.

Mia is President and Co-Founder of ByHeart, a fully integrated baby nutrition company dedicated to translating leading nutrition science into products that set the best foundation for babies’ health.  At ByHeart, Mia developed strategic long-term partnerships with high quality ingredient providers and R&D partners to create a proprietary, world class supply chain and innovation platform. Mia also oversees all brand communications and the omnichannel go-to-market strategy.

Previously, Mia was Director of Global Business Development and Director of Global Product Marketing at Huffington Post/AOL/Verizon, where she helped build the advertising technology business and helped brands grow large and loyal audiences online with the power of data & analytics, ad targeting and creative executions. Earlier in her career, Mia was a WPP strategy consultant to Fortune 500 food and CPG companies and government organizations.

In 2010, Mia was a TechnoServe Fellow in Rwanda, where she worked on the Gates Foundation East Africa Coffee Initiative. Mia holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania. She lives in New York City with her husband Sam, a medical oncologist on faculty at Memorial Sloan Kettering, and her two children, Neve and Rafael.

Aedhmar Hynes is a leader in the communications and marketing industry. She has ranked among the top 50 most powerful global communications professionals and in 2019 was inducted into PRWeek’s Hall of Fame.  Most recently, she was the Chief Executive Officer of Text100 one of the world’s largest, digital communications agencies with 22 offices and over 600 consultants across Europe, North America and Asia.  Her specialization has been in the technology industry and her consulting work included clients such as Adobe, Cisco, Harmon, IBM, Lenovo and Xerox.  Aedhmar has worked in the communications and marketing industry for more than three decades, leading and supporting many of the world’s most important brands through digital transformation and technology disruption.

In addition, Aedhmar is an experienced public and private Board Director.  Today she is a Board Director of Jackson Family Wines, The IP Group plc IPO.L (LSE).  She is also a director of Connecticut Public Broadcasting, MIT Media Lab and the Page Society.  She is a 2008 Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute.

Tim is an advisory director to the firm, head of the Santiago office and a senior advisor for Latin America. He also co-heads the investment banking business across the Andean Region, which includes Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Peru.

Tim joined Goldman Sachs in 1988 as a financial analyst and rejoined the firm after business school in 1991 as an associate in Corporate Finance. He was named managing director in 1999 and partner in 2004.

Tim is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and chairs Annual Giving at Princeton University. He also serves on the boards of the Americas Society, Friends of the Catholic University of Chile, the North American Chilean Chamber of Commerce, PILA, Princeton’s Program in Latin American Studies and TechnoServe.

Tim earned an MBA from INSEAD in France and a BA from Princeton University.

Divyangana Kumar (Divy) is the Managing Director, Food Service NA for Food Solutions Americas.

Since joining the company in 2013, she has held roles in Corporate Strategy and Development, Transformation Management Office, Strategic Pricing, and Commercial. Divy’s professional journey has taken her to various Cargill offices worldwide, including Singapore, Belgium, Netherlands, and Minneapolis.

Prior to Cargill, she gained experience in operations and supply chain at Aditya Birla Group (ABG), in Asia.

Divy earned her Master of Business Administration degree from the Indian School of Business.

Outside of work, she finds joy in reading, yoga, hiking, and spending time in nature with her husband, Nikhil and energetic 3-year-old daughter, Nyra.

 Her core values include staying true to her commitments and always striving to give her best effort. She firmly believes that there are no shortcuts to success; hard work is indispensable. She welcomes new challenges in the workplace and places a high value on collaboration. Her aspiration is to lead teams that excel in delivering value, fostering personal growth, and finding fulfillment in the collective journey.

Bo retired in January 2015 after 29 years with Smithfield Foods, Inc. and 38 years in the livestock and meat processing industries. For the year prior to retirement, Bo served as Executive Vice President and Chief Synergy Officer, responsible for extracting synergistic value between Smithfield and its new Chinese owner Shaunghui International, now WH Group. For the five years prior to the merger, Bo served as Smithfield’s EVP and Chief Financial Officer. Bo had a distinguished career over four decades in the pork, beef and livestock industries.

After working for a variety of other companies, including IPB, Inc., he came to Smithfield to serve as Executive Vice President of Smithfield Foods from 1986 through 1996. His roles also included the positions of President and Chief Operating Officer of Smithfield Packing Co. from 1994 to 1995 and member of the Smithfield board of directors. Bo then served as President of Premium Standard Farms for 10 years, later rejoining Smithfield Foods as an Executive Vice President in 2006. During Bo’s career, he was responsible for the world’s largest integrated livestock operations, with direct activities in the U.S., Mexico, Poland, Romania and China.

Bo holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Stanford University and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Harvard Business School. Bo and his wife Nancy are traveling and building a house in Mexico.

Charles Moore is a former Partner and member of the Investment Committee at Trilantic Capital Partners. His primary focus is on investments in the consumer sector. Charlie joined Lehman Brothers Merchant Banking (LBMB) in 2008 and was concurrently a Managing Director of Lehman Brothers. Charlie has led Trilantic North America’s investments in SRAM LLC, Fortitech Inc., Implus Corporation and Nixon Inc. Prior to joining LBMB, Charlie worked at The Carlyle Group, where he was a Managing Director in Carlyle’s middle-market buyout and growth equity fund. Previously, Charlie was a Managing Director of Perseus LLC, a Washington-based private equity firm. Earlier in his career, Charlie practiced law at Williams & Connolly, clerked at the United States Supreme Court and worked in strategy consulting at McKinsey & Company and Mercer Management Consulting.

Charlie is currently Chairman of the Board of Implus Corporation and a director of SRAM LLC, Fortitech Inc. and Nixon Inc. He is also a member of the Board of Visitors of Stanford Law School.

Charlie holds an A.B. (magna cum laude) from Princeton University, a M.St. from Oxford University and a J.D. from Stanford Law School, where he was Order of the Coif and a Nathan Abbott Scholar.

Kurt Peterson has practiced exclusively in civil litigation with an emphasis on legal malpractice, health care, entertainment, class actions, business disputes and complex insurance issues. Literally a “lawyer’s lawyer,” Kurt is a nationally recognized authority on professional liability, ethics and risk management issues. He has consulted and testified in trial as an expert on standard of care and ethical issues. He has represented over 250 law firms ranging from sole practitioners to some of the largest and best known firms in California and throughout the United States. Kurt is listed in Chambers and The Best Lawyers in America, as well as Southern California Super Lawyers, and is a frequent speaker on issues relating to law firm management. Kurt was the Managing Partner of the California firm Crosby, Heafey prior to its combination with Reed Smith in 2003 and has served on Reed Smith’s Executive Committee since that time. He currently serves on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Music Center of Los Angeles County, which includes Disney Hall and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Kurt received a B.A. from Stanford University and a J.D. from University of California, Hastings College of the Law (which honored him as “Alumnus of the Year” in 2001). He is a resident of Santa Monica, California.

William Warshauer is the president and CEO of TechnoServe, a nonprofit that harnesses the power of the private sector to help hardworking people in the developing world lift themselves out of poverty.  Since joining TechnoServe in 2014, Will has led the organization to grow its impact to historic heights and to achieve a #1 ranking in charities fighting poverty, as assessed by an independent ratings agency. 

Will brings more than 30 years of experience in international development and the private sector to his position. He launched his career as a Peace Corps volunteer in Sierra Leone and has since worked in over 40 developing countries. Prior to joining TechnoServe, Will served as chief operating officer of Pact and as president of the Pact Global Microfinance Fund, which made over $120 million in loans to poor rural women in 2013. Previously, Will served as executive vice president for health and development solutions with Voxiva Inc., which was an early pioneer in developing mobile phone-based health information systems. As a former executive vice president at PSI, he led initiatives such as the development of the organization’s global strategic plan and oversaw a $90 million portfolio of social marketing health programs in Africa.

Will has been a guest lecturer at business schools such as Yale, Columbia, and the University of Virginia, and a speaker at the World Economic Forum, Clinton Global Initiative, Concordia Summit, Net Impact, and Harvard’s Social Enterprise Conference, among others. He has served on several nonprofit boards and is a member of the Nespresso Sustainability Advisory Board. 

Will is an honors graduate of Yale University and received his master’s degree from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.  

As Chief Financial Officer, Jeff Chrisfield oversees TechnoServe’s financial operations globally, ensuring compliance within TechnoServe’s many countries of operation while maximizing financial efficiency on behalf of our partners and clients.

A Certified Public Accountant by training, Jeff began his career as an auditor and consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers and later served as Controller in a for-profit bio-medical contractor. With the desire to contribute more meaningfully, Jeff joined the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) in 2002, where he served as Chief Financial Officer and ultimately Chief Operating Officer. In addition to overseeing significant financial growth (including a budget that tripled in growth and a six-fold increase in assets), he was key in various programmatic initiatives, including the establishment of a for-profit impact investing vehicle. Jeff holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from American University.

Kindra Halvorson is the Chief Transformation Officer of TechnoServe. Previously she was the Senior Vice President of Program Development and Regional Director for East Africa.

Kindra is an international development professional with over 16 years of experience in the public and private sectors, including eight years in economic and small business development. Kindra started her business development career by launching a $2 million investment fund with a double bottom line including financial returns and social impact through the creation of high-value jobs. She oversaw investments in 17 technology companies that ultimately created hundreds of high-wage jobs. Kindra later joined McKinsey & Company in Johannesburg as a consultant specializing in growth strategies in Africa and business expansion. She subsequently joined Population Services International (PSI), where she was responsible for a portfolio of programs in east and southern Africa, and later managed its development of a cutting-edge impact measurement system.

Kindra holds an M.B.A. from Columbia University and a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Minnesota.

As Chief Program Officer, Katarina Kahlmann leads the operation of TechnoServe’s offices around the world

Prior to her appointment as Chief Program Officer, Katarina held several positions within TechnoServe. She was most recently Regional Director of West Africa, after serving as a Director on the Strategic Initiatives team where she worked on developing and strengthening the organization’s corporate partnerships in diverse sectors across Africa, India and Latin America. Katarina also served as TechnoServe’s Country Director in Haiti, where she supported the growth of the operation and diversified the portfolio across mango, entrepreneurship and peanut sectors. Katarina began her career at TechnoServe as a Volunteer Consultant in Haiti in 2010, leading the diagnostic phase of the Haiti Hope Project.

Prior to TechnoServe, Katarina was a Management Consultant at McKinsey & Company working to help various organizations develop strategies for growth and organizational change. She has also served as a consultant to the United Nations Development Program.

Katarina completed a Master of Science in International Economics at the Stockholm School of Economics with a focus on Development Economics.

As Chief Advancement Officer, John Keightley leads TechnoServe’s private fundraising and communication efforts. He is responsible for building TechnoServe’s brand among key audiences and generating financial support from individuals, foundations, and corporations.

Prior to joining TechnoServe in 2013, John served for five years as Vice President for Development at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Before that, he worked at Catholic Charities USA for 17 years, ending his term in the role of Executive Vice President. There, he led the organization’s efforts in development, communications, membership, strategic planning, board relations and disaster response. John holds a bachelor’s degree in cultural anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania. He resides in Alexandria, Virginia, with his wife and four sons.

As Chief Human Capital Officer, Shawn oversees TechnoServe’s approach to employee engagement and development—to help make TechnoServe the best place for each employee to fully contribute and grow.   He also oversees recruiting, compensation and benefits, HR compliance, HR systems, and employee relations.

Over the course of a 25-year career in international human resources, Shawn has held senior positions both in nonprofit organizations and in the private sector. Prior to TechnoServe, Shawn headed up HR at Catholic Relief Services, Save the Children, Pact, and Abt Associates; he also held international operations roles in for-profit technology firms.  Shawn is active in the HR community, including a stint as the Strategy Chair for the Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI) and an instructor at Georgetown and Catholic Universities.   Shawn holds an MBA from the University of South Carolina and an MA and BA degrees from the University of Colorado.

As Head of the Strategic Initiatives Team, Jonathan Barnow oversees TechnoServe’s corporate partnerships. The team works with corporations in building the business case for initiatives that can both generate value for companies and take farmers and small business owners out of poverty.

Jonathan began his TechnoServe career as a Volunteer Consultant in South Africa and Nigeria. Shortly after, he joined the Strategic Initiatives Team when it was founded. Prior to joining TechnoServe, Jonathan was a management consultant at  L.E.K. Consulting, helping start up their New York office. Jonathan holds a bachelor’s degree in Modern History from the University of Oxford. He lives in London.

Gabriela joined TechnoServe as the Mexico Country Director in 2011 and quickly became a sought-after manager and partner thanks to her exceptional people skills, relationship management, and analytics. During her decade of leading our Mexico operations, she guided our team to improve the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people, in partnership with Walmart, Danone, and other key stakeholders. In 2022, Gabriela joined the Strategic Initiatives team as Senior Director to expand our corporate partnerships in Latin America. Prior to joining TechnoServe, Gabriela was a management consultant with McKinsey & Company and earned a master’s in local economic development from London School of Economics.

As Regional Director for Southern Africa, Pamela Chitenhe leads the expansion and deepening of TechnoServe’s impact in the region, and assures quality and cost effectiveness of its programs and projects.

Prior to TechnoServe, Pamela was the Africa Regional Director of DuPont Pioneer, where she had full profit and loss responsibility for the company’s agriculture businesses and was the board chair of 10 country-level entities in Africa. Previously, Pamela held a number of senior level roles in a 9-year career at Standard Bank, served as the Zimbabwe Managing Director for Monsanto, and was the Finance and Administration Manager for Cargill in Zimbabwe. In 2015, she launched a seed company in Zimbabwe, and with the venture successfully operational, Pamela joined TechnoServe as Regional Director in 2016.

Pamela Holds an MBA from Milpark Business School in partnership with Thames Valley University, where she was the top graduate in her class, and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of South Africa. She lives in Johannesburg, South Africa.

As General Counsel of TechnoServe, Erica Hovani leads TechnoServe’s legal and compliance function worldwide.  She works with TechnoServe’s senior management and with local counsel in the jurisdictions where TechnoServe operates to mitigate organizational risks and support staff so that TechnoServe can maximize its impact.

Prior to joining TechnoServe, Erica worked for the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, where she served as acting General Counsel and previously Assistant General Counsel. Before USTDA, Erica was Legal Counsel of the African Risk Capacity (ARC), an international organization that works with African governments to better plan for and respond to natural disasters and climate change. She was part of the team that founded ARC, and has worked extensively with governments across Africa, designing ARC’s legal structures and organization.  Erica has also worked at the UN World Food Program in Rome, Italy, providing legal support to humanitarian assistance activities, and as a litigator at Dechert LLP.  Erica has a law degree from NYU School of Law, and a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of Virginia.

Paul Stewart is TechnoServe’s Global Coffee Director, overseeing a portfolio of partnerships with the world’s leading coffee companies, foundations, and public sector agencies to increase the coffee income of farmers across Africa and Latin America. Over the course of a 17-year career at TechnoServe, Paul has helped build its coffee practice into a recognized leader in “shared value” solutions that reduce poverty for farmers while developing sustainable supply chains for coffee businesses. A noted industry expert, Stewart has spoken before the Specialty Coffee Association, the SCA World of Coffee, the African Fine Coffees Association, and other sector organizations. He holds a degree in Agricultural Economics from Queen’s University in Belfast and is based in Ethiopia.

Mefthe Tadesse is an international development professional with several years of experience working in commercial businesses, management consultancy, and in the NGO sphere, including on-the-ground operational work experience in Ethiopia since 2006.

Prior to taking on her role as the Regional Director for EA, Mefthe held several positions within TechnoServe. She started her career with TechnoServe Ethiopia as a Deputy Director for coffee projects. Later on, she was promoted to a Director position where she managed large-scale value chain development programs funded by donors such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Nespresso, and USAID.

As a Country Director, Mefthe provided strategic leadership to the 200+ staff in TechnoServe’s Ethiopia office, which she effectively helped scale from a single-project office to one of TechnoServe’s largest and most impactful. She successfully completed a portfolio of ten projects within her tenure as Ethiopia’s Country Director.

Prior to joining TechnoServe, Mefte Tadesse also served as the country manager of BBC Media Action in Ethiopia and, on behalf of Ernst & Young, developed privatization strategies for Ethiopian public enterprises and business process improvements for the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia. Mefthe holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of London.

Juan Carlos Thomas is the Vice President of Entrepreneurship & New Ventures at TechnoServe, where leads the development and deployment of best practices in the support of entrepreneurs and small-and-growing businesses in the organization’s projects. Previously, he served as TechnoServe’s Chile Country Director. Among his accomplishments in that role, he led the first inclusive business development program in Chile; the first small business accelerator program in Patagonia; several economic development programs in communities surrounding energy and mining projects; and the design of business development methodologies now being used in Latin America and Africa.

Before opening the TechnoServe office in Chile in 2008, Juan Carlos worked in the Corporate Finance and Capital Markets division at Bank Boston Chile. He has lectured on finance, entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship at various universities. Juan Carlos holds an MBA from INSEAD and a bachelor’s degree from Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez. Juan Carlos is a current member of the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE)’s Executive Committee.

Anthony Bloom is an international private equity investor.  He has had a 20 year association with RIT Capital Partners plc, the listed UK investment trust chaired by Lord Rothschild.  Prior to his moving to London in July 1988 he lived in South Africa where he was Chairman and Chief Executive of The Premier Group, one of South Africa’s biggest diversified industrial enterprises which operated in the food, pharmaceutical, and leisure industries and indirectly in beverages, retail activities, and hotel operations.  In South Africa, he was a member of the Board of Directors of Barclays Bank, Liberty Life Association and South African Breweries.

He was Chairman of Cineworld plc and a member of a number of other boards, most of which are associated with his investment portfolio.

For many years he was a member of the Development Board of the National Theatre and a director of the London Symphony Orchestra.

He was educated at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, Harvard Law School, and the Stanford Graduate School of Business.  He is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board of the Harvard Law School.  His interests are music, theatre, and sport, and he is married with four children.  In March 2002 he was awarded the Degree of Doctor of Law honoris causa by the University of Witwatersrand in recognition of his contribution towards the establishment of a non-racial society in South Africa.

Ms. Peluso is Chief Executive Officer of Revlon Group Holdings LLC and a member of its Board of Directors. She is leading a holistic transformation of the company, driving consumer centricity across the organization and leveraging her deep digital experience to drive innovation. As an experienced brand-builder, she is passionate about maximizing the potential of Revlon’s powerful collection of brands, ensuring they remain deeply loved for generations of beauty and wellness consumers to come.           

Prior to Revlon, Ms. Peluso was the Executive Vice President and Chief Customer and Experience Officer at CVS Health, where she oversaw the end-to-end consumer experience across all channels, including leading the brand and marketing efforts. She also previously served as co-President, Pharmacy and Consumer Wellness, where she transformed the retail business across 9,000 stores.

Prior to joining CVS Health, Ms. Peluso was Senior Vice President, Digital Sales and Chief Marketing Officer at IBM from 2016 to 2021. She oversaw marketing, digital sales, client experience and the commercial business, globally.

Ms. Peluso previously served as Chief Executive Officer of online shopping destination Gilt Groupe, Inc. (“Gilt”) from 2013 until its sale to Hudson’s Bay Company in February 2016, and was on Gilt’s Board of Directors from 2009 to 2016.

Before Gilt, Ms. Peluso served as Global Consumer Chief Marketing and Internet Officer of Citigroup Inc. She was the CEO of Travelocity and the Founder and CEO of Site59, an online travel site that Travelocity acquired. She started her career as a consultant and case leader at the Boston Consulting Group in New York. Ms. Peluso earned a BA in economics from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and an MA in philosophy, politics and economics from Pembroke College at Oxford University as a Thouron Scholar. She is a White House Fellow and served as Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Labor. Ms. Peluso is on the board of Nike, and she lives in New York City with her husband and two children.

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Paul E. Tierney, Jr. is Chairman of Development Capital, LLC, a family investment firm. He is also a co-founder and partner of Aperture Venture Partners, a healthcare Venture Capital Company. Paul served as Chairman of TechnoServe for 27 years, overseeing the organization’s greatest period of growth and transformation. He was the Co-Founder and Co-General Partner of Coniston Partners and several other large investment partnerships. Previously, Paul served for many years as the Managing Director of Gollust, Tierney, and Oliver, an investment capital management company. He was Chairman of the Board of TW Services Corp. and D.C. United, a professional MLS soccer team. He has also been a Director of United Airlines Corp., Liz Claiborne Inc., The Argentine Investment Fund, Prosperity Voskhod Fund, EarthColor Inc., St. John’s College, Nina McLemore Inc., The Protective Group and Trilantic Capital Partners. Paul was a Co-Founder, Chairman, and Investment Committee Member of Fidus Mezzanine Fund. He serves as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Paul is a returned Peace Corps volunteer (Chile), a graduate of the University of Notre Dame (magna cum laude), and the Harvard Business School (Baker Scholar). He was an Adjunct Professor of Emerging Markets at Columbia University, and resides in Darien, Connecticut, and Forte dei Marmi, Italy. His philanthropic activities are conducted through the Tierney Family Foundation.

As Country Director for TechnoServe’s Mexico operations, Carolina Cely provides strategic and operational leadership to a growing and increasingly diverse country platform. She is a seasoned economic development professional with 20 years of prior experience at TechnoServe.

Before joining TechnoServe Mexico, Carolina was an Associate at Organizational Performance Group (OPG), where she managed organizational development projects and client engagements and led initiatives to increase organizational effectiveness. Prior to OPG, Carolina was a program manager and operations director for TechnoServe’s Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region, where she provided operational and program management oversight to 10 countries, developing extensive experience building organizational capacity, improving compliance and operational processes, managing stakeholder relationships, leading change management initiatives, negotiating awards, and facilitating knowledge sharing.

Carolina holds a BA in Political Science from Bryn Mawr College.

René Escoto is an economist who earned a BA degree from the University of Sussex in England and an MA in Economic Policy and Planning for Development at the Institute for Social Studies in the Netherlands. He also took coursework in Environmental Economics at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.

René has more than 30 years of national and international experience in public policy, with an emphasis on the following areas: Negotiation, mobilization of funds, formulation, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programs and projects. His experience includes a variety of fields, including agriculture, rural development, territorial development, environmental sustainability, labor market and entrepreneurship (youth and women), food and nutrition security, public land administration services, local government, biodigestors, early literacy and primary education, water and sanitation, and watershed management.

René has worked as advisor, consultant, and official of international cooperation agencies and international and national NGOs, including the World Bank, IDB, FAO, UNDP, UNICEF, UNIFEM, Swiss Development Cooperation, European Commission, IOM, of Canada, Holland, Finland and Sweden, CATIE, SNV, FCM (Canada), Christian Aid, CoWater International, Opportunity International, Creative Associates, CRS, and SIMAS.

Barbora brings 14 years of experience in catalyzing inclusive and sustainable private-sector investment in the agriculture sector. She was FAO’s agribusiness officer for Southern Africa, and has held positions across Latin America and Africa with development organizations such as ACDI/VOCA, CONCERN Worldwide, and Spanish Red Cross.  

Mrs. Adesuwa Akinboro joined TechnoServe as the Country Director for Nigeria on August 1, 2022.

Adesuwa has over 24 years of progressively responsible experience in both the private sector (13 years) and international development (11 years) across East and West Africa (including twelve years of multi-country experience – in Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, and Malawi) before returning to Nigeria in 2013. She has experience in consulting, business development, program development, partner engagement, and program management, as well as working closely with donors and developing new programs to tackle poverty. Before joining TechnoServe, Adesuwa was the Deputy Director, Program Development and Quality and Head of Business Development at Save the Children (Abuja, Nigeria); where she was responsible for portfolio growth, strategic planning, program development, overseeing the monitoring, evaluation, accountability, learning (MEAL) department, and other strategic initiatives. Adesuwa has an MBA (master’s in international business administration) from the United States International University (USIU) in Nairobi, Kenya, and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Ibadan (UI), Nigeria.

Fayelle Ouane was appointed Country Director of TechnoServe Cote d’Ivoire in November 2022. She is focused on establishing TechnoServe as the partner of choice for both corporate and public sector partners, and growing the Cote d’Ivoire country platform.

She is a development specialist, an investor, an entrepreneurial ecosystem specialist and an experienced general manager. Most recently, she was a Partner at private equity SME fund Adenia Partners, where she worked on sourcing and executing deals in Cote d’Ivoire. In 2018, she co-founded Suguba, a regional platform that fosters robust entrepreneurial ecosystems in Francophone West Africa and promotes regional integration by focusing on youth and women entrepreneurship.

Fayelle has developed programs such as the World Bank-sponsored L’Afrique Excelle and co-launched the Francophone Africa Investor Summit in Bamako in 2019. Fayelle led multinationals’ expansion across Africa with the pharmaceuticals group Novartis, where she focused on growing patient reach and fostering access to medicines.

She started her career in strategy consulting at L.E.K. Consulting in the U.S. and at OTF Group in Rwanda where she managed the implementation of the National Coffee and Tea Strategies for the Government of Rwanda. Fayelle co-founded Impact Hub Bamako in 2015, Impact Hub Dakar in 2018 and Impact Hub Abidjan in 2019.

Fayelle is a Tutu fellow and she holds a BA in International Relations and Economics from Stanford University and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. She was born and grew up in Switzerland and is from Mali.

Sophie Duchanoy is the Country Manager of TechnoServe Rwanda and the Program Director of the Regenerate Rwanda project, a market system development program aimed at sustainably increasing incomes for 30,000 women, youth, and men living in poverty in western and southern Rwanda. Sophie is a French professional with over thirteen years of experience in the field of development. Her primary focus has been on entrepreneurship, gender inclusion, youth empowerment, and market systems development. Sophie joined TechnoServe in 2019 in Chile as the Project Manager for the EmpleaT program, an initiative co-funded by Anglo American and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

Prior to TechnoServe, Sophie worked in both Chile and France, gaining extensive experience in multi-stakeholder management. Her roles included managing a youth entrepreneurship program funded by IDB, Accenture, and Youth Business International, as well as overseeing the commercial operations of a B Corp business in collaboration with Chile’s national telecommunications company (Entel), economic development agency (Corfo), Chile’s export promotion office (ProChile), and the Ministry of Women and Gender Equality of Chile.

Sophie holds a master’s degree in International Cooperation and Intercultural Relations from the University of Lille (France) and a bachelor’s degree in International Business from the University of Franche-Comté (France).

As Country Director, Juliet is the team leader of Technoserve Uganda.

Prior to her appointment as the Country Director, Juliet was the Executive Director of Uganda Biodiversity Fund, a Conservation Organization mandated to mobilize, manage and channel funds for Biodiversity Conservation in Uganda.

Previously, Juliet Worked with MicroEnsure, one of the organizations that pioneered the development and distribution of Micro Insurance products and Weather Index Insurance products in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. Her interface with farmers whose livelihoods were being impacted by the severe impacts of climate change – droughts, hurricanes, floods, and others shaped her resolve to contribute to the mitigation of the effects of climate change and to work with the vulnerable to adapt to the changing conditions. Joining Technoserve was, in a way, a blessing to working directly with the Low-income farmers on the grass root and helping in building their livelihoods, but also contributing to the agriculture sector that raised her.

Juliet has Experience in Managing Distribution systems and marketing of Fast Moving Consumer Goods gained from Nestle and East African Breweries Ltd. Juliet Holds a master of Business Administration (Finance) from Makerere University Business School.

Bayella is an experienced operational executive with over 27 years of experience in Africa and Europe. Prior to joining TechnoServe, Bayella was the managing director for Africa of a leading food, feed, agricultural, and consumer goods company (Mitsui – Novus International, ADM ).

Bayella has been engaged in various roles before. He began his career in France, where he spent seven years as a management consultant in leading consulting firms (Accenture, Cap Gemini, Ernst & Young). He then moved back to Africa and became the lead operational coordinator and managing director of a respected consulting and management services firm in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa.

A native of Dakar, Senegal, Bayella holds a French Graduate Engineering Degree in Food Industry “Diplôme d’Ingénieur” and a master’s degree in Business and Marketing of Food Industry. He also holds an Executive MBA from HEC Business School.

Kris Ansin has worked extensively in international development and global health. Before joining TechnoServe as the Kenya Country Director, he served as a strategy consultant and market maker for Accenture Development Partnerships. In this role, he shaped and led several high-profile strategy and innovation engagements for organizations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Save the Children, UNICEF, Amref Health Africa, Mastercard, and many other international entities.

In 2018 and 2019, he focused on building the practice and portfolio in Kenya. From 2020 to 2022, he also took on the role of Senior Partnerships Lead for USAID’s MOMENTUM award for Routine Immunization Transformation and Equity.

Prior to this, Kris was the Executive Director of Mali Health, a local NGO dedicated to maternal and child health in the slum communities of Bamako. In 2017, he joined TechnoServe as a consultant, working with the Strategic Initiatives group in South Africa and Ghana. Kris holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) from Tulane University and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Yale University. He is originally from Boston, Massachusetts, USA.