Africa, What Next?

George Twumasi is the CEO of ABN Holdings Limited (ABN) and a Fall 2018 Joan Shorenstein Fellow at the Shorenstein Center for Media, Politics and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

ABN is creating a viable African television content monetisation matrix and digital ecosystem straddling multiple platforms via the African Public Interest Media Initiative (www.apimi.org), a scalable, digital business model and an ecosystem that incentivises African-generated public interest orientated content producers.

ABN is committed to building an inspiring commercial vehicle via which a unique cultural content financing and marketing model can be achieved. For that reason, ABN is currently working towards the development of a cloud based content distribution solution focusing on the re-aggregation and monetisation of content “Made by Africans for Africans”.

Stephen A. Newton Esq. is Chairman of The Illuminate Africa Group Ltd., a firm assisting businesses in their African expansion goals. Previously the Founder & CEO, he is an entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience leading businesses and has held various C- level roles within the industry.

During his time at IAG, he served in interim executive roles for biNu where he served as interim CEO. At Universal Music Group Africa, he was interim Chief Operating Officer for Africa amongst others.

An American native, Stephen has spent the last 21 years living and working across LATAM & EMEA developing deep business ties within the regions. During this time Stephen has held various positions and assisted large corporates. He has served as CEO e-commerce Platforms for MIH Internet, a division of Naspers, VP & MD of inMobi Africa, MD of Google South Africa, MD of Google Analytics and Checkout EMEA, VP & MD of the Ad Exchange for DoubleClick EMEA (sold to Google); and GM Hitwise EMEA. (sold to Experian). Stephen has also taken part in two successful exits; Hitwise to Experian and Double Click to Google and has equally assisted in acquisitions and setting companies up for the same. Additionally, Stephen serves as an active senior-level board member of numerous businesses that focus on the African continent.

Stephen resides in South Africa, is married with 3 children, and holds a Juris Doctorate in Law from Loyola Law School Los Angeles, with a focus on Bio-Ethics and the Law and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and French from University of Washington, Seattle. He speaks English, French and is conversant in Spanish, Portuguese, and learning Swahili.

Teresa Clarke, an investment banker and internet entrepreneur, has been contributing to business and social development in Africa for over twenty years. Ms. Clarke was the first African American woman to serve as a Managing Director in the investment banking division of Goldman Sachs, where she led corporate finance and merger & acquisition deals for clients in the industrial and real estate sectors.

She is now the Chair and CEO of Africa.com, a media holding company that includes a business publishers network, and iAfrica the oldest news portal in South Africa. She serves on the board of Change Financial (publicly traded fintech company) and the Cim Group (publicly traded financial services company).

Ms. Clarke earned an A.B. in Economics, cum-laude, from Harvard College, an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and has lectured at several major universities around the world including Harvard, Wharton, Stanford, Princeton, Wellesley, Tufts, and Oxford.

Group Publisher & MD, IC Publications | Moderator