Connect with us

Business

Cellulant Welcomes Leading Executives from Payment Industry Leaders To Strengthen Its Management Team And Drive Its Global Growth Strategy

Published

on

Cellulant

Newly Appointed Executives from Stripe, Interswitch and Network International to drive Cellulant’s Next Phase of Growth

NAIROBI, Kenya, April 16, 2024/APO Group/ — 

Cellulant (www.Cellulant.io), a pioneering force in payments in Africa, is proud to announce the appointment of several leading executives from esteemed global payment companies into its management team,marking a significant step in its growth plans. Bolstering its leadership team with top-tier talent in technology, compliance, finance and audit, underscores Cellulant’s commitment to operational excellence and growing its service offerings to enterprise businesses.

Andy O’Sullivan, Chief Technology Officer (CTO), joins Cellulant on the back of a distinguished two-decade career in technology leadership in payment companies in the EMEA. His expertise lies in leading high-performing multicultural technology teams to scale agile delivery, build enterprise architecture and drive strategic technology advancements. He has held several C-level positions at leading payment network companies such as Geidea Group, Network International and Telr. Notably, he co-founded Innovate Payments, culminating in its acquisition by Telr, where, as the CTO of Telr, he focused on expanding merchant acquiring activities and developing transaction processing platforms.

Gbenga Haastrup joins Cellulant as the Executive Consultant: Governance, Risk and Compliance, leveraging over 20 years of experience in Governance, Risk, and Compliance management across fintech, technology and financial services sectors. He will oversee all compliance, legal, regulatory and governance standards, developing a robust risk culture within Cellulant. With a seasoned career spanning executive leadership positions at UMBA, ATB Financial, Interswitch, UBA  and Standard Chartered Bank, Haastrup brings a wealth of sector-specific expertise to his new role.

Assuming the role of Group Head of Internal Audit, Irene Koki, brings over 15 years of experience in risk and audit roles having worked in financial services, manufacturing, corporate and government organisations. Reporting to Cellulant’s board of directors, she will work closely with the leadership team to drive operational efficiency measures and strengthen organisational governance to support Cellulant’s growth.

We are thrilled to welcome these new leaders to Cellulant

Ochebhoya Ekpete, Vice President of Group Finance, brings a proven track record of financial stewardship and strategic acumen to Cellulant. With over a decade of experience in the payments industry in Africa and the UK, Ekpete will oversee all corporate finance functions, including financial controllership, financial reporting, tax, pricing and financial planning and analysis. Before his time at Cellulant, Oche held senior finance roles at Thames Water, Reading; Stripe, London; and Interswitch, Nigeria.

Susan Fouche, now the Group Chief People Officer, will build on her deep understanding of Cellulant’s vision and people, and draw from her extensive experience in her previous roles at Visa, Barclays and 10x Investments to cultivate a high-performing, engaged workforce. Susan assumes the role after two years of successfully delivering on Cellulant’s organisational design, reward and career mobility frameworks in her previous role as the Vice President, Organisational Effectiveness, Performance, Reward, and Talent Acquisition.

Peter O’Toole, Cellulant’s Acting Chief Executive Officer expresses enthusiasm for these pivotal appointments stating, “We are thrilled to welcome these new leaders to Cellulant. Their specific expertise in payments and financial services will play a vital role as we strengthen our capabilities in product growth, service delivery, operational efficiency, and risk management to better serve our ever-growing database of enterprise businesses across the world.”

The appointments come at a time when Cellulant has refocused its business to achieve operational excellence, customer intimacy, and adherence to risk and regulatory compliance standards.

“Our overarching objective is to establish Cellulant as a highly sustainable and profitable payments company, renowned for the operational excellence showcased across our three core Business Units: Checkout, Payout, and Banking Solutions,” said O’Toole.

Operating at the forefront of the industry, Cellulant facilitates payments for renowned global brands spanning diverse sectors, including Airlines, Telecoms, E-commerce, Ride-Hailing, Retail, Banking, and Remittances.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Cellulant.

Business

Ministers among hundreds of energy-sector leaders to attend AOW event

Published

on

Sinclair

The event kicks off with an invitation-only ministerial symposium focused on the theme of “Fostering innovation, attracting investment, and promoting sustainable growth in the oil, gas, and energy sectors”

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, October 4, 2024/APO Group/ — 

AOW: Investing in African Energy (https://AOWEnergy.com) – Africa’s leading oil, gas and energy event – has confirmed attendance for more than 80 ministers and senior officials, representing African governments, energy departments and regulators at next month’s event.

These influential stakeholders will be among the more than 1 600 senior delegates and industry leaders who will be attending the event to develop policy, share discoveries, secure investment, and shape Africa’s energy future.

The event kicks off with an invitation-only ministerial symposium focused on the theme of “Fostering innovation, attracting investment, and promoting sustainable growth in the oil, gas, and energy sectors.”

Given the recent major oil-and-gas discoveries across Africa, the energy transition and major geopolitical events, it is clear that the energy sector needs positive intervention

Among the officials and government ministers attending will be energy leaders from South Africa, Nigeria, Namibia, Cote d’Ivoire, Mozambique, DRC, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Eswatini, Uganda, CAR, Guinea Conakry, Guinea Bissau, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Gabon, Malawi, Morocco, Zanzibar, Liberia, Senegal, Congo Brazzaville and Sierra Leone.

In addition, the event will feature high-level delegations from numerous national oil companies, as well as multilateral bodies including the African Union, (AU), African Energy Commission (AFREC), African Petroleum Producers’ Organization (APPO) and the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP).

AOW will see these energy leaders networking with C-suite executives and decision-makers from more than 760 top energy companies at daily networking events, to discuss insights, forge new relationships, and negotiate major energy deals.

“We are so excited to see the calibre of delegates at this year’s AOW event,” says Chief Executive Officer of Sankofa Events, Paul Sinclair. “Given the recent major oil-and-gas discoveries across Africa, the energy transition and major geopolitical events, it is clear that the energy sector needs positive intervention. The high-powered attendance proves AOW is a key platform to enable this intervention.”

Key themes to be discussed at this year’s AOW will be sustainable upstream development; expanding gas value chains; renewables and new energies; adoption of best-in-class technologies; and access to finance.

AOW: Investing in African Energy will culminate in a special anniversary party at Groot Constantia Vineyard to celebrate 30 years of the AOW event.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of AOW: Investing in African Energy.

Continue Reading

Business

Afreximbank approves US$20.8 million for Starlink Global’s cashew factory project in Lagos

Published

on

PAPSS

The facility is expected to promote value addition which will guarantee increased earnings to the company while also fostering the creation of about 400 new jobs

CAIRO, Egypt, October 4, 2024/APO Group/ — 

African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) has approved a US$20.8 million financing facility for Nigeria-based Starlink Global & Ideal Limited to enable the company construct and operate a 30,000-metric tonne per annum cashew processing factory in Lagos.

We are delighted at this partnership which promises to deliver significant impact on employment in Nigeria

According to the facility agreement signed in on July 22, 2024, Afreximbank will provide the funds in two tranches with the first tranche of US$7.48M going toward capital expenditure for the construction of the factory and the second, totalling US$13.25M to be deployed as working capital for the operations of the factory.

The facility is expected to promote value addition which will guarantee increased earnings to the company while also fostering the creation of about 400 new jobs once the factory becomes operational. It is also expected to support about 40 small and medium-sized enterprises.

Commenting on the transaction, Mrs. Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President, Intra Africa Trade and Export Development, Afreximbank, said that by supporting Starlink Global to establish a modern processing facility, Afreximbank is making it possible for Africa to add value to its agro-commodities, thereby facilitating exports and subsequent inflow of much-needed foreign exchange into the continent.

“We are delighted at this partnership which promises to deliver significant impact on employment in Nigeria. It will contribute to value creation and to the development of the local community while also improving the lots of smallholder farmers and small business suppliers that will work with Starlink across the value chain,” Mrs. Awani added.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afreximbank.

Continue Reading

Business

Sonangol to Lead Decarbonized Oil & Gas (O&G) Development, Says Angolan National Oil Company (NOC) Head

Published

on

Sonangol

Participating in an on-stage interview at Angola Oil & Gas 2024, Sonangol CEO Sebastião Gaspar Martins emphasized that oil and gas remains a core focus for the national oil company

LUANDA, Angola, October 3, 2024/APO Group/ — 

Angola’s national oil company Sonangol reiterated its commitment to driving sustainable hydrocarbon development during the Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) conference this week. Speaking during an “In-Conversation with” session, Sonangol CEO Sebastião Gaspar Martins stated that the company will not abandon oil and gas, but rather advance decarbonized oil and gas development.

We are looking at opportunities in the gas sector and have identified the right partner to develop non-associated gas

By investing in upstream oil and gas production while prioritizing low-carbon projects, Sonangol aims to boost national crude output, while diversifying and decarbonizing the industry. The NOC is focusing efforts on non-associated gas development, as well as alternative energy sources such as solar.

“We are looking at opportunities in the gas sector and have identified the right partner to develop non-associated gas. Gas produced from Angola LNG will be used for the production of fertilizer and we are evaluating the utilization of gas in the south of the country, linking gas with steel industries. We also have a blue carbon project, linked to the reduction of carbon through the plantation of mangroves. We have one area in Luanda and have identified four additional areas for this,” stated Gaspar Martins.

Sonangol has undergone transformation in recent years: following the creation of the National Oil, Gas & Biofuels Agency (ANPG) in 2019, Sonangol transferred its role as national concessionaire and regulator. This transformation has aimed to make Sonangol more competitive and strengthen its capacity as an upstream operator. Concurrently, the government is partially privatizing the NOC, with privatization set to be complete in 2026. This process will enhance financial capacity, allowing Sonangol to drive new upstream projects forward.

“The transformation of Sonangol started several years ago, when we passed the regulatory, concessionaire role to the ANPG. At the time, we transferred almost 600 employees to the ANPG. After that, Sonangol underwent a restructuring program where we created five core business units from 36 different entities – starting with exploration and production. We want to go public, but we want to do it properly. So, we are currently going through all the processes to do this,” stated Gaspar Martins.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

Continue Reading

Trending