Business
Reid E. Whitlock named as CEO of the Tony Elumelu Foundation
Professor Whitlock will focus on supervising the Foundation’s four key projects and programs which include:
– The US$100 million pan-African Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Program – Africa’s largest direct intervention in support of entrepreneurship.
– The Africapitalism Institute, the Foundation’s policy and research arm, which provides a rigorous program of research and advocacy, in support of the Foundation’s goals.
– The Elumelu Nigeria Empowerment Fund, directly assisting, through private sector strategies, conflict affected and disadvantaged communities across Nigeria.
– The Tony & Awele Elumelu Prize, which champions academic excellence on the African continent.
Professor Whitlock will be supported by the Foundation’s senior leadership team, including:
• Parminder Vir, OBE, the Foundation’s Director of Entrepreneurship, responsible for implementing the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Program. Vir has over 30 years of experience in the creative industries and is the former CEO of PVL Media, a specialist consultancy facilitating cross-border business development in emerging markets.
• Bob Wheeler, who recently joined as inaugural Dean to lead the establishment of the Tony Elumelu Business School. Wheeler has decades of experience in business education, most recently establishing business schools in Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan.
• David Rice serves as the Director of the Africapitalism Institute. Rice is an economist, who led the Milken Institute’s Africa programming, and was also a faculty member at New York University.
• Abimbola Adebakin, who will be joining as the Director of Operations after a successful career, including working as a consultant with Accenture, and heading the consulting arm of the Financial Institutions Training Center (FITC), Nigeria.
About The Tony Elumelu Foundation: The Tony Elumelu Foundation is an African-based, African-funded philanthropic organization. The Tony Elumelu Foundation, headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria, was founded in 2010 by serial entrepreneur and philanthropist Tony O. Elumelu. The Foundation is Africa’s leading advocate for entrepreneurship, responsible for programs designed to ensure that entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship become the primary driver of Africa’s economic growth and social transformation. More information is available at the organizations’ website www.tonyelumelufoundation.org.
Source: The Tony Elumelu Foundation
