Eastrise Advisory Board

Founder & CEO, Qhala. Dr. Shikoh is the visionary CEO of Qhala, a leading Digital Innovation company transforming Africa. With over a decade of expertise in digital technologies, she drives digital transformation for organizations in Africa and Emerging Markets, focusing on sectors like Agriculture, Education, Health, Payments, Retail, and Renewable Energies.

She established Safaricom Alpha, Africa’s first corporate innovation hub, serving as Head of Products – Innovation and Chief Innovation Officer, leading Safaricom’s digital transformation. At the Africa Development Bank, she guided governments in adopting ICT for service delivery, developing the Digital Government Blueprint. Her experience at Google and Microsoft in emerging markets further bridges business, government, and technology.

Dr. Shikoh influences ICT companies, steering committees, and think tanks across Africa and technology. She advises governments on data and digital development policies and serves on the boards of WiDEF, Longhorn, Open Institute, ANU, and IPSL, amplifying her impact in technology and the digital economy.

With a PhD and MSc in Computer Science from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, she blends academic expertise with practical acumen. Honored with awards like the ASEB Summit award and Women in STEM Champion, she is dedicated to empowering women in tech and building a robust startup ecosystem in Africa. Dr. Shikoh’s commitment to innovation drives Qhala’s success and makes her a trusted advisor in digital transformation.

David McNair is Executive Director at ONE.org. Co-founded by Bono, ONE fights for a more just world by demanding the investments needed to create economic opportunities and healthier lives in Africa.

For two decades he has worked on successful campaigns to reduce child mortality, unlock billions in funding for climate and sustainable development, reform the global financial architecture and crack down on grand corruption and tax evasion.

He sits on the European Council on Foreign Relations Council, is a founding executive board member of the Africa Europe Foundation and sits on the Board of CLEAR Global, a nonprofit that helps people access vital information and be heard, whatever language they speak.

He is a regular commentator on development and geopolitics, holds a PhD in social geography from the Queen’s University of Belfast and is author of ‘Why Europe Needs Africa’ published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Matthew is the Portfolio Manager of the Confluence Impact Fund – which focuses on publicly listed companies in the non-BRIC global emerging markets, targeting positive impact as well as compelling financial returns.

Before co-founding Confluence, he was a Partner at Satya Capital, the private investment office of Dr. Mo Ibrahim. With a global mandate and a focus on Africa, Satya invested across 17 of the continent’s largest economies, spanning multiple sectors and asset classes. During his 12-year tenure, he played a key role in Satya’s early emphasis on impact investing, particularly in governance—aligned with the mission of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation.

In 2015, Satya partnered with TPG, contributing to the development of the impact quantification framework that shaped TPG’s first impact strategy, The RISE Fund. He began his career in investment banking at Lehman Brothers and later private equity at Terra Firma.

He holds a dual EMBA from INSEAD and Tsinghua University, a degree in Economics & Management from Oxford University, and completed the Cambridge University Sustainable Finance Course.

Michał Nowak is the CEO of Oakeri Consulting and brings over 18 years of professional experience in communications and business consulting.

Michał Nowak is the CEO of Oakeri Consulting and brings over 18 years of professional experience in communications and business consulting. As a specialist in investment communications, crisis management, and corporate strategy, he has led transformational projects across diverse sectors including energy, manufacturing, telecommunications, finance, sports, NGOs, and startups.

Michał is co-author of one of Poland’s pioneering studies on values-based professional success and regularly conducts consultations and workshops on building organizations and career paths grounded in core values. He serves as an MBA and Executive MBA lecturer at Leon Koźmiński University, Poland’s leading business school recognized on the Financial Times rankings.

As Co-Founder of Experiential Learning HUB since 2020, Michał leads a network of business mentors from various sectors who share a passion for supporting entrepreneurs and leaders worldwide in their personal and organizational development.

His deep understanding of Central and Eastern Europe’s economic transformation, combined with his expertise in cross-sector partnerships and strategic communications, provides valuable insights for building bridges between European and African markets.

CEO, Co-Founder, Threshold. Noah Black serves as the board member and investor in Eastrise Group. Noah is an experienced strategic communications counselor who has led global positioning and reputation campaigns for advocacy organizations, companies, and governments. He has been deeply involved in the development of branding, digital platforms, public relations, and advocacy initiatives; cultivating media relationships; serving as a spokesperson; and advising leadership at the highest levels.

Tom Lytton-Dickie is the Founder & CEO of Meaningful Business, a global community which helps purpose-driven leaders succeed.

The network brings together social entrepreneurs, impact investors, sustainability directors and humanitarian leaders from over 140 countries. Its activities include an annual MB100 award, recognising leaders who are successfully combining profit and purpose to help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals, a global event series bringing together curated groups of stakeholders in key locations and a fundraising service which helps social entrepreneurs attract aligned capital.

Prior to launching Meaningful Business, Tom co-founded HotTopics.ht, a media platform designed for the world’s most influential tech leaders to share their opinions on current issues and trends.

Antony Wahome brings over 15 years of experience at the intersection of designing, executing, and evaluating transformative development programmes across sub-Saharan Africa. With a strong professional services delivery background, he has collaborated with governments, corporate foundations, and international development partners to execute high-impact programmes in sectors such as trade and regional integration, digital economy, agribusiness, healthcare, and manufacturing.

He brings expertise and insights in key areas for sustainable development and investment, such as market systems, political economy, investment facilitation and attraction, and results/outcome-based investing. His networks across East Africa’s policy, development, and investment sectors, alongside his experience managing complex, multi-stakeholder engagements, will support the advancement of Eastrise Group’s goal of linking capital and enterprise at the nexus of growth and impact.

Antony holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Wales, Cardiff, and a B.Comm in Management Information Systems from Daystar University.

Sylwia Dalecka is the founder and organizer of the Polish House and Polish Business Hub in Davos, bringing over 20 years of leadership experience across public and private sectors. Throughout her career, she has spearheaded international business development, strategic communications, and public affairs initiatives, working with diverse organizations and stakeholders across Poland and internationally.

Since 2019, she has led the strategic development and global positioning of the Polish House and Polish Business Hub during the World Economic Forum in Davos, establishing it as a recognized platform for high-level dialogue, international cooperation, and cross-border partnerships. Her expertise lies in building complex cross-sector alliances and positioning strategic initiatives on the global stage.