Mugure Kamau
Mugure Kamau is a Gender, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Specialist with 20 years of experience across diverse sectors. She is well versed in gender mainstreaming, project management, business advisory services, relationship management, multi-stakeholder platform creation, communications, and knowledge management. Her expertise also includes strengthening public, private, and civil society sectors, as well as advocacy, training, and capacity development.
Hamza Louizi
Hamza Louizi serves as Director, Fund Investments at MEDA, supporting the Mastercard Foundation Africa Growth Fund and WEAVE initiatives. He brings over eight years of experience in end-to-end investment processing and structuring across international development finance institutions (DFIs) and impact asset management.
Olufemi Balogun
‘Femi Balogun is a researcher and impact measurement expert with over a decade of experience designing, implementing, and evaluating interventions that advance youth transitions across Africa. His work has supported over a million young people in the areas of job creation, social innovation, entrepreneurship, education, and impact investing.
Rita Odero
Rita has specialist knowledge spanning over two decades, working with growing businesses across Africa supporting them create value for sustainability. Prior to joining MEDA, she had the opportunity to work with GroFin, an SME Development Financier and Impact Investor, providing access to capital and tailored business support for SMEs to help them grow their businesses. Her professional journey started with a career in Banking, and she has worked with Standard Chartered Bank Kenya Ltd, and Guaranty Trust Bank (formerly Fina Bank Ltd), a regional bank overseeing different aspects of the Finance value chain and associated wrap around services for SMEs and MSMEs.
Winnie Odhiambo
Winnie Odhiambo currently serves as MEDA’s Director for Investment Programs and Innovation. Winnie is an investment and legal professional with over 17 years of experience in asset management, venture capital, and private equity and impact investing in emerging markets, with a focus on Africa and the Middle East. She recently expanded her expertise in the legal profession and as a regulatory compliance consultant after completing a Master of Laws degree in International Business Law from Osgoode Hall Law School at York University, Canada.
Steve Williams
Steven Williams is an expert in strategic communications and has directed numerous successful public relations programs developing and defending corporate reputations for entrepreneurial organizations, innovative companies, governments and non-profit organizations. A graduate in political science from the University of Toronto and public relations from Toronto Metropolitan University, his philosophy of “management in motion” ensures organizations maintain their positive profile and seize on opportunities to enhance their
standing publicly.
Sara Orleans-Pobee
Sara is a Finance and investment specialist with over 20 years’ experience working in Financial Services and Investment Banking in North America and Africa with specific expertise in business advisory, risk analyses, capital-raising and due diligence processes for securing Development Finance Institutional (DFI) funding for financial institutions to on lend to SMEs. Her direct experience in raising funding from DFIs such as the International Finance Corporation (IFC), FMO, the development bank of the Netherlands, Shelter Afrique and DEG Germany has provided first-hand knowledge and insight into development-based financing and the nature of technical expertise required to complement financial institutions and SMEs to achieve targeted growth and desired financing outcomes.
