Our Team
Our global faculty and team
(Current and Former)
One of the secrets to the success of CSR Training Institute’s programs is bringing together incredible participants to learn from and with world-class faculty. Faculty teams are carefully constructed to bring together a world-class group of practicing experts from public, private, international and academic sectors. Participants and Faculty typically originate from 2-3 continents and a diverse set of organizations and institutions.
Below are faculty members involved in the first 10 years of the CSR Training Institute. Watch for many of them, as well as new Faculty, in upcoming programs.
Right Honourable Joe Clark
Vice-Chairman, Global Leadership Foundation
Toby Webb
Founder, Innovation Forum
Dr John Clarke
CEO, Banro Corporation
Tania Lozansky
International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Dr. Toni Aubynn
African Institute for Extractive Industries
Phil Oxhorn
Institute for the Study of International Development (ISID)
Terry Gray
World Vision Canada
Ruby Sandhu-Rojon
Deputy Director, UNDP Africa
Kojo Busia
United Nations Economic Commission on Africa
Jacqueline Saline Olweyaa, Ph.D
Regional UNDG Secretariat for Eastern & Southern Africa
Sandra Stash
Group VP, Sustainability, Health & External Affairs, Tullow Oil
Paul Caulfield
Director, MBA Program in CSR, Nottingham University
Tanneke Heersche
Partner, Fasken Martineau
Sara Clancy
Social Responsibility Expert
Francis Daniels
Director, Africa Opportunity Partners Investment Fund
Pat Gallardo Dwyer
Founder and Director, The Purpose Business
Mark Thorpe
VP, Corporate Responsibility, Torex Resources
Hevina S Dashwood
Asso. Prof. of Political Sci, Brock Uni
Frank McShane
Manager, Corporate Responsibility Policy and Ethics, Talisman Energy
Alex Mould
CEO, Ghana National Petroleum Corporation
Shawn Burns
CEO, Core Value Concepts
Hon. Betty Mould Iddrisu
Former Minister of Education, Ghana
Preba Greenstreet
Corporate Relations Director, Guinness Ghana
Dr. Edward Ayensu
Scientist, Consultant, International Advisor
Dr. Holger Till MD, DPHTM, MSc
Deputy Country Director (Operations), GIZ, Ghana
Adam McEniry
CSR Professional
Shola Safo-Duodu
Head of Corporate Affairs, Barclays Bank (Ghana)
Steve Dennis
East Africa Coordinator, CSR Training Institute
Robin McLay
Director of Research, Strategy and Learning, MasterCard Foundation
Benj Gallander
President, Contra the Heard Investment Letter
Huguette Diakabana
Sr. Project Development Manager, CSR Training Institute
Philip von Wielligh
Sustainability Consultant
Nick Fog
Sociologist and Social Planner
Carlo Dade
Global expert in trade, development and multi-sector development partnerships
Shubham Anand
Co-founder iGBL, Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship
Nathan Monash
Mining and Sustainable Development Expert
Mark N. Sills
Partner, Sills Egsgard LLP
Nele Lahrmann
GRI Program Manager at CSR Training Institute.
Andrew Buay
VP, Group Corporate Social Responsibility, Singapore Telecommunications Ltd (“SingTel”)
Dr. Chris Anderson
Mining & Social Responsibility Expert
Stephen Nairne
Managing Director, Lundin Foundation
Silvana Costa
Senior Advisor, New Gold
James Tansey
Founder & CEO, Offsetters Climate Solutions
Michael Wilkes
CEO and Managing Director, Oceano Gold
Nigel Kuzemko
Chief Executive Officer, Steelhead LNG
Dani Bryant
Environmental, Aboriginal and CSR lawyer, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP
Toni Aubynn
CEO, Ghana Minerals Commission
Rick Stapenhurst
Corruption and Governance Expert, McGill University / World Bank
Gifty Owusu-Nhyira
Sustainability and ESG Regional Coordinator for West Africa Ecobank
Laurel Sabur
Impact & Responsible Investing Professional
Stewart Muir
Dr. Eugene Owusu
Special Advisor on the SDGs to the President of Ghana
Gifty Owusu-Nhyira
Sustainability and ESG Regional Coordinator for West Africa Ecobank
Gifty Owusu-Nhyira (Mrs) is a versatile Banking professional with more than 12 years industry experience. After completing her MSc Risk Management and Finance at the University of Kent, United Kingdom, she became an Associate member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, Ghana (ACIB, Ghana) in 2011.
In the Environmental and Sustainability space, Gifty has been a practitioner member of the Institute of Environmental Management Assessment, UK since 2021 and has now been awarded the full membership status as a Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv).
Gifty is a graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT), USA ( Sustainability Professional Program)
She is dedicated to spearheading comprehensive initiatives that integrate environmental, social, and economic sustainability into the core operations of Ecobank Ghana and four other West African countries as the Regional Coordinator . She has experience in sustainable finance and a proven track record in developing and implementing impactful strategies.
She is committed to ensuring that the bank remains at the forefront of responsible banking practices
Stewart Muir
Stewart Muir founded the Resource Works Society in 2014 to communicate about the importance of the natural resource economy to the personal well-being of citizens, while maintaining a clean and healthy environment. His writings on sustainability and development have appeared in the Globe and Mail, the National Post and numerous other publications as well as the Resource Works blog and newsletters. Stewart, who has degrees from Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia, is an in-demand public speaker, award-winning journalist, and author. He makes his home in Victoria, British Columbia.
Laurel Sabur
Impact & Responsible Investing Professional
Laurel Sabur spent 10 years working in the Investment banking industry gaining expertise in risk management, treasury management, quantitative modeling, research, company analysis and corporate governance. She has also spent 5 years working within community development projects.
With a strong quantitative background Laurel enjoys integrating her financial and quantitative expertise in areas that generate social and environmental value. She enjoys public speaking and sharing her knowledge and experiences while learning from others. Her interest in environmental, social and governance risk issues motivates her to create strategies and provide advice within the areas of impact investing and responsible investing.
Laurel holds a Masters in Financial Mathematics from the University Of Western Ontario, Canada, a Bachelors in Actuarial Science from the University of West Indies and a Certificate in Community Economic Development from Simon Fraser University.
Rick Stapenhurst
Corruption and Governance Expert, McGill University / World Bank
Rick Stapenhurst is a consultant/advisor to the World Bank Institute, where until his recent retirement, he was team leader of the governance/parliamentary program. He is a has a dual appointment at McGill University as Professor of Practice (the Institute for the Study of International Development and Desautel’s Faculty of Management) and is a professeur associe in political science at Laval University.
He joined the World Bank in 1996 and concentrated on anti-corruption, good governance and parliamentary development. This work involved extensive travel throughout Africa and Asia where we worked with legislators, government officials, civil society representatives and journalists.
He has written extensively on issues related to anti-corruption and parliamentary strengthening; his most recent books include Following the Money: Comparing Parliamentary Public Accounts Committees with Kerry Jacobs and Riccardo Pelizzo (London: Pluto Press, 2013), Government Accountability and Legislative Oversight with Riccardo Pelizzo (London, Routledge, 2014) and African Parliamentary Reform co-edited, with Rasheed Draman and Andrew Imlach (London: Routledge, 2011), Parliaments as Peacebuilders: The Role of Parliaments in Conflict Affected Countries with Mitch O’Brien (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2008), and The Role of Parliament in Curbing Corruption (Washington, DC: World Bank 2006). He is currently editing two books, one with Lisa von Trapp and Mitch O’Brien, on Parliamentary Indicators and Benchmarks, and the other with Kerry Jacobs and Mitch O’Brien a book on Regional Perspectives on Parliamentary Oversight Committees. He has also written numerous articles and working papers that have been published in both the business and in peer-reviewed academic journals.
Born in South Africa and raised in the United Kingdom, he immigrated to Canada in 1972. He has completed Doctorates in both Business and Commerce (from Australian National University, 2011) and in Business Administration (from the International Graduate School, 1988), and Master’s degrees in both Business Administration (York University) and Development Studies (Carleton University). The thesis for his PhD from Australian National University was “Legislative Oversight and Curbing Corruption: Presidentialism and Parliamentarianism Revisited”; the thesis for his DBA from International Graduate School was “Political Risk Analysis in Canadian and U.S. Based Multinational Corporations”
Before joining the World Bank, Rick worked at the Canadian International Development Agency, most recently as the Director of the Multilateral Development Banks unit and before that as head of aid for Canada’s development assistance program at the Canadian Embassy in Addis Ababa. He developed and oversaw the implementation of Canadian development assistance projects in Ethiopia, Sudan and Djibouti.
Rick is married to Cathryn Stapenhurst (nee Cochrane) and has two adult children (Sarah and Timothy) and one grand-daughter (Arlie). He lives in Montreal and Washington, DC.
Mawuena Trebarh
CEO, Ghana Investment Promotion Centre
Mrs. Mawuena A. Trebarh is Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre and has over 15 years’ executive experiencein industry and government. Her achievements in corporate affairs, investor relations management, stakeholder and reputation management have been recognized through prestigious awards for excellence.
Mrs. Trebarh has been at the forefront of corporate Ghana acting in various key management capacities with Ashanti Goldfields, Newmont Mining, MTN and Inspire Africa Consult to name a few.
She holds an MBA in Management and Strategic Planning from the McCallum Graduate School of Business, Bentley College in Maryland, USA.
Toni Aubynn
CEO, Ghana Minerals Commission
Dr. Aubynn has over 20 years of senior executive level experience and leadership in African Industry and Governance. He is currently the CEO of Ghana Minerals Commission. Prior to that he was CEO of the Ghana Chamber of Mines.
His industry experience includes senior roles in both the mining and petroleum industry. He Chairs the London-based International Council of Minerals and Metals’ (ICMM)Association and Commodities Group and the Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) Working Group and is a long-time member of the Strategic Management Advisory Group of the World Bank and DFID-sponsored Community and Artisanal Small-scale Mining (CASM)
Dani Bryant
Environmental, Aboriginal and CSR lawyer, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP
Dani is an environmental, Aboriginal and CSR lawyer with Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP. Dani advises natural resource and land development project proponents on regulatory approvals and relations with local and Aboriginal peoples. Dani has represented clients on judicial review matters related to permitting, environmental assessment and Aboriginal consultation. Dani also supports clients to develop and implement effective corporate social responsibility policies and strategies and helps clients identify and minimize environmental and CSR risk. Dani is also the Co-Chair of the Professional Women’s Network, an organization connecting women in business.
Nigel Kuzemko
Chief Executive Officer, Steelhead LNG
Nigel’s 23 years of senior executive experience in the energy sector includes extensive work on commercial arrangements in the natural gas industry for everything from upstream exploration through the value chain to retail energy, and gas and power trading. In South America, Australia, Asia and across Europe, Nigel has played a key role in developing and growing the LNG divisions of global energy companies such as Shell, Santos, Qatargas and Gazprom. His experience includes negotiating numerous multi-billion dollar energy agreements, conceptualizing Gladstone LNG (Australia), governmental agreements, joint ventures, LNG sales agreements, as well as operating agreements and price reviews.
Michael Wilkes
CEO and Managing Director, Oceano Gold
Mick Wilkes is a mining engineer with approximately 30 years of broad international experience, predominantly in precious and base metals across Asia and Australia. Most recently, as Executive General Manager of Operations at OZ Minerals he had responsibility for the evaluation studies, construction and operation of the Prominent Hill copper gold project in South Australia, which is one of the more significant recent resource developments in Australia. Preceding this, he was General Manager of the Sepon gold copper project for Oxiana in Laos. Earlier experience was in Papua New Guinea in senior roles and, at the outset of his career, at Mount Isa Mines in operations and design.
In January 2011, he was appointed Chief Executive Officer, and was appointed to the Board of Directors as Managing Director in April 2011.
He has a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) from the University of Queensland, a Master of Business Administration from Deakin University, and is a member of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
James Tansey
Founder & CEO, Offsetters Climate Solutions
James Tansey is the founder and CEO of Offsetters Climate Solutions, Canada’s largest carbon management company. An Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia he is also the Executive Director of the Sauder Centre for Social Innovation and Impact Investing.
Following the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, Tansey was selected as one of four international advisers working with the United Nations Environment Programme on the environmental strategy for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia.
Tansey has worked as an advisor and contributor to the World Economic Forum, the UK National Audit Office, Oxford Analytica, Cisco, ISIS Innovation (Oxford), Environment Canada and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency.
In 2010, Tansey was recognized as a Top 40 Under 40 by Business in Vancouver and was a Pacific finalist in the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year® 2010 Awards. In 2013 he was awarded a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for his contributions to the Province of British Columbia.
Silvana Costa
Senior Advisor, New Gold
Dr. Costa is a community planner focused on socially responsible mining development. Before joining New Gold in late 2011, Silvana worked for the British Columbia Ministry of Energy and Mines and as a global social performance, impact assessment, communications and aboriginal relations consultant.
As the New Gold Senior Advisor, Environment and Social Responsibility, Silvana is involved in planning and implementation of corporate initiatives related to corporate governance, environmental management and social responsibility, the development of company standards, strategies and policies as well as sustainability reporting. Her work includes close coordination with sites in Mexico, US, Canada and Australia to continuously improve New Gold’s social and environmental performance to exceed the expectations of New Gold’s investors, Aboriginal partners, local communities, regulators and other communities of interest.
Silvana has also been the Chair of the Association for Mineral Exploration of British Columbia (AME BC) CSR Committee since 2013. Silvana Costa. Ph.D., Mining, M EnvDes-Planning
Stephen Nairne
Managing Director, Lundin Foundation
Stephen Nairne has served as the Lundin Foundation’s Managing Director since 2007. The Lundin Foundation manages a growing portfolio of investments in innovative, scalable SMEs and social enterprises in emerging markets, and is responsible for the design and implementation of local content initiatives (skills training, procurement / supply chain) for Lundin Group Companies.
He serves on Executive Board of the Canadian International Resources and Development Institute (CIRDI) and the Advisory Board of several SME funds and companies in Sub-Saharan Africa and is concurrently appointed as an Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia, where he teaches course on Country Risk Analysis and African Political Economy. Prior to joining the Foundation, Mr. Nairne served as a Deputy Director with Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade, and Development and Senior Political Risk Analyst at Export Development Canada.
Dr. Chris Anderson
Mining & Social Responsibility Expert
Dr. Chris Anderson has worked as a senior executive in the mining industry in more than fifteen countries for almost twenty years including with Rio Tinto, Newmont Mining and Normandy Mining. In addition, he is a practicing academic and a field anthropologist with community experience with Indigenous peoples around the world.
Chris is currently Principal at Yirri LLC, a boutique consulting company specializing in Social Performance counsel. He is a board member of the World Bank Institute’s Open Contracting Initiative, past chair of the International Council on Mining & Metals Human Rights and Indigenous Peoples Working Group, and was Alumnus of the Year in 2013 at the University of Queensland. His specialties include process building for Free Prior& Informed Consent, stakeholder engagement training and general Communities & Social Performance assessment and strategy in the extractive sector.
Dr. Anderson holds a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Queensland in Brisbane Australia where he is also an Adjunct Professor.
Andrew Buay
VP, Group Corporate Social Responsibility, Singapore Telecommunications Ltd (“SingTel”)
Andrew is Vice President for the SingTel Group’s Corporate Social Responsibility and a Talent Coach to the company’s future leaders.
Appointed to this new Group role in May 2013, Andrew is responsible for drivingSingTel’s Sustainability strategy and practice across various areas of Marketplace, Community, People and the Environment. In particular, he is currently focused on establishing and embedding Singtel strategy in sustainable supply chain management, strategic capability-based community engagement, future leadership and diversity, and the company’s environment and energy strategy, including a focus on climate change resilience and adaptation.
Prior to this appointment, Andrew held various senior positions across the SingTel Group in Singapore, Australia and the Philippines. Between 2007 and 2013, he was the SingTel Optus Chief Information Officer, Managing Director for Technology and Products,Managing Director for Products and Delivery, and Managing Director of Wholesale and Satellite.
Prior to joining Optus in April 2007, Andrew was the Chief Operating Officer at Globe Telecom from 2003-2007, SingTel Group’s mobile associate in the Philippines. He has also held various other senior management positions in the SingTel Group including VP Consumer Marketing, CEO SINGNET, CEO Multimedia Group, Director Corporate Development, Director Business Marketing and Director Corporate Account Management. Andrew also started up and ran SingTel Ventures from 2007- 2000, a S$150m technology investment fund investing in emerging technologies in the ICT sector to drive innovation and develop new businesses spin-offs for the company.
Andrew graduated from the National University of Singapore in 1990 with first class honours (Bachelor of Arts) and holds an MSc in Management from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He is also a professionally accredited coach and alumni of Human Synergistics(Australia) and the Institute of Executive Coaching and Leadership (Australia). Andrew is also an advisory member on the Singapore National Volunteer Resource Committee, aimed at raising the level of strategic corporate volunteering and engagement by Singapore companies with the community and social services sector.
Nele Lahrmann
GRI Program Manager at CSR Training Institute.
- Successfully led GRI Training Certification project for CSRTI, including leading the development of all customized case studies.
- Certified GRI Trainer with focus on GRI training and reporting in Africa
- Passionate about solving complex social and environmental challenges
- Global citizen with German passport, living in Berlin, with a deep love for Africa and the Caribbean
- MA in International Relations at the Technical University of Dresden and Binational BA in Intercultural Studies and European Law in Halle, Germany and Paris.
Mark N. Sills
Partner, Sills Egsgard LLP
Mark Sills is a partner in the Toronto law firm of sills egsgard LLP and practices in the area of international trade and investment. He provides legal and policy advice to foreign and Canadian companies and foreign governments on international trade and investment matters with particular emphasis on natural resource development issues and advises and represents foreign and domestic companies in Canadian trade , export and import controls and customs cases. His diplomatic and legal career have included postings in Russia, Brazil and the Philipines and he brings a wide range of global experience to bear on assignments.
Mark has had extensive first-hand experience in international trade and economic issues. He began his career in the Canadian Foreign Service and was posted first to the Philippines and then to Brazil. He later practised law in the Legal Bureau of the Department of External Affairs in the areas of international claims, nuclear safety and international trade. Subsequently, he worked in the GATT Affairs Division and was Director of the International Energy Relations Division of the Department of Energy Mines and Resources during the Canada-US Free Trade negotiations. He worked on implementation issues for the Canadian government under the Free Trade Agreement and ultimately was a member of the Canadian legal team representing Canada during the NAFTA negotiations with the US and Mexico in 1991-92.
Mark moved to the private sector in 1992 and practised in the Moscow office of Macleod Dixon LLP until 1996. On his return to Canada, he joined the Macleod Dixon Toronto office and resumed his practice in the area of international trade and investment. In 2001, he accepted a retainer as international legal consultant to the Government of The Bahamas to assist that government in its application to join the World Trade Organization and its participation in various other international trade negotiations. He has also served as a legal consultant to the Ministry of Justice of the Government of Vietnam to assist in legislative reform in support of that country’s application to join the World Trade Organization. From 2003 to 2012, he was a partner in the Toronto office of Fasken Martineau LLP, one of Canada’s largest law firms. He founded his own firm Sills Egsgard LLP in 2012 and carries on an active practice in the area of international trade and investment, corporate social responsibility, trade remedies, import and export controls and customs.
Nathan Monash
Mining and Sustainable Development Expert
Since 2002, Nathan has worked with the executive leadership of the mining industry to reduce sustainability risk. This work has spanned five continents and addressed active mines, advanced projects and early stage development. Over the course of his career, Nathan has led the World Economic Forum’s mining and metals industry practice, and has spent significant time with Alcan and Rio Tinto, where he focused upon sustainability strategy at active mines and project development in West Africa, Australia and South America.
Nathan has also worked closely with leading NGOs and academic institutions to collaboratively address the industry’s most pressing challenges and served as an advisor to the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) CSR Counsellor.
Nathan is currently an external consultant to the International Finance Corporation focusing upon the financial valuation of sustainability risk. Until late 2014, Nathan served as Vice President, Sustainability, Americas for AngloGold Ashanti, where he was intimately involved in addressing the sustainability challenges associated with developing new mining projects in Colombia.
Nathan’s academic background is in biological sciences, environmental policy and international relations. He holds a B.Sc. from McGill University, a M.A. from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (Tufts University), and a graduate certificate from the University of Cambridge.
Shubham Anand
Co-founder iGBL, Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship
Shubham has extensive experience working in the social enterprise and education technology sectors in India. He holds an MBA from the University of Oxford where he was awarded the Skoll scholarship for social entrepreneurship. He is currently co – founder of iGBL, an education technology startup venture in the UK.
iGBL is an Oxford-based education technology company that is the recipient of Oxford’s Skoll Centre Venture Award. They build interactive web-based games and tools that bring abstract business concepts to life. IGBL’s growing portfolio of business tools and games, includes the CSR Accounting Simulation Game.
Carlo Dade
Global expert in trade, development and multi-sector development partnerships
Carlo Dade is a recognized global expert in trade, development and multi-sector development partnerships. He is a Senior Fellow in the School of International Development and Global Studies at the University of Ottawa focusing on the role of private sector actors – diasporas and private companies – in international development. He was Executive Director of the Canadian Foundation for the Americas, (FOCAL) managing programs in diasporas/Transnationalism, CSR and Canadian engagement in Haiti. Mr. Dade managed development and public-private partnership portfolios in Haiti and the Dominican Republicfor the Inter-American Foundation an independent U.S. government aid agency. He was a founding member of the Enterprise Research Institute, a Washington D.C.-based private sector development and CSR think tank. Mr. Dade started his career in the Latin American and Caribbean Region Technical Department of the World Bank. He is currently leading a major trade and development thinktank.
Nick Fog
Sociologist and Social Planner
Nick Fog is a sociologist and Social Planner with over three decades of experience working with communities assisting them developing skills and programs in Community Economic Development and Community Resource Management.
His experience literally spans the globe, working with and for communities, NGOs, mining companies, development agencies and most other stakeholders who have an interest in where business meets society.
He has spent decades working to help communities, resource developers and other stakeholders find common ground and develop aligned interests.
Nick has been directly involved in multi-sector CSR partnerships, some that worked, some that failed and some that did both (at different times).
His practice has been with indigenous groups helping them to gain a foothold in the modern economy. His work focus on communities’ realizing their share of the benefits of resource development of their marine and terrestrial resources (e.g., training, employment, royalty investments and business development).
Philip von Wielligh
Sustainability Consultant
Philip Von Wielligh has spent over 30 years in the South African Mining industry, much of it working on the leading edge of the Industry’s Corporate Social Responsibility practices.
Working with Placer Dome, Barrick and Western Areas Gold Mining Company he was a design and implementation leader in the development of the industry’s HIV/AIDS programming in the early 2000s. Furthermore to develop practises to reduce the adverse effect of HIV /AIDS on productivity.
He led the industry’s transition to a more development focused approach to mitigate the impacts of industry retrenchment and downsizing on the Mining Companies and the employees and their families. He was an instrumental force in the creation and operation of TEBA Development, the South African mining industry’s development arm.
He was a key leader in the South/South technology transfer project that helped to transform HIV/AIDS programming in Papua New Guinea.
His work has been recognized with numerous awards including the World Bank’s Development Innovation Award, Nexen Award for Corporate Social and Ethical Responsibility in Canada and the Star of Africa Award for community development among others.
His work was featured in a Stanford Business School case study.
He presented papers at various International Seminars across the world on “The impact of HIV on productivity and Business”, which includes the World Bank in Washington, the United Nations Global Mining Dialogue in Geneva Switzerland, Sustainable Conferences in Brisbane Australia, Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in Ottawa Canada, AIDS Symposium at the University of California in Los Angeles, HIVAIDS Conferences in Papua New Guinea, McGill University, among other.
Huguette Diakabana
Sr. Project Development Manager, CSR Training Institute
Huguette is an expert in community engagement and economic development with extensive experience in sub-Saharan Africa. She combines industry experience with broad knowledge of African culture and politics. She is fluent in English, French, Lingala, and Swahili.
Huguette has worked with universities in eight African nations, engaging with students and professionals to establish CSR forums discussing industry best practices. She has also held various positions with multinational mining companies, developed her own school, and created a foundation that provides scholarships for elementary school students in the DRC.
She has over 8 years’ global experience in both planning and conducting qualitative and quantitative surveys in North America, Latin America, Europe, and Africa (including the Maghreb region).
Huguette holds a degree in International Business and Economics from Suffolk University in Boston, MA. Her current focus is on creating partnerships between governments and NGOs with company sustainable development projects; to leverage their experiences with corporate resources on the ground, in order to maximize benefits to stakeholders. In 2014, her expertise was recognized when she was invited to testify before Congress at a special session on the future of the DRC, and to attend the US-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, DC.
Benj Gallander
President, Contra the Heard Investment Letter
Canada’s national newspaper, the Globe and Mail called Benj Gallander “The most classic of contrarians.” In another article they wrote, “Benj Gallander is widely considered to be Canada’s top authority on contrarian investing.” The National Post stated, “If all the world’s a stage, then Benj Gallander is one of the market’s greatest characters.” Over at the Investor’s Digest magazine, he was featured amongst “Canada’s Best Investors…” Who is this guy anyhow?
Benj is the co-editor of the Contra the Heard Investment Letter (www.contratheheard.com), which has amongst the highest returns in the world at 49.4 percent in 2013, 33.5 percent annualized for five years and 18 percent annualized over the last 15. He is also the author of three best-selling books, two in the stock market sector and The Canadian Small Business Survival Guide, which was first published in 1988 and is still in the stores today. There are also American, Chinese and Czech editions of this work. He also wrote a poetry book that almost sold in the double digits. Six of his plays have seen the stage and he is a co-founder of one of Canada’s most successful theatre festivals, SummerWorks, which has been kicking around for over two decades. His columns appear under The Contra Guys banner in The Globe and Mail with his business partner/long time friend Ben Stadelmann. He also writes for MoneySaver Magazine and is a regular on The Business News Network (BNN), Canada’s version of CNBC, where he has also appeared. In a cover story, he was recognized by Investors’ Digest as one of “Canada’s Best Investors”. Once upon a time he also worked for the Ontario Worker Co-op Federation, which was designed to help people who were on EI and Welfare to start businesses.
Over the past year or so, some of his speaking engagements have included California, Orlando, Toronto, Vancouver, Newfoundland and South Africa.
Gallander has traveled to over 30 countries, working in five of them. This included a stint with the Centre for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI) doing anti-poverty work in Nepal; teaching in Czechoslovakia soon after the velvet revolution, and also working in the Middle East and France.
He parlayed his university days at The University of Western Ontario and Dalhousie University into an MBA in international business and marketing. He is on the leadership board of the Institute for the Study of International Development at McGill University. His stints at Laval University and l”Universite de Savoie resulted in a smattering of French and good eating.
Robin McLay
Director of Research, Strategy and Learning, MasterCard Foundation
Robin McLay is the Director of Research, Strategy and Learning at the MasterCard Foundation. Prior to joining the Foundation, Robin was the first Executive Director of McGill’s Institute for the Study of International Development. Robin has earned strong international reputation for his contributions in the area of evidence-based policy-making by developing creative and innovative ways of linking research to policy. He has established networks of key international research organizations through his leadership and membership in the International Forum of Research Donors, as a founding member of the Harvard University School of Public Health’s Leadership Council and his involvement with academic institutions and think tanks around the world. Robin also worked with the Canada School of Public Service where he served as its Director of International Partnership Projects and as Regional Director of the Pacific and Yukon Region. He was the Director of Research at the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) for over five years and prior to that served as CIDA’s Director of Democratic Institutions and Conflict. Robin pursued his graduate studies at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government as a Fulbright Scholar. He also holds a Master of Science from the London School of Economics and a B.A. from McGill University.
Steve Dennis
East Africa Coordinator, CSR Training Institute
Steve Dennis is a motivated, insightful, cross culturally aware implementer of programs, manager of conflicts, adult trainer and resourceful social problem solver. He is a key member of the CSR Training Institute Faculty and leadership team.
His bachelor’s degree in civil engineering gives him the technical tools to navigate the intricacies of the extractive industry. Meanwhile, his master’s degree in international relations, focused on conflict, conflict management and resolution, serves him in his work overseas implementing programs in challenging contexts.
For 12 years, Steve has lived and worked overseas in Sri Lanka, South Sudan, Somalia, Ivory Coast, The Netherlands, Chad, Kenya, Australia, Malawi and South Africa. In this time, Steve has been involved in all phases of project development, implementation and closure, been the in-charge with responsibilities of focal point for community liaison, stakeholder engagement and grievance management, as well as responsible for conflict management and resolution. He has been recognized by the University of Toronto Engineering Alumni Association for distinguishing himself in the profession, the community, the university and other related fields.
On partnerships, Steve has proven through inclusive committed conversation, clean language, patient listening and motivation to find shared prosperity, conflicts can be cleared and partnerships fostered. In conflicts, Steve is a bridge builder, moving conflicting positions to solutions based on shared interests.
From a young age, training has been a passion of Steve’s. From training tall ship sailors to conflict and risk management to relationship building in conflict zones, Steve has a longstanding history of effectively delivering the learning people require. As a trainer, Steve applies adult learning theory to tailor structured training modalities to achieve learning needs.
Shola Safo-Duodu
Head of Corporate Affairs, Barclays Bank (Ghana)
A Chartered Marketer, Shola Safo-Duodu CIM (UK) leads CSR programming, communications and strategy (internal and external) at Barclays Ghana. She is also National President of the Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana (CIMG) and a Fellow of the African Leadership Institute of West Africa. In 2004 she was awarded the Star of Africa for Barclays Africa. A passionate speaker and communicator, Shola is also recognized for strategic planning, brand and marketing management.
Adam McEniry
CSR Professional
Adam McEniry is an expert in stakeholder engagement, sustainability management and public affairs with more than 10 years’ experience working in the resource sector around the world. He has extensive on the ground experience in CSR strategy, implementation and assessment. Adam has a broad background having worked with global major mining companies, junior exploration firms, government and NGOs. He has lived and worked on projects throughout Latin America, Africa, and Asia.
Dr. Holger Till MD, DPHTM, MSc
Deputy Country Director (Operations), GIZ, Ghana
Dr. Till has nearly two decades of medical, development and public/private collaboration experience in Ghana. During that time he has facilitated, financed and supported numerous partnerships invoiving GIZ, private sector partners, governments and communities. He is a licensed Medical Doctor and also a Professional Engineer. His detailed experience in negotiating and implementing public/private health sector partnership was gained on the ground and in the field and is supplemented by additional experience in Ghana including:
- 6 years clinical work (surgery and gynecology) in district-, regional and university hospitals Ghana Health Service)
- 6 years working in the area of Public Health (HIV therapy, Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission, public private partnership) on national level (Ministry of Health, CIM/GTZ)
- 6 years working as Team Leader in the area of HIV/Health and Social Protection (GIZ)
- Currently works as Deputy Country Director (Operations) for GIZ, Ghana
Dr. Edward Ayensu
Scientist, Consultant, International Advisor
Professor Ayensu advises major corporations and organizations on strategy, sustainability and relationship management. He was formerly Director and Senior Scientist at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. as well as heading Ghana’s prestigious Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. He is a noted international development advisor on science, technology and economic development, a Member of the Board of Trustees of the UN University for Peace and a Member of the Advisory Board of Sustainable Forestry Management (SFM). Professor Ayensu has held several important positions globally such as Chairman of the Inspection Panel of the World Bank and Secretary-General of the International Union of Biological Sciences and he is the founding Chairman of the African Biosciences Network.
Preba Greenstreet
Corporate Relations Director, Guinness Ghana
With a Master of Laws from University of London, Preba Arkaah Greenstreet joined the GGBL as Legal Counsel and Company Secretary before being appointed Corporate Relations Director. Responsible for the CSR strategy for the Ghana branch, she brings to the role her knowledge of regulatory, tax and public policy and her exceptional understanding of the Ghanaian stakeholder landscape.
Hon. Betty Mould Iddrisu
Former Minister of Education, Ghana
Betty Mould-Iddrisu is former Minister of Education in Ghana, which followed her appointment as Ghana’s first female Attorney General and Minister for Justice in 2009. She also served five years as Head of Legal and Constitutional Affairs of the Commonwealth Secretariat in London and is a past President of the African Women Lawyers Association. Betty is currently the Managing Partner and Lead consultant in an Accra based global consultancy firm which specializes in development Law & Academic issues.
As Minister of Education, Betty put in place structures and systems to ensure the delivery of quality education at all levels in the education system. A key outcome has been cooperation with a Ghanaian based company in the provision of over 60,000 laptop computers to schools as part of a project to revolutionize the use of technology in learning.
Shawn Burns
CEO, Core Value Concepts
Shawn Burns is a Resource Sustainability Specialist with 20 years’ experience in climate change, sustainability, environmental monitoring (remote sensing) and stakeholder and community engagement. He serves as Founding Director and Treasurer of the International Forest Carbon Association (IFCA) and is an Adjunct Instructor in “Sustainability†at the University of British Columbia, Centre for Sustainability. He has extensive experience in the development of carbon-offset projects, policy and protocol, especially as it related to sequestration based offsets and has been the subject of a CBC documentary on carbon offsets.
In his role at Keegan Resources Inc, he is responsible for climate change and environmental monitoring, community affairs, and environmental permitting as well as research projects aimed at developing best practice for junior and mid-tier mining companies relating to 1) mine design, 2) sustainability reporting, and 3) strategic leverage partnerships with NGOs. Shawn is a sustainability reporting or ‘green accountant’, a Certified Management Accountant (Canada) and IACPA (US) and holds Masters degrees from Queens’ University (Kingston, Ont) and Cornell University (Ithaca, NY). He is active globally with the standardization and integration of non-financial corporate reporting.
Alex Mould
CEO, Ghana National Petroleum Corporation
Mr. Mould was appointed CEO of the GNPC in October 2013, following 20 years in leadership positions in the petroleum, banking and financial sectors in the USA and Ghana.
He has spent over a decade in investment banking and nearly a decade in the petroleum downstream sector, focusing on Refining, Crude Oil and Petroleum Products, Supply & Trading and Risk Management.
Frank McShane
Manager, Corporate Responsibility Policy and Ethics, Talisman Energy
Dr. Frank McShane is the Manager, Corporate Responsibility Policy and Ethics at Talisman Energy. He works in the areas of ethical business practices, community engagement and human rights and security to steward the design and implementation of policies, standards, guidelines, practices, assurance processes, reporting and training that help the company to realize its policy commitments.
Prior to joining Talisman, Frank was Group Lead – Corporate Responsibility at EnCana. He has degrees in Geology from the University of London, Environmental Resource Management from Heriot-Watt, and a doctorate from McGill University. He has taught at universities in Canada, New Zealand and the University of the South Pacific in Fiji and worked for three years at the UK based think-tank, the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED).
He has worked in numerous countries and is published on issues of responsible resource development and the environmental, social and governance issues associated with large-scale resource development.
In 2013 Frank concluded a term as Corporate Pillar Steering Committee representative for the international oil and gas companies participating in the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights and on the Board of Directors of the Voluntary Principles Association. Frank also taught as an associate member of Faculty on the Executive Program in CSR at McGill University’s Institute for the Study of International Development (ISID). He began his career as a geological engineer working in exploration drilling in the oil and gas industry.
Hevina S Dashwood
Asso. Prof. of Political Sci, Brock Uni
Dr Dashwood is author of the highly regarded book: The Rise of Global Corporate Social Responsibility: Mining and the Spread of Global Norms (Cambridge University Press, 2012). She also has numerous book chapters and articles in peer-reviewed journals related to CSR and mining, including Canadian Journal of Political Science, Canadian Journal of Development Studies, Business and Society Review and Business and Society.
Dr Dashwood’s research interests within the field of international relations encompass private global governance, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and international development and have a strong focus on Ghana and Africa. Her current research program is concerned with CSR adoption in the global mining sector, the dissemination of global standards specific to mining and the translation of global CSR standards at the local level in the developing country context.
Mark Thorpe
VP, Corporate Responsibility, Torex Resources
Dr. Thorpe is a senior mining executive with over 30 years working both in mining operations and as an international corporate responsibility consultant working on mining projects from potash to diamonds and gold. His experience spans five continents and covers mining from greenfields exploration to closure and post-closure management. Having lived and worked in Latin America and Africa, Dr. Thorpe’s experience includes permitting a mine in a tropical rainforest area of Venezuela with several regulatory changes and working with the project teams to reduce the LTIFR at a mine in Africa from 2.1 per million hours worked to 0.15 per million hours worked.
Dr. Thorpe holds a Ph.D. in mine land rehabilitation from the University of Saskatchewan and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Canada Mining Innovation Council.
Pat Gallardo Dwyer
Founder and Director, The Purpose Business
Pat Gallardo Dwyer has fifteen years sustainability leadership experience, most recently as Global head of CSR & Sustainability for Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts.
She holds a BA in European Studies from Ateneo de Manila University and an MA in Globalisation and Governance from the University of Birmingham.
Pat brought Shangri-La to the forefront of responsible tourism operations, making it the only Asian hotel group to be recognized in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. She developed programmes across 89 hotels in 22 countries covering a broad spectrum including carbon management, diversity, environment stewardship and employee engagement. She equipped over 40,000 colleagues to understand sustainability issues through a training module and worked with local organisations to benefit more than 30,000 children globally. Previously, Pat was the first CSR head of Ayala Land, Inc. in the Philippines.
Pat was recently named to the World Economic Forum Young Global Leaders Class of 2015, serves on the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council for Oceans, is the recipient of the International Hotel Investment Forum Young Leader award and was named one of Premier Traveller’s ‘30 most Compelling Women in Travel’. Pat continues to serve in the Asia sub committee of the Make a Wish Foundation and on the Faculty of the CSR Training Institute.
Francis Daniels
Director, Africa Opportunity Partners Investment Fund
With over 15 years’ experience in investing in Africa, Francis Daniels is a director of Africa Opportunity Partners, the investment manager of Africa Opportunity Fund Ltd which trades on the AIM Market of the London Stock Exchange.
Francis has served on several boards of Africa-related companies and is currently a member of the boards of directors of TA Holdings, a Zimbabwean stock-exchange listed company, and Masawara PLC, a company admitted to trading on the AIM Market.
Mr Daniels holds a LL.B degree from the University of Ghana, a LL.M degree from the University of Toronto, and a LL.M degree and a LL.M (Corporations) degree from New York University Law School. He resides in Johannesburg.
Sara Clancy
Social Responsibility Expert
Sara Clancy is a sustainable business specialist who for the last 20 years has managed programmes for the Work Bank Group, UNDP, The Body Shop and Levis Strauss, She is also the founder of CSR4Africa an African-based think tank that develops local solutions to sustainable business issues.
Prior to working in sustainable business Sara worked for a range of bi-lateral aid agencies and Non- Government organisations focusing on poverty eradication in Africa and South East Asia.
Tanneke Heersche
Partner, Fasken Martineau
Tanneke is a Partner in the Fasken Martineau’s Africa practice group and practises out of the firm’s Johannesburg office. She is highly regarded for her expertise and experience in the mining industry where she is recognised as a leading legal advisor. Her extensive experience includes advising on all aspects of the development and financing of mining and other natural resource projects in emerging markets. She regularly advises major international mining companies, international financial institutions and governments in numerous countries around the world.
Tanneke is recognised by Chambers Global (2013 edition) as a leading lawyer within the fields of ‘Energy & Natural Resources: Mining’ (South Africa) and ‘Projects & Energy’ (Africa-wide), is highlighted for her “unbelievably good understanding of business and the commercial rationale of transactions.” and is also noted as a Canadian ‘Experts Based Abroad’ and a South African ‘Foreign Expert’ within the field of ‘Energy & Natural Resources: Mining’.
She is recognised as one of the ‘Most Highly Regarded Individuals’ within the field of Mining law by the International Who’s Who Legal , praised for being “one of the finest mining lawyers in Africa” (2009-2012 editions), and recognised by Chambers Global as a leading lawyer within the fields of ‘Energy & Natural Resources: Mining’ (South Africa) and ‘Projects & Energy’ (Africa). Tanneke is noted as being a “highly respected legal adviser to many players in the mining industry” and is highlighted for her “truly global” experience “having handled matters not just in Africa, but also in South America and Central Asia” (2009-2011 editions). She is recognised by Legal Experts – Europe, Middle East & Africa as an expert within the field of ‘Mining – South Africa’ (2013 edition).
Paul Caulfield
Director, MBA Program in CSR, Nottingham University
Dr. Caulfield brings a combination of high level academic and high level industry experience, enabling a pragmatic integration of theory and practice in CSR.
He has held senior industry roles in Strategy, Planning and Corporate Social Responsibility, including with BP where he was responsible for European strategic planning and for community investment and engagement strategy focusing on improving sustainable interventions.
Other industry roles include focusing on business modelling and venture finance for major European and US banks and include operational experience of MNC and NGO operations in the developing world covering sustainable business development and capability building in Angola, Russia, Vietnam and Bangladesh.
His research and teaching interests include Corporate Responsibility and new strategies for Sustainability: Corporate Community Investments, Employee Volunteering, Base of Pyramid, Social Enterprise, Eco-entrepreneurship and Sustainable Business Design.
Sandra Stash
Group VP, Sustainability, Health & External Affairs, Tullow Oil
Sandra (Sandy) Stash, has over 30 years of senior international, corporate and sustainability expertise as well as serving on the Board of the US Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
In the past ten years, Sandy has represented business in controversial natural resource, public health and environmental issues through roles which include Vice President for Regulatory Affairs, Compliance and Ethics, BP Alaska. By invitation as Vice President of Health, Safety and the Environment for TNK-BP in Russia, she provided breakthrough direction on corporate sustainability and good governance in former Soviet countries. In her current role as Group Vice President of Safety, Sustainability and External Affairs for Tullow Oil, the largest independent operator in Africa, she manages all surface technical and non-technical risks across Tullow’s operations on 5 continents.
Jacqueline Saline Olweyaa, Ph.D
Regional Coordination Advisor and Head, Regional UNDG Secretariat for Eastern & Southern Africa
Jacqueline Saline Olweya is the Regional coordination Advisor and Head of the Regional UNDG ESA Secretariat., a position she has held since January 2011. Based in Nairobi Kenya, she provides strategic guidance to the Regional Directors on opportunities and challenges emanating from the implementation of UNDG ESA activities in support of United Nations Country Teams (UNCTs), covering 22 Countries in Eastern and Southern Africa.
Previously, Jacqueline worked as a National Gender Advisor to the Government of Kenya. She has also served as an Assistant Resident Representative with UNDP Kenya in charge of Governance and Gender Programmes and more recently served as a Training Policy Specialist at UNDOCO based in New York where she led the design and implementation of various initiatives including induction of first time Resident Coordinators and the first Un Women Leadership Development Programme.
She has over 18 years’ experience in development work, providing high level policy, advisory and technical, facilitation, teambuilding and training support to and undertaking capacity development initiatives for governments (including the Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary), United Nations staff of varying levels (Resident Coordinators, Heads of Agencies, Programme Staff, and Coordination Officers), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), academia and education practitioners.
Jacqueline, a national of Kenya holds a Doctor of Philosophy Degree (Ph.D) in Economics and Planning of Education and has published several books and articles on a wide range of topics/themes, including Education, HIV&AIDS, Governance, Poverty and Strategic Planning among others, from a gender perspective.
Right Honourable Joe Clark
Vice-Chairman, Global Leadership Foundation
The Rt. Hon. Joe Clark has served Canada as Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, Constitutional Affairs Minister and Opposition leader during his 25 years in the Canadian Parliament. He currently serves as the Vice-Chairman of the Global Leadership Foundation supporting global governance and political leadership. During his extensive career he has served in strategic, advisory and supportive roles to a host of global, national and international organizations. He remains active globally in a range of public and private capacities and is a frequent speaker on global issues, including corporate social responsibility.
Prime Minister, Canada 1979-80
Secretary of State for External Affairs (Foreign Minister) 1984-1991
Joe Clark was elected Prime Minister of Canada in the general election of 1979 and served later seven years as Secretary of State for External Affairs (Foreign Minister). Joe Clark was also Minister of Constitutional Affairs and Acting Minister of both National Defence and Justice.
He served twice as Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition, and as National Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. The Right Honourable Joe Clark was elected eight times to the House of Commons of Canada, retiring in June 2004.
Activity after public politics
Mr. Clark served as Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for Cyprus from 1993-96. He belongs to a number of public policy organisations and international NGOs and has led or co-led Election Observation teams in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Lebanon and Pakistan.
He has been a visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley and American University in Washington, DC, a Public Policy Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and is author of two books on Canada – “Canada: A Nation Too Good To Lose” and “How We Lead: Canada in a Century of Change”.
Mr. Clark is a Companion of the Order of Canada, a member of the Alberta Order of Excellence, and l’Ordre de la Pleiades, and has been awarded several honorary degrees. He was the first recipient of the Vimy Award (which is presented to the Canadian citizen who has made an outstanding contribution to the security of Canada and the preservation of its democratic values).
Mr. Clark is President of Joe Clark and Associates, an international consulting firm based in Canada.
Memberships and Associations
- Vice-Chairman, Global Leadership Foundation
- Chair of Supervisory Board of Meridiam Infrasructure, Africa
- Vice-chairman of Stratus Royalty Corporation
- Board Member of Triton Logging Incorporated
- Board Member of GlobeScan Incorporated
- Supervisory Board Member of Meridiam Infrastructure S.a.r.l.
- Board Member of the Stern Stewart Institute
- Member of the Friends of the Inter-American Democratic Charter
- Member of the Advisory Board of the Institute for the Study of International Development, McGill University, Montreal
- Member of the Advisory Board of Save the Children Canada
- Member of the Panel of Senior Advisors to the Auditor General of Canada
Toby Webb
Founder, Innovation Forum
Toby Webb is a recognized global leader in Sustainability. Innovation Forum is an events, analysis and publishing business founded in 2014. IF works on areas of sustainable and responsible business where innovation is paramount. Prior to founding Innovation Forum, Tobias founded, and ran Ethical Corporation from 2001-2014.
He’s been responsible for more than 100 conferences around the world on sustainable business since 2001, he has published 1500 blog posts and more than 9000 articles on the topic, alongside more than 20 research reports. He’s worked with many of the world’s largest companies and most influential NGOs as a journalist, commentator, facilitator, trainer and consultant.
Tobias teaches Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability at Birkbeck, University of London and Kings College London to both MSc and undergraduate students. Tobias speaks and facilitates regularly at conferences and meetings all over the world. From 2006-9 he created and co-chaired the Independent Working Group on Corporate Responsibility, which reported to David Cameron with policy suggestions now being implemented. He blogs regularly at http://sustainablesmartbusiness.com Twitter: @webb_tobias
Dr John Clarke
CEO, Banro Corporation
John Clarke has 30+ years executive level experience in the mining sector including nearly 15 years as CEO and 20 years of Board level experience with publicly traded firms.
He has built and operated mines, managed exploration and development and pioneered the development of the gold mining industry in at least one emerging market country. He holds a Ph.D. from Cambridge and B.Sc. and MBA degrees from other U.K. institutions.
Tania Lozansky
International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Tania Lozansky is the Regional Head of Advisory Services in East Asia and the Pacific for the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group. IFC’s mission is to promote sustainable private sector development in emerging markets. IFC Advisory Services work with private sector and government clients to promote financial inclusion, improve the investment climate, encourage more sustainable business practices and structure Public Private Partnerships. Prior to moving to Hong Kong, Tania was IFC’s Regional Head of Advisory Services in Europe and Central Asia, based in Moscow from 2006 – 2010.
Prior to joining IFC Tania was a management consultant with The Boston Consulting Group in Europe and with William Kent International in Washington DC, working with clients in the pharmaceutical, telecommunications and FMCG industries primarily in Europe and East Asia. She holds a dual BA in Economics and International Relations from Brown University and an MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
Dr. Toni Aubynn
Founder and President, African Institute for Extractive Industries
Former Chief Executive, Ghana Minerals Commission
Former Chief Executive, Ghana Chamber of Mines
Toni has a unique background in the extractives industry with over 20 years of experience in the sector. He served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Minerals Commission, the country’s key mining regulatory agency, from 2014 until 18 August 2017. Until his appointment to the government regulatory agency, he was the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, the main mouthpiece and advocacy body of Ghana’s mining industry.
He had previously held various senior executive positions at Tullow Oil Ghana Limited, the main commercial oil producer in Ghana, and the South Africa-headquartered Gold Fields (Ghana limited), the leading gold producing company in Ghana, and Ranger Minerals’ Abosso Goldfields Limited. At Gold Fields (Ghana Limited), he played a pioneering role in establishing mine-community consultative platforms in Ghana; and the establishment of foundations as a major vehicle for financing mine-community development.
At the Minerals Commission, Dr. Aubynn is credited with the completion of Ghana’s Mining and Minerals Policy document and also initiated the Ghana Mining Vision as well as the digitization of the country’s minerals cadaster system. He established the first ‘Gender Desk’ at the Minerals Commission.
He has been member of a number of Board of various institutions including, the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Ghana Railway Development Authority, Global Compact Ghana (Chair), Amenfiman Rural Bank (Chair), President, Association of Rural Banks–Western Chapter (WERBA) and InvestCorps Limited, a mid-tier fund. He was also on the advisory board of the University of Ghana Business School.
Internationally, Toni Aubynn has been part of a number of initiatives. He is currently a UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Expert on Small-Scale Mining for West Africa and has once chaired the Associations and Commodities Group (ACG) and the Working Group on Small-Scale Mining, of the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM). He was a long time member of the Strategic Management Advisory Group of Communities and Artisanal Small-Scale Mining (CASM). He is also a member of the IFC Advisory Group on Local Content.
Toni holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Ghana and various post-graduate degrees from the Universities of Oslo and Tampere, a PhD fellowship of the United Nations University, Institute of Development Studies, University of Helsinki and Tokyo University, Doctorate Business Management (H.C), Commonwealth University. He has written over forty, published and unpublished academic papers and contributed chapters to five books. His publications have been in the areas of mining and policy, mining and sustainable development, Small-scale mining and elections and democracy.
Phil Oxhorn
Founding Director, Institute for the Study of International Development (ISID)
Philip Oxhorn (PhD, Harvard) is a Founding Director of the Institute for the Study of International Development (ISID). He is a recognized expert on democratic development, civil society, international indigenous issues, human rights and governance.
Dr Oxhorn has worked extensively in Latin America, North America, and Africa, and has also worked as a consultant to the Inter-American Development Bank, the United Nations Development Program, the United Nations Population Fund, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Canada, Department for Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, Canada, the Ford Foundation, The Carter Center, the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, and the Mining Association of Canada.
Terry Gray
World Vision Canada
Terry Gray is part of the Senior Management Team within the International and Canadian Programs division of World Vision Canada, bringing 25+ years of development experience to their global work. He is a global thought and practice leader on Impact Investing and development, working with leading global interests to pioneer this emerging field.
This experience, combined with his institutional capacity development work with regional government, has provided an opportunity for a multi-sector approach to integrating economic, social and environmental imperatives into local development initiatives. Terry has extensive field and project experience including a posting in Africa. He is a frequent lecturer on a range of development topics including especially CSR and NGOs.
Ruby Sandhu-Rojon
Deputy Director, UNDP Africa
Ms Harmandip Ruby Sandhu-Rojon holds office in Accra as the United Nations Resident Coordinator and the Director of the United Nations Information Centre, Accra. She is also the UNDP Resident Representative. With over 25 years of experience in the UN system, Ms. Ruby Sandhu-Rojon has deep knowledge for enhancing the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the overall global development agenda.
Before her present appointment, Ms Sandhu-Rojon was the UNDP Country Director in Burkina Faso (2007-2010). In that position, she also acted as the UNDP Resident Representative for nine months during that country’s legislative elections. She was the Chief of the Africa Section at the United Nations Volunteers Office in Bonn (2004-2006); a Senior Evaluation Adviser in the UNDP Evaluation Office in New York (2002-2004) and was the Deputy UNDP Resident Representative in Madagascar from 1999-2002. Ms. Sandhu-Rojon served as a Special Assistant to the UNDP Administrator in the Administrator’s Office between 1997 and 1999. For ten years (1987-1997), Ms Sandhu-Rojon served in the UNIFEM Regional Office in Senegal and was posted to New York as the Programme Officer for the Africa Section of UNIFEM.
Ms Ruby Sandhu-Rojon holds a Master of Science Degree in Russian Politics from the London School of Economics and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from Bryn Mawr College in the United States of America. She is fluent in English and French.
Kojo Busia
Senior Mineral Sector Governance Advisory, United Nations Economic Commission on Africa
Dr. Busia is the Senior Mineral Sector Governance Advisor for the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa’s African Mineral Development Centre. He leads the governance and participation team under the African Mining Vision, an African Union mining flagship for sustainable development. He spent nearly a decade leading the United Nation Economic Commission on Africa’s support to the African Peer Review Mechanism for the African Union/NEPAD, helping the flagship program to gain traction and institutional support throughout Africa and globally.
In this role he facilitated the adoption of the Peer Review Mechanism as the major framework for addressing natural resource governance challenges in Africa. His career spans a range of additional assignments at the international, multi-lateral and ODA level throughout Africa and globally including design and implementation of a Regional Democracy and Conflict Prevention Program in West Africa. He is a frequent lecturer on business, economics, governance and development at major events in Africa and globally.
Dr. Eugene Owusu
Special Advisor on the SDGs to the President of Ghana
Eugene Owusu is an International Policy and Development Management expert with over 30 years of experience, working in strategic leadership positions with the United Nations and the Government of Ghana. Presently, Eugene is the Special Advisor on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to the President of Ghana and Sherpa to the President in his role as both the Co-Chair of the Emeritus Group of SDGs Advocates and as a member of the High Level Panel on the Ocean Economy. As Sherpa to the President, Eugene is the substantive lead on the President’s advocacy and engagement in mobilizing international support for the accelerated implementation of the SDGs and on ocean action.
Prior to his current role, from 2015-2017 Eugene was UN Assistant Secretary General and Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in South Sudan, where he concurrently served as the UN Resident Coordinator, UN Humanitarian Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative. Before his assignment in South Sudan, Eugene was the UN Resident Coordinator, UN Humanitarian Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Ethiopia from 2010-2015. Prior to that Eugene was a Senior Advisor in the UN/UNDP Brussels Office facilitating institutional partnerships on Africa with the European Union on behalf of UNDP Africa.
After joining UNDP in 1996, Eugene worked in several capacities in the Africa region, including as Economic Advisor in UNDP Uganda and in UNDP Sierra Leone, and as Deputy Resident Representative in Tanzania. Prior to joining UNDP, Eugene worked in the private sector in the United Kingdom, including notably as Senior Country Risk Analyst and Head of Economic Research at Dun & Bradstreet UK.