It was a pleasure hosting the Global CEO of 100 Women In Finance Amanda Pullinger to a cocktail reception at the Capital Club in Victoria Island, Lagos - the first of a series of events marking the exploration of a launch of 100WF in Nigeria this week. During the event, I moderated a panel discussion with Elizabeth Uwaifo Partner & Founder at ASAFO & CO., NkemdilimUwajeBegho, Board Member of Stanbic IBTC and Olaitan Martins Group Executive, Corporate Banking First Bank of Nigeria Ltd. as they shared their experiences as women occupying top positions in the finance industry. We were delighted to also have in attendance, top female CEO’s of Banks, Capital Allocators, and CFO’s including Bola Adesola, the Chairwoman of Ecobank Nigeria Bolaji Balogun CEO & MD of Chapel Hill Denham, Tokunboh Ishmael, CFA Managing Partner Alitheia Capital, KunleElebute Senior Partner at KPMG, Cecilia Akintomide, Dr Ola Brown amongst others.
I am excited to host Amanda Pullinger, the Global CEO of 100 Women In Finance this week in Lagos as one of the members of the 100 Women in Finance Nigeria working group helping to establish Nigeria as one of the 100WF global locations. I’ve been a member of 100 Women in Finance for a while now and have benefitted so much from the access to global capital allocators, peer networking, multiple educational resources, and various speaking engagements. It's lonely at times as a senior woman in finance and organizations like 100WF make the journey so much smoother for women across all levels in finance.
It was a pleasure to talk to Michael Matias an active angel and VC investor in the US on the 20 Minute Leaders podcast which showcases thought leaders from around the world, with an audience of primarily entrepreneurs from Stanford University. We spoke about several interesting topics including the VC boom in Africa today, my passion about closing the gender funding gap, the persona I bring to investee companies who are aiming to improve gender diversity in their companies and some of the challenges female entrepreneurs face once they have raised that first round of capital.
Adesuwa was invited by Meaningful Business to speak at the inaugural MB100 Forum, sponsored by EY. She spoke about what Aruwa Capital looks for in its investments to ensure positive social impact whilst generating strong financial returns. She spoke alongside global impact investors.
Adesuwa hosted Aruwa Capital Management first webinar as part of our investor education series titled “How to Enhance and Diversify your Investment Portfolio whilst making social impact”. With inflation at 16% in Nigeria and options for investment in fixed income yielding less than 7% on average, its important for investors to know the alternative investment options available in Venture Capital and Private Equity in Africa that have potential for attractive long term returns and positive social impact.
Adesuwa was invited by Private Equity Support in Kenya to talk through Gender Lens investing and how SMEs can access this asset class during the 'Financing the growth strategy – Private capital options available and the engagement process' session during the Business Clinic.
Adesuwa was featured by Businessday Nigeria as the cover story for the global Women’s Hub magazine where she shared her journey so far, why she set up Aruwa Capital and her definition of success.
Adesuwa Okunbo Rhodes is recognized as one of this year’s MB100, an award celebrating leaders combining profit and purpose to help achieve the United Nations global Sustainable Development Goals. She was honoured amongst so many men and women in leading global organizations such as Marisa Drew of Credit Suisse, Alisée de Tonnac of Seedstars, Eunice Sampson of Dangote Industries Limited, James Mwangi of Equity Holdings Group, Kate Brandt of Google, Lena Pripp-Kovac of IKEA, Michael Dean of AgFunder and so many more. The award is led by Meaningful Business and sponsored by EY.
Adesuwa was invited by the Women in Energy Network in Nigeria to give a masterclass on private equity and venture capital and how to diversify your investment portfolio whilst making impact
Adesuwa is interviewed by Inclusive Business Action Network (iBAN) for their publication CLUED-iN. This month’s edition is focused on what’s needed to support women founders and narrow the gender funding gap. Her interview is titled “Creating More tables, not just seats at the table: Narrowing the gender funding gap by investing in women capital allocators”.
Adesuwa was invited to speak at the Going Global Summit hosted by Business Africa Online and Afrigrants Foundation. She spoke on a panel about Raising Global Capital alongside industry leaders Akintoye Akindele, Lydia Idem and Sherif Nessim.
Adesuwa was a guest on the podcast to discuss why it is critical for women to be capital allocators, the value of having women-led companies, and the importance of having access to capital when starting a company.
Adesuwa had the opportunity to speak to students from all over the world. As part of the 100WF Jumpstart program, She had the honour and privilege to talk to college students who are thinking about getting into private equity as a career.
Imperial College Africa Business Club, speak to Adesuwa about the challenges of founding a Private Equity firm as a black woman, key learnings from the perspective of a first-time fund raiser, the investment landscape in Africa and the potential for success in the region.
Adesuwa was one of the investor judges for the Power Africa Off Grid Energy Investor Pitch competition. This competition was mainly focused on women led off-grid clean energy companies and it was great to see so many amazing women led companies providing innovative solar solutions in off grid areas.
The Oscars of global impact and sustainability space, the Top Tier Impact Global Impact Awards. The event is organized to recognize and amplify the most impactful entrepreneurs who are building a better planet every day, Adesuwa participated as the Diversity & Inclusion Judge.
As a member of the Private Equity Women Investor Network, (PEWIN), Adesuwa co-hosted a dinner for PEWIN members in Lagos with PEWIN Steering Committee member Joanne (Jo) Yoo at the Capital Club.
Adesuwa was invited as a guest on the first episode of Shifting Capital podcast hosted by Jessica Espinoza, where sheshared insights on her experience as one of the pioneer women-owned and -led growthequity and gender lens funds on the African continent, success stories from the AruwaCapital portfolio to close the finance gap for women in Africa – and as a result – closegender gaps across our societies.
Adesuwa was featured on Top Tier Impact member interview series where she discussed how access and inclusion in the economy for women and people of colour does not only generate positive impact but also commercial returns.
Adesuwa was on a panel with leading investors and female CEOs, Yemi Keri and Umulinga Karangwa, CFA, where they discussed the importance of women being capital allocators and how female-owned businesses can successfully scale their businesses.
The guide produced by GenderSmart is the first of its kind to raise issues of gender and diversity at the founder level from the lens of diversity and gender lens at the fund manager level. The guide is going to be a game-changer in changing the landscape of diversity in PE/VC/Fund Management. Adesuwa is proud to have added her voice to the report as one of the pioneer women owned gender lens funds on the continent.
Aruwa Capital Management was featured in a report by global UBS Investment Banking group; UBS as part of its International Women’s Day campaign. The report highlighted the importance of closing the funding gap for women and how this can be a great opportunity for investors.
Adesuwa was featured on the cover of the International Women's Day 2021 edition of Business Africa Online where she was interviewed on her work with Aruwa Capital Management and her mission to close the gender financing gap in Africa.
Adesuwa was interviewed by Eric Noll, CEO of Context Capital Partners in a conversation on Aruwa Capital Management’s mission, our competitive advantage as a fund, and why now is the best time to invest in Africa and in women and diverse managers.
Adesuwa was invited alongside other entrepreneurs who have left large corporations to fund their own firms in Africa for a discussion to understand the motivation and impact- driven objective behind their move. Adesuwa spoke about Aruwa Capital Management’s mission and the impact on the ecosystem.
Adesuwa was invited as a speaker at the She Can Webinar Series organized by Kobikam Africa where she spoke about her journey as an entrepreneur founding Aruwa Capital Management and the right mindset and networks for female entrepreneurs to have on this journey.
In celebration of this year's Women's History Month Adesuwa Okunbo Rhodes was featured as one the women in leadership who back and support entrepreneurs through funds in the African startup ecosystem.
Aruwa Capital Management is invited by the Impact Investors Foundation to share thoughts on Covid-19 and Gender Lens Investing in Africa, specifically the role of women owned funds in the recovery
Adesuwa was invited by Africa Policy Conversations to engage in a panel discussion on the various forms of funding on the continent available to businesses, other panelists included fund managers from development finance institutions and private equity funds including ECP Investments and SF Ventures.
Adesuwa was a panel on a roundtable discussion discussing ease of accessing capital for women entrepreneurs, barriers to raising capital on the continent, and how to move the needle forward.