Demonstrating leadership in our field is important to us
The ETK Team
Maintaining our reputation as the leading African specialist consultancy firm is more important that the size of our business or short-term revenue growth.
We are committed to innovation, staying agile and empowering our clients.
Our management board and leadership team are responsible for developing and implementing the policies and strategy of ETK, and for its direction and management.
Bolaji Sofoluwe
Bolaji Sofoluwe
Director, Business Development & Strategy, ETK Group
With sixteen years of expertise and experience in Africa and the UK, Bolaji has a proven track record of strategically positioning businesses—from start-ups to established corporates—to thrive within complex African markets. Her focus has been helping these companies overcome the challenges of the unique business landscape of the continent; achieving scale while developing mutually beneficial relationships. In over ten years as a management consultant, she has worked with more than 400 businesses, covering diverse sectors including Aviation, Financial Services, IT, Oil and Gas, Agriculture, Beauty and Fashion. As co-founder of the Enterprise, Training & Knowledge Group, Bolaji has led ETK’s consultants to help global companies make connections in 11 African countries to date. Her previous jobs include working for the Central Bank of Nigeria, Halifax Bank of Scotland as a Senior Supervisor, Secured Collections, and The Business Factory Management Consultancy as a Director, Business Consulting; roles that have taken her to Senegal, Cote D’Ivoire and Nigeria. An Africa SME Advocate, Bolaji is a creative and engaging conference speaker, a business mentor with a B.A in Languages and Linguistics. She is also fluent in French.
Tom Lee
Tom Lee
Non-Executive Director, ETK Group
Tom Lee began his career in the Royal Navy, serving as a warfare officer and diver. On completion he continued to serve as a Royal Naval Reserve officer, seeing active service in Iraq in 2003 and previously as a UN military observer in the Western Sahara.Tom has also spent a number of years conducting in the private security operations in Africa and working in emergency relief. He subsequently spent in many years in business, producing high security documents for governments, election monitoring, national ID programmes and other infrastructure projects. This involved time spent living for extensive periods in territory, often in hostile conditions.Tom has more than twenty five years active experience in Africa and the Middle East and remains a passionate about pursuing opportunities, visiting these areas frequently.Tom is also fluent in French.
Loraine Davies
Loraine Davies
Global Associates Director, ETK Group
Loraine is an award-winning, creative, influential and commercially focused director who has worked in senior leadership roles in the Finance and Charity sectors, and the Media industry. Loraine has extensive experience of strategic planning; change management; team leadership; coaching; marketing; launching and relaunching products, services and events; HR and learning and development consultancy; and building strong and trusted partnerships with internal and external stakeholders. Loraine’s passion is to inspire, equip, and encourage others to be the best they can be; to discover their market-focused gifts, and where they fit in the marketplace. Loraine is a dynamic leader and engaging conference speaker. She has a MSc in Human Resource Strategy and Management.
Olamipo Oshinowo
Olamipo Oshinowo
Country Manager, ETK Nigeria
Olamipo is a self-motivated individual who is dedicated to excellent and professional service delivery. In 2007, she joined Oceanic Bank International Plc. as a customer service officer. Her 8 year experience in the banking industry afforded her the opportunity to function in various capacities across different departments ranging from customer service, banking operations to regulatory compliance. Olamipo firmly believes that education and implementation of sound business practices can unlock the potential of the African continent thereby alleviating poverty and eradicating under-development. She holds a BA Hons. European Studies (French) from University of Ibadan, Nigeria and MA International Development and Education from Newcastle University, United Kingdom.
The Advisory Board
Robin McPhail
Robin McPhail
Chairman, Advisory Board
Robin was Founder Partner and Managing Director of Deloitte Emerging Markets Group (EMG), a leader in expanding the role of the private sector in economic development. Starting in 1982, he directed EMG’s business in over 70 countries throughout Africa, Asia, Middle East, Central Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean. The focus was on the private sector as a driver of growth and development, including the financial sector as well as small and microenterprise, privatisation and overall governance. Results demonstrate that much of the work he has led has had deep and lasting impact on the development of the individual countries and regions. He has deep expertise in sustainable economic development and business risk management and now provides high level, independent advice to organizations operating, or seeking to operate, in emerging markets. Robin is also Chair, UN Office of Project Services (UNOPS) Advisory Board (SAAC), Independent Panel Member of the International Finance Corporation’s (IFC’s) Ombudsman office (CAO), Adviser to BG Group, Non-executive director of Vietnamese private sector company VI Corporation, and Member of arbitration panel in financial dispute between two international organizations. He is a Chartered Accountant and holds an LLB and an M.A. Economics and German from the University Of Aberdeen, UK.
Rolake Akinkugbe
Rolake Akinkugbe
Advisory Board Member
Rolake is an Oil & Gas specialist with extensive knowledge and experience of African as well as global markets. Her specialist areas include global energy, upstream petroleum economics, African oil and gas markets, oil and gas financing trends and infrastructure challenges sustainable energy solutions, Africa’s power sector and natural resource policy. She is a regular media commentator and presenter on global and African energy and natural resources, and has been a regular reviewer of global newspaper headlines on BBC World News since 2012. Fluent in French, and Yoruba, her mother tongue, Rolake has lived in Senegal and travelled extensively across Africa. She holds a Bachelors and a Master’s degree from the London School of economics and is currently Head of Energy and Natural Resources Origination at FBN Capital, Nigeria.
Sam Melesi
Sam Melesi
Advisory Board Member
British citizen, born and raised in East Africa, Sam is a seasoned professional with 33 years of extensive experience in over 20 countries in Africa geared to resolving weaknesses, and creating sustained growth and standing in the host country. He achieved this by focusing on gaining an intimate understanding of the host country culture and protocols, and building sound relationships. Sam has helped several companies deploy flexibility and discipline to the business of reducing risk, ensuring business continuity and redefining capacity building in the volatile African environment. He started out in the Security & Risk Mitigation business and evolved from this to designing and directing commercial and social sustainability, crisis prevention and business recovery in areas of conflict or challenging environments in Africa. He has developed a broad, selective and enduring network among the professional, government and other circles in Africa, cultivated over many years. Sam's experience spans across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Somalia, Sudan (North and South), DRC/Zaire, Congo Brazaville, Rwanda, Burundi, Ghana, Mali, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Senegal, Togo, Benin, Cote D'Ivoire and Angola. Sam joined the ETK team to develop strategic operations in Africa, which is central to the ‘global-local’ theme to the business. He is fluent in English, French, Kiswahili and speaks some Arabic.
William Conner
William Conner
Advisory Board Member
Bill Conner has spent more than 30 years transforming the fundraising results of the organisations with whom he has worked in both the UK and the US. His expertise is in leading organisations through institutional strategic planning for large fundraising campaigns, building high value relationships leading to successful fundraising, and crafting institutional visions and associated narratives to support fundraising initiatives. Bill is a founding partner of Conner & Associates and a Fellow of Wolfson College, University of Oxford where he is the Development Director. He has held board roles with the European Association for Philanthropy and Giving and EU Consult. Bill began his consulting career in 1999 and in 2001 became a Director of Brakeley Ltd where he served a wide range of clients in the UK, Continental Europe and the USA. He has also served as Director of Development at New College, University of Oxford. Prior experience includes senior management and fundraising roles with the London Business School, the San Francisco and Miami Operas, the Castle Hill Foundation, the Boston University School for the Arts and Director of Development at Ashridge Business School.