20inspirationalwomenofafricandiasporaineurope 2011lpdf

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20 Inspirational Women of20 Inspirational Women of20 Inspirational Women of20 Inspirational Women of
African Diaspora inAfrican Diaspora inAfrican Diaspora inAfrican Diaspora in
EuropeEuropeEuropeEurope
2011 List

20 Inspirational Women of African Diaspora in Europe 2011

How This List Has Been Built?How This List Has Been Built?
• This is the result of the votes cast for women
from the African Diaspora who people find
inspirational
• What ‘Inspirational’ means was left to the voters’
own appreciation of what that means for them
• The reasons why these women are inspirational
are included in their profiles
• Nominations were submitted between 24/01 and
03/03/2011
• The aim of this first list in 2011 is to give more
visibility to African Diaspora women in Europe

Chimamanda Ngozi ADICHIE
Novelist
In 2007, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie became the first
African writer to win the Orange Prize for Fiction with Half
of a Yellow Sun, a novel set amid the bloody violence of
the Biafran war in her native Nigeria.
Born in 1977, Chimamanda grew up in Nsukka, Nigeria
before moving to the US. Her first novel, Purple Hibiscus
(2003), won the Commonwealth Writers Prize. She uses
her fictional characters to inspire her readers to live
according to their strengths. She is ‘bold, fearless and
unapologetic’.
Her speech "The Danger of a Single Story" at TED has
inspired people across continents.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chimamanda-Adichie/77498713718
Photo

Francine BELEYI
Founder of nucleus of change
Born in Paris and raised in Lome-Togo, Francine is a
Change Strategist & Business Coach. She advises,
coaches and mentors business owners & leaders across
organisations for an enhanced performance. She is also a
speaker and talks about personal and business change.
Prior to establishing her business, Francine has led multi-
million pound projects for multinational corporations in
Africa, France and the UK.
Francine is passionate about grooming the next
generation of Authentic Leaders and is committed in
helping the most disadvantaged people. She is project
manager of a social project, SOHCA that is building a
school in Sierra Leone. Francine is equally dedicated to
the empowerment of women and served in the steering
committee of EPWN-London for 2 years to raise the voice
of women in leadership roles and the aspiring leaders.
http://www.nucleusofchange.com http://twitter/francinebeleyi
Photo

Simi BELO
Inventor and Entrepreneur
Simi Belo’s invention, the Simi Weave™, has been
heralded by industry-leading magazine Black Beauty &
Hair as ‘a new invention set to take the hairdressing world
by storm’. Sold internationally, Simi’s products have been
an overnight success amongst customers, hair and
beauty experts, the media, celebrities and retailers alike.
Her company won six major national and international
awards, and has been short listed for numerous ones.
Simi also takes the time to share her experiences and
expertise with other entrepreneurs and inventors to help
them succeed with their products and services.
http://www.SimiWeave.com/pages/SimiBelo
Photo

Ngozi EDOZIEN
Head of Actis West Africa
Ngozi Edozien is the Head of Actis West Africa. Ngozi is
responsible for all aspects of Actis’s private equity
business in West Africa. Actis is currently involved in a
number of companies in West Africa including Diamond
Bank, Mouka Foam, UAC and Exoro (Seven Energy).
Prior to Actis, Ngozi was the founding CEO of EVHA, an
innovative investment vehicle focused on expanding
access to healthcare goods and services in sub-Saharan
Africa. Ngozi began her career in investment banking at
Solomon Brothers and then at JP Morgan. Post MBA,
Ngozi worked for McKinsey & Co. in London and Paris
Photo
http://www.act.is/515,52/Ngozi_Edozien

Ida HORNER
Founder of Ethnic Supplies
Ida has been voted for her work in helping and inspiring
African women in the UK to become financially
independent.
Ethnic Supplies is a social enterprise working to alleviate
poverty amongst East African women involved in textile
and handicraft production.
Ida also helps the women of her native Uganda. She is
the editor of Africa on the Blog, so that the voices of ALL
Africans get heard.
She got a top 100 website to donate the revenue from it's
advertising to sponsor twin girls in Uganda.
LinksLinks
http://ethnicsupplies.org/
http://www.Africaontheblog.com
Photo

Mariéme JAMME
Philanthropist, CEO and social Entrepreneur
Mariéme is CEO of SpotOne Global Solutions, a
company that helps IT organizations to access Europe,
the EMEA markets. She also created iConscience.co.uk,
a think tank that brings together business experts and
like-minded individuals to brainstorm ethical scenarios for
sustainable business, social, technological and
environmental development in Africa.
Mariéme is passionate about empowering Africans
through education and social entrepreneurship. She is
also an international speaker, and an advocate for
education and health on the African continent. She works
with the UK Home Office and advise them on how to help
members of the African Diaspora transfer their knowledge
and skills to their countries of origin.
http://mariemejamme.com/
Photo

Salha KAITESI
Entrepreneur, Founder and Proprietor
Salha is acclaimed by many voters as embodying the
new Rwanda. This African country that was once ravaged
by genocide is now healing through its largely ambitious
social economic development plan.
Salha was inspired by the hard working men and women
of different associations that sold local crafts in Rwanda.
Most of the members of these associations are survivors
of the genocide and include both the wives of people who
committed atrocities and the victims of rape who are now
HIV positive. Their crafting skills passed down from one
generation to the other constitute their only means of
earning an income for them and their families. With
Beauty of Rwanda, Salha helps this community by
marketing actively online their unique cultural products.
http://www.beautyofrwanda.com/
http://www.twitter.com/beautyofrwanda
Photo

Wendy MCLEAN
Jewellery designer / maker
Wendy has been nominated as someone who inspires
others to believe in the truth and to seek out their own
strengths. She previously worked as an R&D scientist
during the apartheid era in South Africa during the 1990's
as a so-called coloured person. Wendy have since been
living in the UK (from 1998).
Her chemistry career never really took up in the UK and
she is now divorced and single, and running her own
business in the area of Peterborough, as a jewellery
designer maker. She also run jewellery workshops to
teach her unique style of jewellery making. She believes
thar her science background definitely helped in many of
her decisions and entrepreneurial abilities.
http://www.designbywendy.co.uk
Photo

Mukami MCCRUM, MBE
Politician
Mukami McCrum, former Director of Central Scotland
Race Equality, currently works with Scottish Government
as a Policy manager to the Gender Equality and Violence
Against Women team of the Scottish Government. She is
also a co-founder of Shakti women's aid, founder of
Mukuyu women. Mukami inspirational fight for justice,
racism and women rights is remarkable.
She always goes the extra mile, however busy she is she
always manages to give her time. She has been
nominated for her deep and personal commitment to
peace, equality and justice and she will fight till the end.
She has been recognised by the Queen and honoured
with an MBE.
LinksLinks
http://www.centralscotlandrec.org.uk/id20.html
http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/jpc/echoes/echoes-17-03.html
Photo

Kanini MUTONI
Audit Director at Private Bank Kleinwort Benson and
owner of myAzimia.org
This young Kenyan woman of 35, left her home country
10 years ago and has scaled to the top of her profession
in Europe. She has been recognised in Kenya and ranked
as one of the top 40 women under 40 and nominated and
shortlisted in the UK as a Shell Woman of the Year (UK)
2010 and as the Barclays Wealth Woman of the City
(2010).
She has just set up a microfinance platform to fund
women owned businesses in sub-saharan Africa, a social
enterprise to play her part in the development of Africa.
LinksLinks
http://www.myAzimia.org
http://uk.linkedin.com/in/kaninimutooni
Photo

Freda MUYAMBO
Electrical Engineer/Project Manager
This young African female has chosen to study and work
in a male dominated and challenging field: electrical
engineering for a UKs Utilities and Power industry. She
takes on electrical infrastructure projects and supplies
customers with up to 132,000 volt connections.
She is on site and in board rooms reporting project
performance to directors, chairpersons and other
stakeholders.
Her work inspires the blog
afriquanwoman.wordpress.com
LinksLinkshttp://uk.linkedin.com/pub/freda-muyambo/25/b17/54
Photo

Nyakio NDUNGU
Entrepreneur Beauty & Fashion
Nyakio Ndungu has defied the odds and made
opportunities where none existed. After graduating from
Edinburgh University in 2008, at the height of the
Economic recession, with a lack of opportunities in
Banking and finance, she has launched OKIANY, an
ethical, African Inspired Fashion line whose aims are not
only to spread African culture in Scotland through fashion,
but whose garments tell a story of a woman's journey to
work her way out of poverty.
She is an inspiration to the youth in Glasgow and in
Kenya where the lives of several women depend on their
work with OKIANY.
LinksLinks
http://www.okiany.com
http://www.businessfightspoverty.org/profile/NyakioNdungu
Photo

Tchi Mbouani NGALIAE
Consultant and Entrepreneur
In 2010, Tchi Mbouani set up Kosia, a consultancy
practice advising businesses willing to expand into Africa.
Kosia aims at fostering inter-continental business
linkages and knowledge transfer.
Tchi Mbouani studied in France and Germany and holds
a Master’s degree in Business Management from EDHEC
Business School.
http://www.kosiacompany.com
Photo n/a

Ify OTUYI
Singer
A Singer, Songwriter and Performer, Ify Otuya studied
Music Performance and Production at the London Centre
of Contemporary Music. She is talented, motivated and
with a relentless personality.
Based in London, she's written, recorded and toured the
UK with musicians including Folk-Soul sensation
Whateverland, and Contemporary vocal group Souls of
Prophecy Gospel Choir (Prince's Trust Fund). She's also
been visible at different times, in circles within the
Nigerian music industry (Felabration, Star Trek).
LinksLinks
http://www.myspace.com/ify2u
http://www.facebook.com/IfyOtuyaMusic
Photo

Gail PAMEL
Founder of Ace
The dance company Ace Dance has been praised not
only for its international work but also for the impact made
working with the local multicultural community in
Birmingham and further afield.
Gail inspires children and adults via inclusive participatory
classes which give opportunities for families and
individuals to experience contemporary dance in a
professional setting regardless of ethnicity or ability.
LinksLinkshttp://www.acedanceandmusic.com/aboutus.htm

Naomi SESAY
Founder of Billionaire ladies club
Naomi Sesay is an International Speaker, author and the
founder of Billionaire Ladies Club. Her goal is to lead
entrepreneurs to financial freedom. Naomi powerfully
inspires entrepreneurs into thinking bigger than just the
income stream.
Passionate about global transformation, Naomi
successfully links the power of entrepreneurship, social
contribution and creating a phenomenal lifestyle into
seamless steps of action.
She is the founder of SOHCA, a social project for building
a school in Sierra Leone and other poor countries.
LinksLinkshttp://www.billionaireladiesclub.com
Photo

Hapsatou SY
Entrepreneur and founder of Ethnicia
Hapsatou has been nominated as a role model and a
proof that business success is possible regardless the
obstacles.
Raised in one of the most challenging Parisian suburbs,
this young lady started her business in 2005 from scratch
and has now several salons across France and manages
70 employees.
She has launched an initiative ‘100 women who have
decide to change their life” to give the opportunity to
these women to start their own beauty salons and create
jobs.
LinksLinks
http://www.ethnicia.com/
http://hapsatousy.typepad.com/
Photo

Dr Jane WAI-OGOSSOU
Global Health & Project Consultant
Dr Wai Ogosu is the founding member of 3 organisations
for developmental projects in Africa: London Focus
Group Sickle Cell Africa, AfrikCare and Experiential
Christian Ministries.
For Dr Ogosu, the best drivers for Africa development are
Africans themselves who can drive projects from bottom
up by mobilizing the grassroots to get involved in building
community democracies, rather than relying on billions of
pounds worth of aid that have limited results in achieving
a real impact. She is passionate about reversing the
'braindrain' in Africa into a 'braingain'.
There are positive results of her work in countries like
Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Liberia and Ghana.
http://www.afrikcarecim.com
Photo

Frances MENSAH WILLIAMS
Chief Executive of Interims for Development,
publisher and Editor of ReConnect Africa
Interims for Development is an award-winning UK-based
Human Resources, Careers and Training consultancy.
The company has assisted businesses and organisations
across Africa, providing volunteer Interim Managers for
skills and capacity building as well as HR consultancy
services, Diaspora recruitment and in-house/open training
programmes.
ReConnect Africa is an online magazine and website
providing essential information on careers and business
for African professionals in the Diaspora.
Links
http://www.reconnectafrica.com
http://www.interimsfd.com
Photo

Rhoda WILSON
Talk Show Host
Rhoda Wilson has built her brand and her vision through
hard work, dedication and passion.
Her strapline "Inspiring you to aspire" has become a
motivational mantra for many. All the guests on her show
have responded with gusto to her work ethos, her
personality and her vision.
From her roots in Nigeria to her talk show in the UK,
Rhoda Wilson is fast becoming an international
phenomenon.
Linkshttp://therhodawilsonshow.wordpress.com/about/
Photo

What is ADIPWE?What is ADIPWE?
• ADIPWE, African Diaspora Professional Women in
Europe is an online forum with the aim to:
– Celebrate the success of African Women in Europe
– Give the visibility to African Women who have
achieved success in their own way but are still
unknown
– Inspire the new generation of African Women and
share ideas to fulfil their potential
– Contribute to Africa rebranding and development by
identifying opportunities to transfer the vast amount of
knowledge gained in Europe
• This forum is open not only to all women of African
Diaspora but also to those who have a passion about
Africa development

Credits photosCredits photos
businessfightpoverty.org
designbywendy.co.uk
reconnectAfrica.com
stopandstir org uk
voice-online.co.uk
myspace.com
tiloumag.com
Act.is
acedanceandmusic.com
entrepreneusemag.typad
africaontheblog.com
topnews.in
mariemejamme.com
beautyofrawanda
linkedin.com
prlog.com

Editor: Francine Beleyi, founder of African Diaspora
Professional Women in Europe (ADIPWE)
Other InformationOther Information
To download the full list of ADIPWE Top 20 list 2011 go to
http://Adipwe.wordpress.com
Facebook http://groups.to/adipwe/
http://twitter.com/FrancineBeleyi
If you want to stay in touch for the 2012 edition, please go to
http://wp.me/pSWtT-1p
Email francine@nucleusofchange.com

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