Page 16 - UUBO PE Summit Brochure

FACILITATORS: SUMMIT

STEVE IWENJORA
PARTNER, AFRICAN CAPITAL ALLIANCE
Steve has over eighteen (18) years cognate experience in the financial services sector, spanning banking, private
equity and investment management with local and international organisations. He is presently the Managing
Director of CAN Fund Manager Limited, a Company under African Capital Alliance (ACA).
He worked with Citi Bank and Continental Trust Bank before joining ACA in 2004. He is a Fellow of the Institute of
Chartered Accountants of Nigeria and holds a Bachelors Degree in Accounting (2nd Class Upper Division) from the
University of Lagos.

YINKA ODELEYE
PARTNER, SYNERGY CAPITAL MANAGERS
Yinka is a Partner with Synergy Capital Managers, a West Africa focused private equity fund manager. He previously
worked with Citi as Director and Head, Investment Banking/Corporate Finance, Nigeria. He also worked with Lehman
Brothers, New York in the Fixed Income Division (2007-2008); Citigroup New York in Corporate Banking (2004-
2007); Guaranty Trust Bank, Nigeria (1996-2002); and Shell Petroleum Development Company (1995-1996). He has
worked on over US$12 billion worth of investment banking, equities and debt finance transactions in the US, UK and
Africa and has significant deal experience in financial institutions, energy, telecoms, technology, consumer and
manufacturing sectors. He is a CFA charter holder, has an MBA in Finance and Marketing from Rutgers Business
School New Jersey, and is a product of Citigroup's 6-month credit college, New York (2004). Yinka is also a honorary
senior member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), a member of the New York Society of
Securities Analysts (NYSSA), an Authorized Dealing Clerk of the Nigerian Stock Exchange and an Associate of the
Nigeria Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS).
In May 2014, Yinka was named one of the top 20 rising stars of African finance by Euromoney.

ROTIMI OYEKANMI
APIS PARTNERS
Rotimi is a partner of Apis Partners LLP and heads Apis offices in Lagos. Rotimi has over 30 years' experience in
financial services, private equity investing, M&A advisory, and senior management with several leading institutions in
West Africa. He is currently an Independent Non-Executive Board member of Diamond Bank Plc and Director of
Rendeavour Group. He was Chairman of RenMoney until December 2016, Group Head, Ecobank Capital Nigeria until
2013, CEO of Renaissance Group West Africa and MD of Renaissance Partners (Private Equity arm of Renaissance
Group) from 2006 to 2012.
Prior to Renaissance Group, Rotimi was with African Capital Alliance (ACA), where he served as Chief Investment
Officer. Previously, he was responsible for establishing the SME Fund for ACA in 2001 and was CEO of the Fund from
inception. Rotimi was one of the founding directors of Accion MFB. Rotimi is the pioneer President of the Venture
Capital Association of Nigeria (VCAN). He was also a Director of the African Venture Capital Association (ACVA)
since 1994 until March 2008 when he was elected as Chairman of AVCA.

FUNKE OKUBADEJO
DIRECTOR, REAL ESTATE, ACTIS

Funke is an experienced private equity and real estate investor, at Actis since 2007, with a strong track record in
key sectors including real estate projects with GAV of >$550m in office, retail and hospitality sectors across
West Africa. Prior to joining Actis, Funke gained six years private equity experience spanning origination,
investment structuring and asset management at African Capital Alliance, a leading Nigerian private equity firm
where she also helped to establish its real estate fund.

Funke started her career at Arthur Andersen (Now KPMG Professional Services), is a qualified chartered accountant
and holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Lagos and a Masters in Finance from
the London Business School. With prior her experience in assurance and business advisory, she brings rounded skills
to add value at both strategic and operational levels to management and project teams to attain set business
objectives. She is also an experienced board director having served on various boards over the past two decades.
Funke is also a member of the Actis Macro Forum which is a global grouping that reviews macro trends in emerging
economies.

LEXI NOVITSKE
MANAGING PARTNER, ACUITY VENTURES

In 2012 Lexi moved to Nigeria, from The United States, believing that the country held immense untapped
potential, having an under-penetrated consumer population, expanding infrastructure and online access, and an
active entrepreneur network. In 2014, Lexi launched Singularity Investments as the Principal Investment Officer, a
venture capital vehicle backed by the Darwish family office. Further, in 2019 Lexi transitioned the portfolio of
Singularity into Acuity Venture Partners, where she is Managing Partner.

Acuity invests in visionary entrepreneurs in technology-enabled, early-stage companies in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Typical sectors of interest will include Mobile & Web-Based Services, Technology & Software, Digital
Infrastructure, and Digital Media & Entertainment. Lexi previously managed investments at Nigerian private
equity firm Verod Capital Management. Prior to joining Verod, she was focused on Africa investments at Small
Enterprise Assistance funds and in financial services at New York-based Sandler O’Neill Asset Management. Lexi
is a board member and advisor to several early-stage companies and faculty member and mentor to several
accelerators and startup academies. Lexi is a CFA Charterholder and a Kauffman Fellow.

16