United Kingdom
Modwenna Rees-Mogg, Editor-in-Chief of Angel News UK and Chair of the Great Britain Venture Forum, has been appointed as High Commissioner for the United Kingdom. High Commissioner Rees-Mogg represents the United Kingdom in the International Academics Committee of the Grand Assembly of the World Business Angels Investment Forum.
Modwenna.Rees-mogg@wbaforum.org
Modwenna Rees-Mogg has 20 years’ experience working in corporate finance, business angel investment, and venture capital. She started AngelNews in 2003, focusing on media and events in the angel and VC market. From an initial GBP £1,000 of start-up capital, she has grown it into the leading information source and commentator for the UK business angel market. Her website - www.angelnewsletter.co.uk – is the broadest commentator of the wider UK private investor market (including VCTs and crowdfunding) and a thought leader in UK angel investing. Through the Pluralists Club and Pitching for Management initiatives, the AngelNews Group has expanded in recent years into assisting senior executives build second careers in the start-up and early-stage entrepreneurial ecosystems. It has also built a private investor conferences business, hosting the Great British Private Investor Summit and the VCT and EIS Investor Forum. Modwenna is a Non-Executive Director of Albion Tech, General VCT and Asset Match and a co-founder of FCA authorised. She has authored two books: Crowdfunding, How To Raise Money and Make Money in the Crowd and Dragons or Angels – A Handbook for People Wanting to Become Business Angels, or Raise Money From Them.
United Kingdom
Prof. Stephanie Hussels Director of the Business Growth Programme at the Cranfield School of Management, has been appointed as Senator to the Grand Assembly of the World Business Angels Investment Forum. Senator Hussels represents the United Kingdom in the International Academic Committee of the Grand Assembly.
Stephanie.Hussels@wbaforum.org
Prof. Stephanie Hussels has a passion for early-stage and growth companies, particularly family businesses. As part of her role at the Cranfield School of Management, she is the Director of the Business Growth Programme (BGP), the longest established owner- manager programme in the UK. Previously, she was the Director of the full-time MBA programme. She lectures at executive, graduate, and doctoral levels on entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial finance, family business and quantitative research methods. Besides working with entrepreneurs, Stephanie cooperates with charities and multinationals on how to encourage and implement intrapreneurship. Her current research focuses on entrepreneurial resilience, family business and business survival. Stephanie has written several prize-winning case studies and is now frequently asked to give talks about case study writing and teaching.
United Kingdom
Tina Allton, London Chapter Director for EBW2020, has been appointed as Senator to the Grand Assembly of the World Business Angels Investment Forum. Senator Allton represents UK in the Global Woman Leaders Committee of the Grand Assembly.
Tina.Allton@wbaforum.org
Dr. Tina Allton is the President and CEO of the Chamber for Africa Diaspora Relations. (CADR).
She is a disruptive visionary tackling World’s challenges of the 21st century. As a multi-award winning Serial Entrepreneur, author, keynote speaker,and an educational psychologist, she is catalysing sustainable economic development through her endeavours, has mentored over 5000 entrepreneurs and empowered more than 35,000 women on entrepreneurship.
She also currently the Vice President for the Global women leaders committe for the World Business Angels Investment forum.
She supports, mentors and trains entrepreneurs and global leaders to succeed in life and business through her global consultancy practice called 160 Consultancy.
As the former High Commissioner to Ghana for the World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF) an affiliated partner of the G20 Financial Inclusion Committee, her objectives were to develop relationships within the financial institutions, government and global financial markets and institutions such as the London stock exchange group. She helped identify key partners within the government of Ghana to deliver a comprehensive Africa Master plan developed by the WBAF officially launched in Istanbul in 2019. She earned her QBAC+ at the London Stock Exchange group.
She’s the co-founder of Undefeeted, a fastest growth diabetes nonprofit inspired by her daughter, which launched in the UK in 2015, within 5 months won an award for Best Not for Profit organisation and has done so for 4 years running, a year to date in 2016 it had achieved an unprecedented 6.7 Million global reach.
For over a decade Tina led the multi-award-winning Circle Podiatry together with her husband to win over 15 awards nationally including Best Small business in London for service excellence.
Tina has a proven track record in global leadership, change management, business growth, women’s empowerment, sales and global business expansion. She has personally done over 2.2 million pounds in sales in her own family business.
Tina is an ordained minister, married to her best friend and mother to 7 children & one granddaughter.
As a sought-after speaker, Tina has spoken in 4 continents, 12 countries, and 25+ cities including the USA, Bahamas, Europe, India, and Africa. She has shared the stage with Sylvester Stallone, Al Pacino, Jermaine Jackson, Vanilla Ice, and Michelle Mone, as well as business and thought leaders such as Dr. Nido Qubein, (Highpoint University- USA), Jay Abraham, Randi Zuckerberg, and more.
Her core values are integrity, loyalty, hard work and perseverance.
United Kingdom
Asma Bashir, Chairman at Centuro Global, has been appointed as Senator to the Grand Assembly of the World Business Angels Investment Forum. Senator Bashir represents UK in the Global Woman Leaders Committee of the Grand Assembly.
Asma.Bashir@wbaforum.orgg
She is a legal professional having started her career within one of the largest law firm’s in the world. Asma then went on to establish her own business from a start-up, acting for some of the largest multinational companies in the world offering global services to worldwide jurisdictions. Her clients included Fortune 500 companies and UHNW individuals. Asma’s company was acquired at the end of 2014 and she continued to lead the growth within the newly acquired structure, integrating new companies, setting up new global offices and growing the team around the world. She is now focussing on business growth, mergers and acquisitions and working with fast growing companies on scaling their business and finding investment. She works with both private and institutional investors as well as investing in opportunities directly. She is also an authorised on the Mayor of London’s International Business Program supporting companies with their growth needs. Asma’s experience includes business transformation, innovation and technology, managing risk and compliance and international expansion. She has worked on many government initiatives having contributed to the Migration Advisory Committee’s report on shortage occupations in the UK, government stakeholder events to support companies with their recruitment challenges and worked with leading trade associations to lobby government on their behalf. She was also a judge for UK Business Awards, London and Partners IE20 program and the start-up awards in London.
United Kingdom
Kal El-Wahab, Senior Portfolio Manager - Eisler Capital, has been appointed as Senator at the Grand Assembly of the World Business Angels Investment Forum. Senator El-Wahab will represent UK in the Global Startup Committee of the Grand Assembly.
Kal.El-Wahab@wbaforum.org
After attending Oxford University as an undergrad and achieving my Masters in Chemistry, I embarked on a career in finance where I spent 12 years in Investment Banking at top bulge bracket banks as a managing director, trading in the capital markets running the European Interest Rates businesses and generating annual trading profit of $400mm+. Here I gained an invaluable experience into the world of financing at an institutional level. It was during this time I started to spend a lot of personal time networking in the startup world and affiliating myself with various angel groups and networks. Through these networks I began to come across and invest in some very exciting high growth opportunities.. After moving to become a senior portfolio manager at a fund running personally over $500mm of capital, gaining exposure and involvement in many interesting seed and early stage projects, I found it compelling to move and pursue my career in professional angel investing full time. I now run a healthy portfolio of companies- approximately 15 as it stands having taken a couple to exit. They vary in nature but all remain generally disruptive, with a heavy tech and energy focus. Renewable energy sector in particular is something that excites me having seed funded the UK’s fastest growing company, the nation’s largest renewable energy provider, and a unicorn, Bulb. My current portfolio (which started at $750k, and now sits in paper terms conservatively between $20-30mm value) features companies engaged in industries such as sustainable retail, arts/entertainment management, fintech, edtech, and e-commerce. From a geographical perspective the majority of my portfolio currently is European centric, although I have some projects in the Middle East, and the United states too. I take an active role as advisor in several of these businesses too.
United Kingdom
Madhu (Madi) Sharma , President of the Women’s Eco-Nomic and Social Think Tank (WESTT) , UK.
Madi.Sharma@wbaforum.org
Madi Sharma is the founder and award-winning Entrepreneur behind the Madi Group - A group of private sector sole trader companies, and some not for profit organisations, with a philosophy to create innovative ideas tailored to local action which can achieve global impacts beneficial to society.
United Kingdom
Yvonne Thompson , Chair of the African Caribbean Business Network, Steering Committee Member of the Women's Equality Party, UK.
Yvonne.Thompson @wbaforum.org
A founder and for 15 years a director of the UK’s only legally Black owned radio station Choice FM that was the forerunner to the introduction of ‘Black music’ to the mainstream via the radio.
Established the first Annual National Business Awards Programme for Minority Women patronized by national and international politicians that officially recognised over 1,000 women business owners and entrepreneurs.
Successfully developed international partners to the European Federation of Black Women Business Owners leading to chapters being developed in France, Germany and the Netherlands.
Was recognised by successive governments over the last 25 years as an advisor pertaining to matters relating to address inequalities of women in business.
Awarded by Lloyds TSB and the Mail On Sunday - a commendation.
Received the “European Women Of Achievement Award” 2001 – the first ethnic minority to receive that award during the first nine year of the awards event.
Received a proclamation from the Mayor Of Houston for an Yvonne Thompson Day 8th January 2004
Noted in the Congressional Records – Washington DC – in 2005.
Ms Thompson has recently been recognised for her work in this area on the Queen’s Honours Birthday list with a CBE.
Recently received an honorary doctorate in Philosophy from the London Metropolitan Universit.
United Kingdom
Peter Rudge, A member of the World Economic Forum’s Expert Network and the United Nations Expert Group on Creative Economies, UK.
Peter.Rudge@wbaforum.org
Peter Rudge is an award-winning creative entrepreneur, speaker, academic, writer and film and television producer. A passionate advocate and supporter of new talent, working with young filmmakers and creatives across the UK and internationally, Peter has produced or executive produced more than a dozen feature films from new writers, directors and producers, as well as supporting young graduate companies and start-ups.
A 30 career in the film and television industries with Hollywood studios Columbia Pictures and Universal Studios, and as an independent writer and producer, Peter has, over the last 10 years focused on building sustainable creative economies in developing and challenged regions. He was named as part of the Creative England CE50 in 2018, a list of the top 50 leaders and innovators in the digital creative industries and received the Vice Chancellor’s Outstanding Contribution Award that same year for his work in founding the moving image cluster Platform, supporting the screen sector in the UK.
He is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Expert Network and the United Nations Expert Group on Creative Economies. Peter is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and an active member of the Speakers 4 Schools charity.
He is currently working on a book for Routledge entitled Beyond the Blue Economy: Clusters and Creative Economies in Small Island Developing States, due to be published in early 2021.
United Kingdom
Kevin Monserrat, Co-founder of Consilience Ventures, Former Head of Ecosystem of Microsoft Scale Up Europe, Entrepreneurship Expert at the University of Oxford - Said Business School, UK.
Kevin.Monserrat@wbaforum.org
Kevin Monserrat is the co-founder CEO of PK2M and co-founder director of Consilience Ventures (CV) which redefines startup financing and hence enables startups to execute quicker. It makes the best ecosystem players part of their team at the heart of a vibrant market network. CV gives investors more flexibility and higher returns by making their investment liquid. He has spent many years to help companies to launch, grow and fund technology businesses when he was the Head of Ecosystem of Microsoft Scale Up London until end of 2018. He oversaw key Microsoft partners such as, CVCs, VCs, PEs, FOs, accelerators and Universities. At the time Microsoft UK portfolio were raising about $100 million a year in total. Kevin holds a master’s degree in Business Innovation and Entrepreneurship from INSEEC Business School, France. Additional expanded studies were upheld in the master’s program at the University of New England, Australia as well.
United Kingdom
Ritesh Jain, COO | CTO, Former COO, Digital Technology Foundation, HSBC & A Member of the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council, UK
Ritesh.Jain@wbaforum.org
Ritesh is a Thought Leader, IT executive , Board Advisor and angel investor with two decades of global experience in Digital Technology, Business Transformation, and Operations with fortune 500 companies like HSBC, VISA, Maersk to name a few. He led milestone changes in Financial Services, Fin-tech, Shipping, Telecom, and Government. Led Apple Pay for VISA & Apple, led transformation at Maersk - introduced milestone changes in shipping industry like instant shipment booking platform & Block-chain for shipping. Recently as a COO / Global Head of Digital Tech at HSBC he was building an enabling function to create the bank of the future at HSBC.
He is a regular speaker & author, Diversity & Inclusion advocate & champion, mentor to UK Parliament Digital Service & startups. Advisor to Harvard Business Review, Forbes Tech Council, Payment regulators and Government bodies for women empowerment, child rights protection and working on initiatives in Social & Financial inclusion along with Open Banking in EU & Africa.
Currently working on a few initiatives in Africa and Europe for social and financial inclusion, & supporting Open Banking in Africa with the purpose to offer alternative financial services solutions to the unbanked population in the region.