Other Panelists


Dr. Lucy Surhyel Newman refers to herself as a global citizen that is proudly African and of Nigerian descent. She is an International Consultant, Policy Advisor and an Author, with nearly four decades’ experience in executive, non-executive and consulting or advisory roles. Her work and advisory experience span the private, public, and nonprofit sectors in Nigeria, including sub-regional, continental, and global professional networks as well as some multilateral agencies. Consequently, her professional and personal travels have provided her with opportunities to visit over a third of African nations and four other continents on a few occasions. Read More


Mrs. Maureen Mba is the Former Director of Compliance, Head of MANSA Digital Initiative of Afreximbank. “A Consistent Leader”. As a transformational leader, Maureen Mba has constantly been open to innovation where verit may arise. She readily embraces opportunities to do things differently and is always open to new ideas, no matter where those ideas may come from. As one of the pioneer staff of Afreximbank, Maureen was part of the team that developed and put systems in place for the smooth take-off of the Bank. She single-handedly established the Compliance Function, which evolved and expanded over the years from being a manual process driven unit to a fully-fledged Department with automated processes. Read More


Jorge Laguna-Celis is the Head of the One Planet Network, hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Based in Paris, The One Planet Network is a global community of practitioners, policymakers and experts working to accelerate the implementation of SDG 12: ensuring sustainable patterns of consumption and production. He has previously worked for the United Nations in multiple capacities and possesses 20years of experience in intergovernmental and multi-stakeholder processes, global sustainable development policies and sustainable development governance. Read More