Prof. Guy Midgley is the Acting Director School for Climate Studies, at Stellenbosch University. He focuses on climate change risks and solutions in social-ecological systems in southern Africa. NRF A-rated, RSSA and German Humboldt Research Awardee, world’s top 200 in climate change (Thomson Reuters, 2022). Multiple IPCC and IPBES lead authorships, leadership contributions to SA Global Change science and national policy on climate change adaptation.

He has contributed to multiple international policy processes under the UNFCCC and the CBD since the early 2000s. He has served as co-ordinating/lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th assessments (between 2000 and 2021), for the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services’ Global and Land Reports, the combined IPBES/IPCC report, and he co-chaired the 2009 CBD Climate Change and Biodiversity Technical Expert Report.

He chaired SA’s Global Change Science Committee in the 1990s and 2000s, helping to grow the annual budget for SA Global Change Science from R10 million to over R100 million. In his role as Chief Director, SANBI, he initiated and finalised the registration of SANBI as a National Implementing Entity for the Climate Change Adaptation Fund of the UNFCCC with an annual budget of over R 100 million, in 2014.

He currently conducts research into climate and global change impacts on ecosystems and species, working in a wide variety of southern African ecosystems, and leads efforts by Stellenbosch University’s School for Climate Studies and Center for Invasion Biology to build multidisciplinary approaches to teaching, researching and communicating climate change issues. He has graduated many MSc and PhD students, with several of his students now occupying senior positions in SA government and national and international academic institutions and NGOs.

Dr. Igazeuma Okoroba is a leading voice in corporate sustainability and a Chartered Environmentalist with more than two decades of cross-sectoral experience. She currently serves as the Chief Sustainability Officer of Dangote Cement Plc, where she drives environmental, social, and governance integration across operations in 11 African countries, advancing operational efficiency and climate action through decarbonization.
Dr. Okoroba holds a Master’s degree in Sustainable Development from the University of Exeter, UK, and a PhD in Development Sociology from the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. She is a member of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards Board, representing Africa, and has been recognized globally as an MB100 leader for combining profit with purpose. In 2025, she received the prestigious Study UK Alumni Award in Nigeria.
Her academic contributions include her role as Honorary Fellow at the University of Lincoln, Research Fellow at the University of Durham, and Co-Editor of Sustainability Management and Strategy: An African Casebook. She has authored numerous corporate governance instruments, including annual sustainability reports and corporate policies that continue to shape business practices across emerging markets.
Currently a Climate Finance Scholar at Yale University, Dr. Okoroba’s work has been instrumental in transforming business models and influencing stakeholder approaches to sustainability in sub-Saharan Africa and beyond.

Dr. Kamel Abdallah is a leading expert in National Food Security policy and a senior executive in the Middle East’s agribusiness sector. He has led major regional groups including Aujan Group (Saudi Arabia), Exeed Industries (UAE), Baladna (Qatar), and Canal Sugar (Egypt). Since 2022, he has served as Managing Director and CEO of Canal Sugar, one of Egypt’s largest agri-industrial projects, driving sugar self-sufficiency, precision agriculture, and farmer empowerment. The company operates one of the world’s largest sugar beet factories (36,000 tons/day) and is recognized for its ESG leadership, winning Egypt’s Green and Innovation Awards and representing the country at COP28.

Previously, as CEO of Baladna QPSC, he led the company from a Greenfield project to a successful IPO, achieving Qatar’s full dairy self-sufficiency within three years. A recognized regional authority on food security and agri-industrial transformation, Dr. Kamel has chaired the World Food Security Forum (2020) and Abu Dhabi Family Offices Conference (2012).

He has also served in academia as Assistant Vice President at the American University of Beirut, and Professor of Strategy and Finance in accredited U.S. business schools. He sits on multiple boards, including Lucid Investment Bank and Continental Food Holding.

A frequent speaker at global conferences such as GIMS, Global Ag Investing, and the International Water Summit, he holds a Ph.D. in Strategic Management from Ohio State University and completed the Harvard Business School Agribusiness Program. An avid mountaineer, he has summited Kilimanjaro, Ararat, and other major peaks across the Middle East.

Nada Naufal is the Director of the Rami F. Makhzoumi Corporate Governance Initiative at the Suliman S. Olayan School of Business, American University of Beirut. Committed to sustainable governance and leadership, her work sits at the intersection of business and society, driving programs and dialogues on sustainable development, corporate responsibility, and effective governance. 
Her work champions constructive, forward-looking solutions to the region’s pressing environmental and societal challenges.  Following her contribution to the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28), she took on an active role within the Business Schools for Climate Leadership (BS4CL) initiative, fostering global and regional alignment between business education and sustainability imperatives.
To nurture the next generation of leaders, including executives, she co-designs and develops tailored programs that embed sustainability and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles into curricula, strategy, and governance practice. She also contributes to case-based research on ESG integration and family business transformation in the region and serves on the Steering Committee of the UN Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) in the Middle East, where she advances thought leadership in responsible management education.
With a background in marketing communications, project management, and corporate sustainability, Nada brings an integrated, impact-driven approach to her work. Her experience spans the private sector, government, and academia across the U.S., Lebanon, the GCC, and Africa.

Adrien de Bassompierre has over 20 years of experience in international project development, with a 
focus on climate policy and finance. He joined the European Investment Bank (EIB) in 2017 to bolster 
the institution's climate financing impact and to mainstream climate considerations into all its operations. 
Notably, in 2020 he co-authored the "EIB Group Climate Bank Roadmap", and he served three years 
as senior advisor to the EIB’s Vice-President responsible for climate action and environmental and 
development policy.
Before joining the EIB, he dedicated 10 years to the Climate Department of the World Bank Group. He 
headed the Partnership for Market Readiness (PMR) Initiative, a program facilitating the design and 
implementation of carbon pricing instruments in 20 countries. He also managed projects in renewable 
energy, energy efficiency, and urban development across several regions, including the Middle East
and North Africa. Additionally, his career includes 5 years in industry and consulting, serving as a project 
manager and advisor for European environmental affairs.
Adrien de Bassompierre holds a B.Sc. in Business Administration and Economics and an M.A. in 
Development Economics from the University of Namur, Belgium. He also has an M.A. in International 
Energy and Environmental Policy from Johns Hopkins University, USA, and a DAS in Renewable 
Energy Management from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland.

Mr. Ali Seddiki is appointed by King Mohammed VI as the general-director of the Moroccan Agency for the Development of Investments and Exports (AMDIE). 

With several years of experience, Seddiki has held various important decision-making positions. 

Seddiki graduated from HEC Paris Grande Ecole with a Master’s degree in management and entrepreneurship. With a strong academic background in strategy, accounting, and financial analysis, Seddiki has worked alongside Moroccan and international economic actors, fostering investment and developing the national economy. 

In 2014, he began his professional career in Morocco as an Advisor to the Ministry of Industry, Investment, Trade, and Digital Economy and was appointed Director of Aeronautics, Rail, Naval, and Renewable Energy in 2017.

Since April 2022, Sedikki has served as a Director General of Investment and Business Climate at the Ministry of Investment, Convergence, and Evaluation of Public Policies. Seddiki has led several large-scale projects and has notably contributed to promoting Morocco’s economic assets in order to render it an attractive investment destination for foreign investors.

Amal Benaissa is the Director of Sustainability Advocacy at Bank of Africa - BMCE Group, a regional leader and pioneer in sustainable and inclusive finance. In this capacity, she works closely with the General Manager to steer the Bank’s leadership and compliance with institutional environmental and social commitments, collaborating with development finance institutions, donors, regulators, and sustainability initiatives.
Amal represents Bank of Africa across several international platforms, including the African Development Bank’s IRM Stakeholder Advisory Council and UNEP FI’s PRB Academy Advisory Committee. Between 2016 and 2018, Amal served on the Board of the Global Clean Water Desalination Alliance. She plays a key role in strengthening the Bank’s sustainability agenda and contributes to the implementation of the Bank’s Sustainability & Climate Strategy, which emphasizes impact-driven financial innovation through innovative financial products and services that deliver measurable environmental and social impact.
In 2025, Amal was appointed a member of the Global Capacity Building Coalition (GCBC)’s newly established Advisory Group. In this role, she contributes insights from emerging markets to ensure that the realities of the Global South are represented in global conversations around sustainable finance and capacity-building initiatives.
Amal is particularly passionate about social entrepreneurship and its potential to generate both financial returns and positive environmental and social outcomes. She has been actively involved as a jury member for numerous local social innovation competitions since 2013.
Born in 1984, Amal holds a Bachelors in Political Communication from Boston University, followed by Master’s degree and PhD in Media & International Relations from the London School of Economics. She is an Atlantic Dialogues Emerging Leader and a lifetime member of the US-based National Society of Collegiate Scholars. In 2017, she was awarded the Desmond Fortes Scholarship for excellence in sustainable finance by FMO, the Dutch Development Bank.
Amal is married and a mother of three children.

Gaëtan DUCROUX is since 2023 Policy Officer for Energy, Climate and Environment in the EU Delegation to Morocco, in charge notably of the implementation of the Morocco-EU Green Partnership and following policy dialogue on these topics with Morocco. 
Before that, he was in charge of bilateral and regional environmental cooperation with Africa and South Asia in the European Commission Directorate General for Environment. In that capacity, he was notably working on the promotion of Circular Economy policies with third countries and organisations from Sub-saharan Africa and South Asia. 
In previous functions, he worked 7 years on the European Commission’s response to the Syrian refugee crisis and 10 years for development cooperation projects in various countries in the Middle East and Africa.  He holds a Master degree of University La Sorbonne, Paris, in Development Cooperation and Humanitarian action. 

Ms. Gbodimowo joined Africa50 as Special Assistant to the CEO in 2019.  She was promoted to Director of Strategy in 2022.
Prior to Africa50, she worked over 8 years in consulting at KPMG Boxwood, American Express and McKinsey respectively, providing strategies, operating models and routes to successful transformations for companies across several sectors. Prior to this, Molly worked across another 8 years in Private Banking, Private Equity and Equity Derivatives Sales Trading. 
Molly holds a Masters in Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a Bachelors of Science in Economics degree from the Wharton School in Pennsylvania.

Salim Rouhana is a Senior Urban Development and Resilience Specialist and Task Team Leader at the World Bank, where he has worked on the Middle East and North Africa, and East Asia regions. Based in Dakar, Senegal, Rouhana has most recently focused primarily on areas related to urban governance, public finance, low-income housing, and urban resilience in Africa.
 
Prior to joining the World Bank, Rouhana worked in private and public institutions in Paris, Doha, and Beirut in architecture, urban planning and design, mobility planning, and urban community engagement. A Lebanese national, he holds a Bachelor and Master Degree in Architecture from the Lebanese University in Beirut, a Dual Master Degree in Political Science from La Sagesse University in Beirut and Paris 11 University, a Master Degree in Urban Planning and Management from the Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussees in Paris, and an Executive MBA from the Instituto de Empresa in Madrid, Spain.