Network - Alumni

Alumni outreach is an important initiative of the Africa Oxford Business Network. We organize various speaker and networking events looking to bring students and alumni together. We sincerely welcome any ideas and support from you.

Alumni Speaker Series

It would be an invaluable opportunity for Saïd Business School students to have you discuss case studies, political, social and economic trends or other topics of interest. Please let us know if you would be willing to give a talk at the School or over Skype. 

Networking Series

The Network organizes various networking events to bring together students, alumni and industry professionals. Please let us know if you wish to organize such an event or share your experience with a small group of students.

 

2013-2014

 

Samuel Willi

Co-Chair

Samuel is currently pursuing an MBA at Saïd Business School and has travelled extensively throughout Africa. Most recently, Samuel worked as a project manager for a Microfinance start-up in Ghana where he institutionalized business operations and diversified funding sources by launching a micro-fund focused on foreign investors. Today, the organization has served over 1300 clients and boasts a loan repayment rate of 100%. Prior to that, Samuel established and supervised processes to manage a top-performing unit with 250 staff and over $25bn of private clients’ assets in the Emerging Markets business at UBS Wealth Management in Switzerland.

Samuel holds a B.A in Business Administration from the University of St. Gallen (HSG), where he co-organized the 38. St. Gallen Symposium, one of the world’s largest and most eminent student-led conferences. After his MBA, Samuel intends to focus on investing and business development in Africa.

 

Tyler-Blair Sheppard

Co-Chair

Tyler-Blair is currently studying for an MBA at the Saïd Business School. He has six years of experience in manned spaceflight operations and instruction at NASA in the life support group for the International Space Station. While at NASA, he supported the last space shuttle flights and was a lead for command and control software integration. Additionally, he worked for several years as the engineering project lead for a social impact agricultural export start-up in Rwanda that seeks to achieve financial independence for the largest orphanage in that country. In this role, he also functioned as the integration lead for parties in the US, Germany and Rwanda.

He has a dual BS in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from West Virginia University, and a MS in Mechanical Engineering from the same institution.


 

Mintaah Djin

Committee Member

Mintaah is currently pursuing her MBA at the Saïd Business School. She has a background in general management and prior to starting her MBA, worked with her family’s company- the Yadco Group. At Yadco she was responsible for the day-to-day management of the Group’s precast concrete manufacturing business line. Before that she worked as a research analyst in the brokerage and IBF departments at Renaissance Capital, a Russian investment bank focused on high-opportunity emerging markets.

She holds a BSc (Hons.) in Business Administration from University of Ghana. Mintaah is passionate about the development of sustainable business entities in emerging markets especially in West Africa.


 

Daniela Tsoneva

Committee Member

Daniela is a Bulgarian MBA candidate at Saïd Business School. With a strong interest in international business, she has previously worked on short-term public and private sector projects in Spain, India and Bulgaria. Most recently, she was an investment banking analyst focusing on financial services mergers and acquisitions based in New York City. Daniela has BA degree in International Politics and Economics from Middlebury College in the USA.


 

Jonathan Reader

Committee Member

Jonathan is a South African Rhodes Scholar and MBA student at Saïd Business School. He holds a MSc in Economics for Development from the University of Oxford, focusing on the contribution of natural resource extraction to Africa’s recent growth. He also holds a bachelors degree in Economics from Stellenbosch University, where he was a Mandela Rhodes Scholar. After the MBA, Jonathan intends to pursue management consulting in Africa.


 

Johann Van Eeden

Committee Member

Johann is currently pursuing his MBA at Saïd Business School. Before coming to Oxford, Johann was part of the initial team to set up one of the first and foremost competition economics consultancies in South Africa. He represented major JSE listed corporates in telecoms, financials, resources, retail, health and pharmaceuticals on competition complaints and M&A transactions over a period of five years. This included consulting engagements in Mozambique, Zambia and Namibia.

Johann has a particular interest in telecoms and personally represented fixed and mobile telecoms operators in landmark competition and regulatory proceedings as expert economist. He holds both a MComm (Economics) from Stellenbosch University and a LLM (Law & Economics) from the University of Vienna. After his MBA Johann plans to focus on telecoms strategy and investments in Africa.


 

Ziyaad Bhorat

Committee Member

Ziyaad is currently reading for his MBA at the Saïd Business School as a Diocesan College (Bishops) Rhodes Scholar from South Africa. He holds a MSc in African Studies from the University of Oxford, where he specialised in the intersection between African film and filmic culture, and socio-economics. He also sits on the Oxford Broadcasting Association Committee, which steers the University’s various student media organisations. He completed his Bachelor of Business Science (Economics with Law) at the University of Cape Town, where he served as Transformation Officer on the Law Students’ Council. In this position he was involved in a number of outreach organisations focusing on education, skills-training, and advocacy.

Ziyaad is interested in the corporate side of media/entertainment, particularly the tensions between local responsiveness and responsibilities, and corporate global strategy. After his MBA he intends to pursue a career in this industry to promote and develop sustainable approaches in emerging markets such as those in Africa.



2012-2013 Team

 
 

2011-12 Team

Baafour Otu-Boateng

Alumni – OBN Africa Co-Chair 2011-12

Prior to his MBA, Baafour worked at TechnoServe, where he was responsible for the design and implementation of Ghana’s national business plan competition. Baafour’s program created a national platform for local entrepreneurs to access training, networking opportunities, and venture capital. Previously, he completed advisory and transaction work for some of the world’s leading retailers at UBS Investment Bank in New York. Baafour’s long-term objective is to build and fund sustainable enterprises that generate employment and economic opportunities for families and communities across sub-Saharan Africa. As a Chevening Scholar at Saïd, Baafour co-chaired the Oxford Business Network for Africa over 2011-12 and remains an alumni advisor.

 

Diana Njuguna

Alumni – OBN Africa Co-Chair 2011-12

Diana completed her MBA in 2012 and joined Vantage Capital as an Associate. Diana originates and assesses deals in East Africa and also screens deals in SA and assesses existing portfolio investments. She previously worked at TransCentury Ltd, a Kenyan based firm that participates in existing and emerging private equity opportunities within Sub-Saharan Africa. Diana also worked as a Summer Analyst at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, where she evaluated the Africa Investment opportunity for the firm across different asset classes. Prior to joining Transcentury, she worked as an Investment Intern at Centum Investment Company Limited (Nairobi) where she reported to the Investment Manager. Prior to that she worked at Deloitte & Touche (East Africa) as an Audit Intern.

She is a 2010 Kenyan Rhodes Scholar and also holds an MSc in African Studies from the University of Oxford. She is also an ACCA Affiliate and has passed Level 2 of the CFA designation. Diana co-chaired the Oxford Business Network for Africa over 2011-12 and remains an alumni advisor .

 

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