Nationality: Nigerian
Based in: Kuwait
Expertise: Business Modeling, Product Design, Team building, International Expansion, Blockchain
SDGs: GOAL 1: No Poverty, GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-being, GOAL 7: Affordable and Clean Energy, GOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, GOAL 10: Reduced Inequality, GOAL 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, GOAL 17: Partnerships to achieve the Goal
Bio:Ugo is a Lecturer at the EU Business School in Switzerland. His research and expertise are in leveraging technology innovation to redefine social and economic value. Ugo has experience advising on technology innovation, strategy, new business development, and resource mobilization, as well as experience as an international development. He holds a Doctorate in Business Administration.
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ugo-ikpeazu-2b0982a1
Achia KhaledaFounder, CEO at Women in Digital
Nationality: Bangladesh
Based in: Dhaka
Expertise: Product Design, Team building, AI, Blockchain
SDGs: GOAL 4: Quality Education, GOAL 5: Gender Equality, GOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, GOAL 13: Climate Action
Bio:I am Achia Nila, founder, Women In Digital - Empowerment through Technology. I am a Computer engineer. More than 15 years I have been working in the IT industry. I was working for different multinational companies and now I am running my own IT company with 25 women engineers. From my company I have trained 18791 girls within 9 years but we have the potential for billions. For this noble because we have developed this Venus Token. Our girls will come to this digital industry and they will directly contribute to our digital economy.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/achianila/What motivated you to be a mentor?Last 10 years I am running my own business and beside this do mentoring to new comer, I share my experience and learn from young champ also.
Eileen Lee LavergneGrowth Strategist, Scaleup Market Advisory & Leadership Coach at Ellagora
Nationality: FrenchBased in: FranceExpertise: Marketing, Team building, International Expansion, systemic change, strategic communications, leadership developmentSDGs: GOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, GOAL 10: Reduced Inequality, GOAL 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, GOAL 14: Life Below Water, GOAL 15: Life on Land, GOAL 17: Partnerships to achieve the GoalBio:As principal of Ellagora, Eileen Lee Lavergne serves as advisor, coach or mentor to B2B entrepreneurs and business leaders in expanding international market reach, transitioning teams and scaling organizational capacity. Eileen's multicultural background is reinforced by over two decades of boundary-spanning corporate and field experience in innovation marketing, strategy consulting and socioeconomic development. She has worked with EBRD, Centreon, Cisco, EU task force, Kenya ICT Board, Telekom Malaysia, etc.Eileen is a postgraduate of HEC Paris and Oxford Said Business School, as well as of the University of Westminster, UK. An ICF and EMCC accredited coach, she has also served on the boards of professional associations and continues to allocate time for pro bono work.Website: https://www.ellagora.com/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eleelavergne/What motivated you to be a mentor?I've had a lot to be grateful for because of the good managers and mentors I had throughout my career. Many are not so lucky. For example, in my work at Cisco, advocating and aligning with the SDGs to help influence ICT pilots and policies in emerging markets, I observed that people development never got much attention. Although I've learnt tremendously from some of the best engineering and management consulting minds, I'm conscious of unaddressed inequities, especially as a woman from a minority group. I've also known the loneliness of decision-making and the self-doubts of leading as a solopreneur and former manager. Mentoring or coaching is my way of supporting aspiring organizational leaders from less privileged backgrounds and balancing the inequity a little.
Mehdi MhamdiFounder and Product Manager at BRAIND Solutions, Freelancy Network
Nationality: Tunisian
Based in: United Arab Emirates
Expertise: Business Modeling, Product Design, Product Management and Strategies Business Development Strategies, Product Management, Digital Transformation, Product development Strategies, Platform building strategies, Branding, Tech and Startups Oriented, Graphic Design, Tech Solutions
SDGs: GOAL 1: No Poverty, GOAL 4: Quality Education, GOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, GOAL 10: Reduced Inequality, GOAL 17: Partnerships to achieve the Goal
Bio:An AIPMM Certified Product Manager (CPM®), equipped with 11 years of experience working in product & digital Transformation strategies, branding, and graphic design.
I'm Currently leading two of the most talented teams at BRAIND & Freelancy.
As the CEO, I'm managing the business development and overall strategic direction of both companies.
Previously, I worked as a freelancer in the digital transformation space and product management, embracing the power of technology and data for evidence-based decision-making, friendlier UX, and overall successful digital transformation
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mehdi-mhamdi/What motivated you to be a mentor?I would like to support other start-ups (especially the ones in developing countries) with applicable and proven frameworks that can take their solutions to the next level. This gives them a head starts and clear path to walk on, and brushes my mentorship skills at the same time.
Carlos PonsDigital Strategy Expert
Nationality: Spanish
Based in: Belgium
Expertise: Business Modeling, Product Design, Team building, International Expansion, Service Design, UX Design, Policy Design, User Research, Product Strategy, Digital Inclusion, Digital Accessibility.
SDGs: GOAL 1: No Poverty, GOAL 4: Quality Education, GOAL 5: Gender Equality, GOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, GOAL 10: Reduced Inequality, GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, GOAL 13: Climate Action, GOAL 16: Peace and Justice Strong Institutions, GOAL 17: Partnerships to achieve the Goal
Bio: I am Carlos Pons, specialized in human-centered digital strategy, service design and policy design for intergovernmental organizations.
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlospons-govtechWhat motivated you to be a mentor?I want to contribute with my knowledge and skills to other's dreams and challenges for a better world, in particular I'm interested on the particular cause of this challenge. Girl and women empowerment is important because it promotes gender equality and helps to break down the societal and cultural barriers that limit the potential of half of the population.
It allows women to have equal access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities, which ultimately leads to a stronger and more prosperous society for all. Additionally, empowering girls and women can help to reduce poverty, improve maternal health, and promote peace and stability.
Finally, I also had a great experience participating as mentor in previous ITU challenges under Victoria's supervision of the challenge, where I contributed mainly on product design and strategy, as well as to review training material and do expert reviews of the visuals of products.
Ahmed Riad Ali Managing Director , Estmrarya Consulting at Estmrarya Consulting
Nationality: Egyptian
Based in: UAE
Expertise: Business Modeling, Supply chain, International Expansion, Resilience, Infrastructure ,Cyber Security and Risk Management
SDGs: GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-being, GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, GOAL 10: Reduced Inequality, GOAL 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, GOAL 13: Climate Action
Bio:A well-known Thought Leader on Business Resilience, Disaster Risk Reduction, and Business Continuity on a Regional and global basis. He is currently Managing Director of Estmrarya Consulting a multi-awards winning Consulting firm specializing in providing Consulting, Training, and Innovation in Business Continuity Management, Disaster Risk Reduction, Information Resilience, and Business Resilience to clients in the GCC and beyond.
Ahmed is an award-winning, and internationally recognized Continuity and Resilience consultant, instructor, speaker, and author, who has helped governments, communities, and companies plan for, respond to, or recover from disasters for over 17 years.
Ahmed is a Board Member of the UNDRR Private Sector Alliance for Resilient Societies.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahmed-riad-69769617/What motivated you to be a mentor?I like to support people, provide feedback and advice, and help them define and reach their goals.
Fouad Riaz Bajwa CEO and Co-Founder at Digital Dera Private Limited by Agriculture Republic
Nationality: Pakistan
Based in: Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Expertise: Marketing, Business Modeling, Product Design, Finances, Team building, International Expansion, AI
SDGs: GOAL 1: No Poverty, GOAL 2: Zero Hunger, GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-being, GOAL 4: Quality Education, GOAL 5: Gender Equality, GOAL 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, GOAL 7: Affordable and Clean Energy, GOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, GOAL 10: Reduced Inequality, GOAL 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, GOAL 13: Climate Action, GOAL 15: Life on Land, GOAL 16: Peace and Justice Strong Institutions, GOAL 17: Partnerships to achieve the Goal
Bio: Fouad Riaz Bajwa is the Co-founder and CEO of Pakistan's most recognized agriculture, food security and climate change public policy innovation multistakeholder community "Agriculture Republic" and its "Digital Dera" Climate Resilient Smart Villages Network that is connecting rural agrifood communities to the global and national food system value chains using digital agriculture and connectivity. Fouad is a public policy entrepreneur and his notable initiatives and contributions have been aimed at developing and introducing low-cost affordable technologies in Pakistan and across the world especially in the areas of information and communication technologies for development, artificial intelligence, biomedical, agriculture, food security and climate change.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/fouadbajwaWhat motivated you to be a mentor?I have already been part of ITU mentorship activities and strongly believe that my mentorship will be extremely valuable for the founders and their startups. I have launched some of the most recognizable policy and innovation startups in Pakistan in the areas of agriculture and AgTech, food security and climate response.
Koketso Seripe
CEO at Anora Technologies
Nationality: South African
Based in: South Africa
Expertise: Business Modeling, Product Design
SDGs: GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, GOAL 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, GOAL 13: Climate Action
Bio:
Koketso is a certified Life Coach with the ProctorGallagher Insititute and has worked with companies and individuals from around the world, to achieve great results. Participated in the International Telecoms Union (ITU) global mentoring programme recently.
Koketso Seripe has 24 years industry experience working in various industries and has held executive positions at various multinational companies as member of EXCOs. He until recently served as Chief Executive of Etion Digitise, a Business Unit of a JSE listed entity.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/koketsoseripeWhat motivated you to be a mentor?To help unlock potential of proteges by walking the journey with them acting as a sounding board and sharing experiences that could be valuable to achieving the common goal viz. success of the protege.
Redmond SiuInvestment Principal at AccelHUB Venture PartnersNationality: AmericanBased in: USAExpertise: Business Modeling, Team building, IdeationSDGs: GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-being, GOAL 4: Quality Education, GOAL 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, GOAL 14: Life Below WaterBio: I am based in Boston and am specialized in the innovation process and early-stage investing. I am the Investment Principal of AccelHUB Venture Partners and a startup mentor for domestic and international startups including the MIT Sandbox Innovation Fund, the Stanford Thailand Research Consortium, and TrepCamp. Collectively, it is a broad mentee pool so I have had ample opportunities to work with teams from vastly different backgrounds. I am an alumnus of Boston University with a background in Finance and Economics and have worked in both academia and industry settings.My research interests include innovation, entrepreneurship, and strategic management.Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/redmond-siu/ What motivated you to be a mentor?There are many problems that call for real solutions but it can sometimes be very challenging for specialists who are deep in the development of their proposed prototypes to take a step back and assess whether what they are doing is the best way to go forward as a sustainable business. I try to provide guidance and support along the way so that the teams can maximize their chance of success.This was especially evident during the peak of the pandemic. I remember one of the teams I mentored at a COVID-related hackathon. They were working on a solution to help the elderly living in rural Africa who are suffering from COVID. It wasn't just extreme conditions that they had to deal with, but also psychological factors and much more. Their solution was to track COVID carriers in areas that do not have broadband access. I connected with the team leader and started collaborating to refine their current plan. We did a thorough analysis of mental models, stakeholder analysis, even conducting interviews with local people with his help to understand the problem better. As a result, their solution is now up and running and creating real impact in Cameroon.It is experiences like this that remind me at the end of the day, these founders are helping real people and numbers are so much more than just numbers - in some cases, even life and death. I have had many great mentors in my life and I have been on the receiving end for too long – it's now my turn to give back.
Namatirai Zinyohwera
Head of Business Development at Neiro
Nationality: Zimbabwean
Based in: South Africa
Expertise: Marketing, Business Modeling, AI
SDGs: GOAL 7: Affordable and Clean Energy, GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, GOAL 17: Partnerships to achieve the Goal
Bio:
I am a business development executive specializing in technology startups.
What motivated you to be a mentor?
I already do Mentorship work with ITU and I find the experience enriching.
