Nyonga Fofang’s career covers over 20 years in the capital markets during which time he has been involved in both the buy and the sale sides. This includes private equity investing, corporate finance, and general management.
Mr Fofang is the Managing Director of Bambili Group Investment Pty Ltd, a pan-African focused private investment holding company. In addition, Mr Fofang is a Director of Dema Group, a mining focused private investment company in Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa. Mr Fofang is also a non-Executive Director at Standard Chartered Bank in the Republic of Cameroon.
Prior to this, Mr Fofang was an Executive Director of Metallon Investment Holdings Ltd, a South African based group that owns assets in financial services and natural resources in Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa.
Previously, Mr Fofang worked as a closed-end fund Equity Analyst at PaineWebber Inc., a full service financial services firm in New York City, (USA). Mr Fofang started his career in the Risk Arbitrage division at Dillon Read & Co., a New York City based private investment group.
Mr Fofang graduated from Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, (USA). Back to top
Josh Mailman founded SVN with Wayne Silby in 1987. He also started the Threshold Foundation (1981) and Business for Social Responsibility (1992). Today, he continues to be an active investor in the most game-changing for-profit and nonprofit enterprises he can find.
"Together we must continue to help a radical re-imagining of money merge in the world," says Josh. He is a strong proponent of methods that are both asynchronous and synesthetic.
In addition to ongoing board activities (Museum for African Art, Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, Fund for Global Human Rights, Blacksmith Institute, Culture Project, Women Moving Millions, PathBrite, Alter Eco, Icon Wheelchair, General Compression, Ronny Brook Distribution, CatchaFire, Global Mojo, OriginalBeans), he is founding trustee of SRT, UK and initiator of Synergos Middle East Social Innovators Program. He is also Managing Director of Serious Change L.P., a $50M dedicated L.P. impact investment vehicle.
Josh is currently the lead investor in the following organizations (many of which are SVN companies): Indigenous Designs, Alter Eco, Lotus Foods, Emerge Financial, Social Imprints, Ice Stone, General Compression, Red Rabbit, Blue Ridge Produce, PharmaSecure, Leapfrog Ventures, frogtec, Clinica de Azucar, Equilibrium Capital, RSF Mezzanine Fund, Return Textile, Icon Wheelchair, Everyone Counts, Napo Pharmaceutical and Baltix Designs. Back to top
Dr. Venkat Maroju is Chief Executive Officer, SourceTrace Systems - a company that has become a global leader in providing software solutions to agriculture and allied sectors. The use of these technological solutions has made the agriculture value chain more sustainable, transparent and equitable - thus empowering hundreds of thousands of smallholder farmers in developing countries.
Venkat has been able to achieve this by combining his core capacities in technological leadership with extensive grassroots-level experience with social enterprises such as microfinance institutions, farmers’ cooperatives, sustainable agriculture, rural supply chain and renewable energy.
Prior to joining SourceTrace, Venkat had founded Factum Ventures, a holding company in India that set up and promoted new business ventures in sustainable agriculture, microfinance and renewable energy. He was also advisor to venture capital firms investing in social enterprises that supported people at the bottom of the pyramid in developing economies.
His earlier experience with technology leadership includes well known global corporations like Bose, where, as Divisional Information Officer, he led the information systems strategy and implementation. He also held a leadership position at ComauPICO (A subsidiary of Fiat).
Venkat holds an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management and was a Sloan Fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He holds a Ph.D. in Engineering from Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia and Masters in Engineering from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. His Bachelor’s degree is in Engineering, from Osmania University College of Engineering, Hyderabad. Back to top
Tom has been an entrepreneur and investor in early stage impact firms since 1988. Professional highlights include serving as: Mentor and entrepreneur in residence at the Harvard Innovation Lab, managing director of Sonen Capital, founder and CEO of the Silicon Valley information management firm FARM Inc., trustee of the American University in Bulgaria, director of B Lab, and board chair of the Global Giving Foundation.
Tom currently serves on the boards of Unleesh and O2X, and on two investment committees for the Patient Capital Collaborative.
He holds a B.A. in Economics from Dartmouth College, an M.B.A from Stanford University, and a Master of Theological Studies degree with an emphasis on ethics from Harvard University. Back to top
Barbara served on the Board of Oxfam America from 1992 to 2005 when she retired as Board Chair of Oxfam America and Deputy Chair of Oxfam International.
From 2006 to 2009 she served as Chair of FairTrade Labeling Organizations International (FLO - FairTrade International) an association of 25 national labeling initiatives and three FairTrade producer networks that supply, promote and market over $7 billion worth of FairTrade certified and labeled agricultural products worldwide.
Currently, she also serves as Chair of the Oxfam American Advocacy Fund. She served as Trustee of Union Theological Seminary in NYC 2007-2012 and as Advisory Board member to TransFair USA (now FairTrade USA). She worked for Chemical Bank of New York for 22 years, becoming a Vice President and Director of the Trust and Investment Division. Between 1968 and 1970 she served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines. Back to top
Headquartered in San Jose, Costa Rica, Mr. Batalla is currently President of Grameen Bank in Costa Rica (Asociación Grameen de Costa Rica) and General Counsel for Oklahoma-based First Financial Network, the largest loan sale advisory firm in the world.
Mr. Batalla and his family have extensive interests in the agribusiness sector throughout Latin America. Mr. Batalla has extensive involvement in Costa Rica and other Central American business communities and also has close ties to North American and European businesses.
Before receiving his law degree in Costa Rica, Mr. Batalla graduated from high school in the United States and received his B.A. from the University of Oklahoma. Back to top
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