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APO Group appoints Kris Wanamaker as Chief Revenue Officer to drive continued growth

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APO Group

Kris will join the APO Group Management Team and will be based in Cape Town and London

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, October 26, 2022/APO Group/ — 

APO Group (www.APO-opa.com), the leading Pan-African communications consultancy and press release distribution service, is delighted to announce the appointment of South African-British-American national Kris Wanamaker as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO).

As CRO, Kris will be responsible for all revenue-related functions at APO Group, including marketing, sales, customer support, further expansion of our service offering, and revenue management. 

The hiring process for this new role began six months ago, and has been the most extensive ever undertaken by APO Group with the entire Management Team involved in ensuring the right candidate was found.

One of Kris’s first missions will be to harness the power of APO Group’s unique model, integrating the company’s renowned press release distribution and Public Relations business units into a single turnkey solution that provides clients with unparalleled Pan-African communications support.

Kris has over 20 years of experience in sales and marketing. 

Throughout her career, she has reliably delivered results for agencies and corporates, as well as the start-up organizations she co-founded with fellow industry leaders. As a South African national who also holds UK and US passports, she has done this across several geographies, including Dubai, Cape Town, Johannesburg, and London.

It is clear that this is a ‘people-first’ company with a passion for its clients, and as CRO I have a fantastic opportunity to work with like-minded colleagues

Kris has vast experience with some of the biggest global brands including Microsoft, BMW and Daimler Chrysler. She has also looked after various stakeholders at several levels, including Gulf royalty, property developers, and politicians.

Throughout her career, Kris has demonstrated her versatility and entrepreneurial spirit. She has co-founded four successful companies including: a telecommunications business in Johannesburg; a copywriting agency in South Africa; a real estate firm, and an interior design/architecture firm in the UAE. This last company was awarded “Best Interior Decorating and Design Business Dubai” by UAE Business in 2017.

Kris is a major champion of people development. She focuses on creating safe and collaborative environments for her teams while encouraging individuals to grow and excel.

Kris will join the APO Group Management Team, and will be based in Cape Town and London.

Kris’s appointment comes at a time of exceptional growth for APO Group. The company reported increased revenue of 88% in the first semester of 2022, versus the same period in 2021, and this success has allowed APO Group to continue to recruit the very best talent from the African and international communications communities.

In recent months, the company has made several high-caliber appointments to senior positions, including former Edelman Content Strategist Lindsay Farley, who was hired as Vice President of Editorial and Content Strategy, and new Head of Design Hussain Ali, who was previously Design Lead at Ogilvy.

“This is a new role for both me and for APO Group, and I’m extremely excited to get started,” said Kris Wanamaker, Chief Revenue Officer of APO Group. “It is clear that this is a ‘people-first’ company with a passion for its clients, and as CRO I have a fantastic opportunity to work with like-minded colleagues to help even more organizations thrive in Africa.” 

“This has been the most intensive and prolonged recruitment process we’ve ever had, but we couldn’t be happier with the result,” said Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard, Founder and Chairman of APO Group. “Kris has not only demonstrated excellence in revenue generation throughout her career, but she also has the entrepreneurial spirit and global experience to develop ideas and strategies that will take APO Group to the next level.” 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of APO Group.

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

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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.

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

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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.

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

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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.

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