Home Enterprise holdings Bill com: African Diaspora Network Appoints New Board Chair and Four New Board Members

Bill com: African Diaspora Network Appoints New Board Chair and Four New Board Members

0

SAN JOSÉ, CA – The African Diaspora Network (ADN), a non-profit organization based in Silicon Valley with more than a decade of work promoting business and economic development in African communities, announced the appointment of Josh Ghaim, PhD, as Chairman of the Board as well as four new Board members: Raj Aji, Josephine Fubara, Rick Levenson and Kedest Tesfagiorgis. They join a cohort ready to create lasting and meaningful change for the African Diaspora through innovation, social entrepreneurship and impact investing.

“It’s an honor to work alongside such a esteemed group of changemakers to drive our work forward,” said Twum Djin, chief engineering officer at Stripe, who served as chairman of the board. administration since 2018. “This past year has called for the time, treasure and dedication of the Board of Directors to ensure that the organization adapts and thrives in these changing times. Their commitment will energize and guide the organization in an uplifting direction.

Josh Ghaim, PhD, assumes the role of Chairman after serving on the DNA Board of Directors for three years. Josh is Founder and Managing Partner of Ignite Growth Brands (IgniteGB), a brand and innovation accelerator focused on the health and beauty markets, as well as investing in and supporting women-led startups and minorities. Josh is also co-founder and CEO of Small World Brands, the parent company of Nuria Beauty and Recharge Health. “I’m very excited about the new additions to the board and the new energy they all bring,” Ghaim said. “I look forward to shaping the future of the organization.”

Raj Aji is General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at Bill.com, a leading provider of cloud-based software that simplifies, digitizes and automates complex back-office financial operations for small and medium-sized businesses. He has leadership experience in legal, fintech, e-commerce, corporate and media companies in Silicon Valley and around the world. Speaking about his new role as a member of the Board of Directors, Raj said, “I am excited to work with ADN to advance its vision to promote sustainable development in Africa and underrepresented communities in the United States through through investment, philanthropy and innovation.

Josephine Fubara is head of R&D for Sanofi Consumer Healthcare, where she and her team are responsible for innovation in a company worth more than 5 billion euros. Josephine is a leader in her field, with over 22 years of experience in the global pharmaceutical industry, from North America to Asia. Prior to Sanofi, she served as Global Head of R&D for all over-the-counter drug categories at Bayer Consumer HealthCare and spent over 18 years in various technical and commercial roles at Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, where she led the innovation and development in the areas of pain, respiratory, and digestive health. “Engaging Africans in the Diaspora to participate in Africa’s development is essential work, and I am happy to be a part of it,” she says of her new position on the board.

Rick Levenson is the Chief Technology Officer of Rippleworks, a nonprofit foundation that relentlessly focuses on the needs of social enterprises, providing the hands-on support entrepreneurs and their teams need to improve more lives in the Global South. Previously, he had spent his career as a technologist, from the early days of Silicon Valley, from research labs to fledgling startups. Rick is excited to “help foster and grow the power of the diaspora through philanthropy, investment and innovation.”

Kedest Tesfagiorgis leads the Global Partnerships & Grand Challenges team within the Discovery & Translational Sciences group of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Kedest is deeply committed to building collaborative, inclusive and long-term partnerships that address the greatest health and development challenges. Her career is rooted in the belief that as a global equity-seeking community, we go faster and farther by working together. “The Diaspora has a unique perspective that makes us powerful agents of change as we mobilize to support our communities across the continent and in our adopted countries,” she said. “I am thrilled with this opportunity to harness the resilience, talent and intellect of our diaspora to build a healthier and more prosperous world.” Kedest will be a non-voting board member.

“Our Board of Directors is a wonderfully diverse manifestation of our mission to bring together Africans from the continent, the Diaspora and the friends of Africa,” said Almaz Negash, Founder and Executive Director of ADN.

“These leaders enrich our work on behalf of a community that goes largely unnoticed but contributes so much to the economies and societies in which we live. They also provide a layer of accessibility for those who do not immediately see themselves as part of our community.”

Negash also welcomed the retirement of Duncan Goldie-Scot, chairman of Musoni Kenya, Ltd., after three years of service on the ADN board. Goldie-Scot participated in one of DNA’s first impact and innovation forums, and his insights were instrumental in shaping the framework and thematic design of the flagship African Diaspora Investment Symposium. (SAID).

# # #

About the African Diaspora Network (ADN)

Founded in 2010, African Diaspora Network promotes entrepreneurship and economic development on the African continent and in the communities in which we live. ADN brings together Africans from the continent, the Diaspora and friends of Africa to actualize their full potential, activate their entrepreneurial spirit and strategically mobilize financial and intellectual resources to ensure a better future for the African continent. Learn more at www.africandiasporanetwork.org