Fellows

Ashley holds a Masters of Commerce in Finance from the University of the Western Cape (UWC) in Cape Town and also Masters of Arts in Economics from Fordham University in New York. While he was at Fordham, he participated in the Wharton Business School Total Impact Portfolio Challenge, inaugural competition of creating a 100% impact portfolio for an institutional client across asset classes, and the risk-return spectrum. He worked previously at Sanlam Investments as an investment research analyst primarily in understanding and explaining collective investment schemes performance, positioning and mandates.

At Impact Amplifier, he is directly involved in LEAD Impact Capital as well as the Google Online Safety Fund. Ashley is passionate about  sustainable investing firmly believes that Financial Returns + Social Returns = Shared Value for all stakeholders.

Having recently finished a masters in Sustainable Business and Innovation, Julian is looking to apply her knowledge and experience in the South African context where she is originally from. Julian is passionate about the intersection between human-centered design, innovation and private sector solutions to address the many socio-economic issues that we face today. She believes in empathy as a driver for social innovation and this really feeds her curiosity around anthropology and sustainable international development.

Julian has a background in business, design and education and looks forward to combining all of these backgrounds in her work at Impact Amplifier.

Charlie joins Impact Amplifier whilst simultaneously pursuing a master’s in Development Finance at the University of Cape Town Graduate Business School. Prior to this, Charlie spent five years at a chartered accountancy firm in London working with UK SMEs in both a compliance and advisory capacity. In addition to being a chartered accountant (ICAEW), he holds an undergraduate degree in Economics and Finance from Newcastle University.

Charlie is passionate about solutions that help MSMEs overcome growth constraints, which are disproportionally large in low-income economies. He believes addressing the missing middle is central to supporting sustainable economic growth and driving innovation, and that this can be achieved whilst generating social and environmental impact.

Nnamdi is an entrepreneur and early stage investment professional who is passionate about creating viable business solutions in Africa. He has an MBA from IE Business School, Madrid, and is a novelist in his spare time.

Molly has several years of experience across product management, go-to-market, social and brand strategy at Microsoft Corporation. She enjoys diving into new methods, ambiguous problems, and experimental projects that are grounded in solving problems for the world’s most vulnerable populations. To her, creating meaningful work is grounded in diversity & inclusion, good design, and a vision to improve individual’s lives. She is currently working on research & strategy for the Google Get-Set 4IR project and working on content and value proposition evaluation for Impact OS.

Rakan is pursuing an MS in Management Science and Engineering at Stanford University, where he is involved in entrepreneurship, financial inclusion, and social innovation spaces. At Impact Amplifier, Rakan is working on an initiative designed to create pathways for youth employment in South Africa’s digital economy.

Justin graduated from Arizona State University with degrees in Genetics (BS) and Sustainability (BS) and went on to pursue an MS in Global Technology and Development. Prior to arriving at Impact Amplifier, Justin was conducting fieldwork in Masiphumelele as a USAID Research and Innovation Fellow in Cape Town from July-November of 2019. Justin developed and implemented a research project that sought to operationalize resilience to climate change through generous support from The University of Cape Town and residents of the township community. The findings were used to inform Justin’s graduate thesis titled, “Understanding Resilience in an Informal Settlement: A Township Case Study in Masiphumelele, South Africa”.

Justin comes to us with six years of experience working in university admissions based in Seattle, Washington. He has worked on sustainable energy, education, and public health-related projects in Nepal and Mexico and will be supporting the rollout of Tech Tribe Accelerator during his time at IA. Justin is passionate about the role of entrepreneurship in sustaining positive social and environmental change to encourage economic development within an African context.

Masego is an investment professional with five years of experience in investment analysis, market research, and portfolio management. Prior to joining the fellowship, she worked at Imara Asset Management in Zimbabwe where she was a Junior Portfolio and Investment Manager. Masego is a CFA® charterholder, and holds a B.Com Honours degree in Financial Analysis and Portfolio Management from the University of Cape Town. She is currently completing a Masters in Development Finance at the University of Stellenbosch Business School. Masego is passionate about finding and applying solutions for sustainable and inclusive growth in Africa, particularly through private sector and social enterprise development.

Joseph graduated from Santa Clara University with a double major in Political Science and History. Before arriving at Impact Amplifier, Joseph was a Global Social Benefit Fellow with Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship. As a fellow he worked with Tugende, a social enterprise that finances income generating assets for entrepreneurs in East Africa.

He developed a research plan to measure Tugende’s social impact, conducted research in Uganda for 7 weeks with an interdisciplinary and intercultural team, analyzed the data, and composed a report for its investors and a set of recommendations for the enterprise. Joseph built upon his research with Tugende to write a thesis entitled “Microcredit 3.0: The Potential of Financing Business Assets for Financially Excluded Entrepreneurs.

Nora obtained a MSc in International Management at IESEG in Paris, which she concluded with a consulting project for a sustainable fashion brand in Vietnam. Prior to joining Impact Amplifier, she worked as a management consultant within the Strategy and Regulatory practice for Deloitte in Luxembourg, where she focused on the Private Equity industry. Originally from Austria, she has gained extensive international experience and is now fluent in German, English, French, Russian and Spanish.

At Impact Amplifier, Nora has been working on the development of impact measurement & management frameworks and is focusing on leading entrepreneurs through the investment readiness process and preparation of investment cases for investment committees.

Folu holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Cape Town and a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Washington University in St. Louis. Prior to joining Impact Amplifier as a fellow, Folu worked as a management and technology consultant across 3 countries, primarily focused on large scale process improvement solutions within the financial services and banking sector. Folu’s interests lie at the intersect of macroeconomic growth, entrepreneur empowerment, business development, impact investing, and technology-led social innovations.

After completing his MBA at the University of Chicago, Eric worked at Wells Fargo Securities for seven years where he was a Vice President of corporate high yield bond research on a top ranked team focused on the U.S. telecom, media and cable sectors. Prior to his MBA, Eric worked at Morgan Stanley where he managed a middle office equity group and developed a new team in Mumbai, India. Eric also has a MA in Applied Economics from Johns Hopkins University and a BS in Finance from the University of Maryland. He has been to more than 50 countries and volunteered for a microfinance organization in Argentina as part of a more than year long backpacking trip around the globe.

After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant in India, Karina worked in the valuation team at PwC and an early-stage VC, both in Bangalore, India. At PwC, Karina worked on valuation engagements for startups, investment funds, and large listed public companies. While at the early-stage VC, Karina worked closely with startups including deal sourcing and screening, potential investment due-diligence and portfolio management.

Additionally, Karina was also a Fellow at Digital Desh, an initiative that aims to uncover how the Internet is changing the way the “next billion” in India live and do business. Insights from her recent journey to Orissa will be published as a coffee table book. Karina is also a Fellow at The Good Food Institute tasked with the creation of a Startup Manual for India. The Good Food Institute focusses on the promotion of the ecosystem around clean meat and plant-based alternatives to animal products.

Ari graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.S. in Earth and Environmental Sciences. He has also spent time at the University of Cape Town and London School of Economics studying sustainable development and environmental economics. Before joining Impact Amplifier, Ari interned for FS Investors, a private equity group where he gained exposure to impact oriented deals across multiple sectors and geographies. At Impact Amplifier He will be conducting impact assessments for Nando’s and helping early-stage impact startups make their investment case.