The Leadership Council Biographies: Meet The Minds Shaping African Tech
Explore their biographies to learn about their achievements, visions, and the roles they play in shaping the future of the continent's tech and business landscapes.
Bunmi Adeleye
Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer, Retail Supermarkets Nigeria Limited (Shoprite Nigeria)
Bunmi is an award-winning strategy and transformation executive with over 25 years of experience driving growth, innovation, and digital transformation across retail, FMCG, and digital commerce in Africa, Europe, and global markets.
She serves as Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer at Retail Supermarkets Nigeria Limited (RSNL), owner and operator of Shoprite Nigeria, where she leads enterprise strategy and transformation as the business repositions for its next phase of growth following Shoprite Holdings’ exit from the Nigerian market.
Bunmi is also the Founder of Atunda, a strategic intelligence platform focused on Africa’s consumer economy and the growth of digital commerce across the continent, delivering insights on retail innovation, consumer behaviour, and emerging market opportunities.
A recognised thought leader on technology-driven growth, she has spoken at Africa Tech Festival, Seamless Africa, Converge Africa, GITEX Africa. Her contributions to digital transformation have earned her recognition among the 100 Most Influential African Leaders in Technology & Telecommunications, Inspiring Fifty Africa, and the Top 45 Women in Digital Transformation. She founded the NOW Empowerment Foundation, which drives initiatives including Geek Girls Africa and African Women in Governance, and actively mentors emerging African innovators and women leaders.
Charles Murito
Regional Director, Government Affairs & Public Affairs, Sub Saharan Africa, Google
Charles is Google's Regional Director, Government Affairs & Policy, Sub Saharan Africa. In this capacity, Charles is responsible for overseeing engagement with Governments & Regulators to promote digital transformation through progressive policy, to achieve economic growth.
Charles assumed this role after almost six years as Google’s Country Director for Kenya. Before Google, he held senior roles at MTV, Warner Bros., and Turner Broadcasting.
Charles also serves as a Board Director for Absa Bank Kenya, Co-Chair of the DigitalTaskforce for the B20, and previously served as a Board Director for CSQuared, formerly a Google portfolio company. Outside of work, Charles loves art, food, and farming.
Faith Burn
Chief Technology and Operations Officer, Land and Agricultural Development Bank of South Africa
Faith has extensive business experience which includes the following industries: Energy, Utilities, Pharmaceutical; Services, Facilities management; Telecommunications; Financial Services; Aviation & Aerospace; Construction; Education; Services and Mining.
She currently serves as the Chief Technology and Operations Officer of The Land and Agricultural Development Bank of South Africa. Her portfolio essentially includes the roles of Chief Technology Officer and Chief Operations Officer. Previously she served for 5 years as Chief Information Officer at a large multi-billion-rand public sector organisation. She has held several executive positions over the past, more than 15 years. Generally fulfilling roles of Group CIO position at multinational organisations and large corporates with her responsibility across especially the Africa region since 2015 and served prior to that as Chief Audit Executive at a parastatal and Associate Director at a professional services multinational organisation.
Faith has served and is still serving on various boards. She holds an MSc in Mathematics from University of Johannesburg (then RAU) and an MBL from UNISA. She has attained a CIA (Certified Internal Auditor) in 2014 and has internationally recognized and/or accredited certifications in the fields of Project Management, Business Continuity Management and Computer Science. Recognised as an industry leader through various awards not least of which was the Public Sector CIO 2023, by CIO South Africa.
She is an international speaker and has delivered keynote presentations and panel discussions both locally and on global stages such as Africa Tech Festival in South Africa, GITEX in Dubai, GITEX Africa in Morocco, World Mobile Congress in Barcelona, Nutanix Conference in Barcelona, Huawei Connect in South Africa, to name a few. She has delivered presentations and panel discussions to audiences of varying sizes ranging from hundreds to thousands of people.
Among Faith's vast achievements, the one true to her heart is her passion for the care and advancement of women and children. Although no longer directly involved, she has previously co-founded a non-profit organization called Kingdom Consultant Center (known as KCC) which aims to educate children from disadvantaged communities.
Mary Mahuma
CIO, Sub Saharan Africa, Philip Morris South Africa
Mary is a seasoned IT leader and the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for Sub Saharan Africa at Philip Morris South Africa, with over 2 decades of experience across banking, financial services, telecommunications, insurance, education, security, and FMCG. My work focuses on driving digital and AI-enabled transformation that delivers practical business and societal impact.
I joined the Africa Tech Festival Leadership Council because I believe Africa’s digital future must be shaped by leaders who understand both the opportunity and the complexity of our markets. Technology must be accessible, inclusive, and rooted in real African challenges not just global theory.
A key opportunity for Africa Tech Festival is to shift from discussing innovation to enabling scale, building digital capability, AI literacy, and confidence across organisations. The market is at an inflection point, where AI and digital platforms are accelerating faster than skills and governance. Our responsibility is to ensure Africa grows ethically, sustainably, and as an active contributor to the global digital economy.
Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard
Founder and Chairman, APO Group
Nicolas is a Franco-Gabonese entrepreneur recognised among the 100 Most Influential Africans of 2023 and 2024.
He serves on the advisory boards and leadership councils of numerous international organisations, including the Canada-Africa Chamber of Business, Africa Energy Chamber (AEC), Critical Minerals Africa Group (CMAG), World Football Summit (WFS), Future Hospitality Summit (FHS), Africa Women Innovation & Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF), and the Africa Tech Festival/AfricaCom Leadership Council.
Nicolas is also Strategic Advisor to the CEO of the Royal African Society of the United Kingdom (RAS) and Strategic Advisor at the European Union–Africa Chamber of Commerce (EUACC). He is a Council Member of the Africa No Filter Foundation, Special Advisor to the President of Rugby Africa, a member of the Pan-Africa Ubuntu Circle of The ONE Campaign, and a member of the International Committee of the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA).
His wholly owned company, APO Group, is the leading pan-African communications consultancy and press release distribution service. It provides services to more than 300 clients, including leading technology companies such as TikTok, Microsoft, Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Vodacom, Orange, GoDaddy, Equinix, Binance, and TECNO.
Nina Triantis
Head: Global Sponsor Coverage, Client Coverage CIB & Vice Chair/TMT, Standard Bank Group
Over 40 years investment banking experience spanning the developed world and the emerging markets, and focused largely on Africa for the past 14 years or so.
Sector focus for a significant part of Nina’s career has been in the Telecoms, Media and Technology (including Fintech) space, having led the global franchise at Standard Bank for 20 years and currently remaining Vice Chair, focused on a select number of strategic relationships and on continuing to engage with private capital in the sector.
Nina currently heads up the global Sponsor Coverage team and is responsible for coordinating Standard Bank’s activities with private capital allocators including private equity, infrastructure funds and a large number of other investors across the Bank with a focus on buy side opportunities, exits, portfolio company relationships as well as transactions at fund(s) level.
Has led complex and plain vanilla financing transactions across the capital spectrum, including in the public markets. Wide ranging M&A advisory, Equity Capital Markets and Capital Raise experience.
Diverse and broad client base across TMT within all sectors and sub-sectors including telecom services, telecoms infrastructure, technology and fintech.
MBA from Stern New York University graduate school of business and BA in Economics and French from Columbia University.
Nomsa Chabeli
Group Chief Executive Officer, SABC
Nomsa is a dynamic and transformational leader with a proven track record of driving strategic growth, innovation, and excellence in every role she has undertaken. With extensive experience in both the public and private sectors, she brings a unique blend of commercial acumen and deep understanding of public service media to her role as Group Chief Executive Officer of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).
As a member of the Global Task Force on Public Media (GTF), she contributes to international conversations on the future of public service media, advocating for sustainability, innovation, and the critical role of media in democracy. Her appointment reflects her leadership in navigating the evolving broadcasting landscape and ensuring the long-term viability of public broadcasters in a rapidly changing digital world.
Nomsa is widely recognized for her innovative approach to marketing and digital business, having played a key role in shaping South Africa’s marketing landscape. Her expertise spans marketing strategy, digital and social marketing, and growth hacking, making her a forward-thinking leader committed to leveraging emerging technologies to drive business success.
A passionate advocate for South Africa’s development, she remains dedicated to mentorship, skills development, and contributing to the future of media and communication in the her country and beyond its borders.
Philip Besiimire
CEO, Vodacom Tanzania Plc
Philip is the CEO at Vodacom Tanzania Plc, where he runs all the facets of the business. He has over 15 years’ experience in leadership and commercial execution working with the largest telco companies in Africa. Philip brings international leadership experience and valuable knowledge to this important role. He has an exceptional track record of growing businesses and delivering strategic transformation.
Philip is also sitting as Chairman of the Tanzania Mobile Network Operations Association (TAMNOA) and holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Netherlands and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences from Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
President Ntuli
Managing Director, South Africa, Hewlett Packard Enterprise
President (Pres) leads HPE’s growth within South Africa across Edge, Cloud and AI offerings. Previously he spent two years as Senior Director for HPE GreenLake Cloud Services in UKIMEA driving as-a-Service transformation across the region, and also oversaw the service provider business.
Pres is passionate about innovation and sustainability. He believes technology innovation not only provides a platform to disrupt traditional business models, but it is instrumental in improving the lives of all people, irrespective of their socio-economic standing. This, together with his ability to construct complex commercial deals, the value he places in partnerships, his deep understanding of technology and mission to make a difference is what makes President a leader.
Ravi Bhat
Chief Solutions & AI Transformation Officer, Microsoft South Africa
Ravi is a seasoned leader with over 30 years of experience in the technology industry, driven by a passion for innovation, people leadership, and purposeful transformation. He brings together deep financial acumen, strategic business insight, and technical expertise to help organisations shape and execute impactful AI transformation strategies.
As the Chief Solutions & AI Transformation Officer at Microsoft South Africa, Ravi leads a team of highly skilled professionals dedicated to building innovative solutions that leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a cornerstone of digital transformation. His singular focus is delivering customer success across the African continent.
Ravi’s core competencies include building high-performing teams, driving growth strategies, and leading cloud and AI platform innovations. He plays a pivotal role in helping organisations adopt disruptive digital technologies, with a strong emphasis on ensuring the right skills are in place to unlock business value from AI.
He joined Microsoft a decade ago as Azure Product Lead. Prior to this, he served as General Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa at VMware and held several leadership roles over 19 years at IBM, including General Manager of IBM Software Business for South Africa.
Ravi holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree, is a qualified Chartered Accountant, and earned his MBA from Warwick Business School (UK). He is deeply committed to mentoring youth, offering career guidance to professionals, and sharing leadership and life skills.
Outside of work, Ravi enjoys road cycling, following international cricket, listening to music, and travelling with his family.
Richard Cazalet
Exec: Strategy and Transformation, Telkom SA
Richard is an experienced business leader with over 25 years’ involvement in the telecommunications industry over a wide range of technology and business areas. Prior to Telkom, he worked at Deloitte and Accenture, proving business consultancy services to fixed and mobile service providers in Africa and the Middle East. He also held various technical and sales roles at Siemens and started his telecommunications career manufacturing optical fibre in a production facility in South Africa.
He holds master’s degrees in Applied Physics and Business Leadership and is married with two daughters. He enjoys road running, swimming, sailing, and hiking / camping.
Lavina Ramkissoon
Ambassador and Co-Chair, AU-ASRIC & AU-Sixth Region, African Union
Lavina serves as the Ambassador and co-chair of the African Union on Science, Research and Innovation Council and the African Union Sixth Region. She is a visionary figure in the advancement of responsible AI, dedicated to harnessing technology for good and unlocking humanity's potential.
Recognised as a Top 10 Leaders Advancing AI globally. A true full-stack human Amb. Lavina combines her expertise in psychology, technology, and economics to bring a unique and insightful perspective to AI development. Her dedication and achievements are evident in her numerous accolades.
A futurist who's vision is to accelerate the world’s augmentation of data by creating a more intelligent tomorrow through the footprints of collective humane knowledge. She's not just a leader; she's an inspiration, earning the title #aiMOM
Nollie Maoto
Chief Data and Analytics Officer, FirstRand Compliance Office
Nollie is a Chief Data & Analytics Officer and technology leader with deep experience driving enterprise‑wide data, analytics and AI transformation across Africa. She specialises in building data‑driven organisations, developing analytics talent, and translating emerging technologies into measurable business and societal impact.
Nollie is passionate about advancing data and AI literacy, ethical AI adoption, and leadership capability across the continent. She regularly advises executives and boards on digital strategy and serves on multiple industry forums focused on Africa’s evolving tech ecosystem.
Sandile Dube
Managing Director, South Africa, Equinix
Sandile is the Managing Director for South Africa at Equinix, a global digital infrastructure company. Appointed in November 2023, he is responsible for leading the company’s expansion into the South African market and overseeing its entry strategy.
In his role at Equinix, Dube focuses on:
Market Expansion: Leading the development of Equinix’s operations in South Africa and the wider African continent.
Infrastructure Development: Overseeing the launch and growth of the JN1 International Business Exchange (IBX) data center in Johannesburg.
Strategic Partnerships: Working with local and multinational businesses to establish interconnection platforms and accelerate digital growth.
Social Impact: Leading initiatives focused on education, sustainability, and community betterment to ensure a meaningful impact on South African society.
Dube brings over 20 years of experience in the ICT (Information and Communications Technology) market. Dube emphasizes Equinix’s commitment to "accelerating a digital Africa," aiming to connect the continent more effectively to the global ecosystem. He is a proponent of leveraging South Africa's digital potential to foster innovation economic growth.
Olabode Ojo
Vice President GICL, IHS Towers
An experienced, proven and result oriented telecommunications professional with over 20 years in the ICT domain. During this time, Olabode has been involved in activities covering a wide spectrum of competences from Presales, Rollout of telecommunications networks, Managed services operational management, Project/Program management, Line management and implementation of Business strategy programs.
David Behr
Group Chief Enterprise Officer, MTN Business Africa
David leads enterprise strategy and growth across MTN's African markets. His mandate is to transform MTN from a connectivity provider into a full-service enterprise ICT partner, shifting the revenue mix toward cloud, security, unified communications, IoT, and managed networks.
Prior to this role, he served as CEO of MTN Converged Solutions and spent over a decade at Liquid Intelligent Technologies, where he built Liquid C2 into a pan-African cloud and cyber security platform through global cloud partnerships, strategic acquisitions, and local ISV ecosystems.
Earlier in his career, he founded Zimbabwe Online (ZOL), one of the country's first internet service providers. David holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Master of Engineering (First Class) from the University of Bristol.
