Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

University of Sussex

Middlesex University

Co-Founder and CEO at Aduna

Aduna is an Africa-inspired health food brand and social business. Our mission is to bring you the natural vitality of Africa's ancient ingredients, while creating sustainable livelihoods for small-scale producers.

Aduna means ‘life’ or ‘world’ in Wolof, the local language of Senegal and The Gambia. Our logo is adapted from a Ghanaian Adinkra symbol called 'Owia Kokroko', which stands for vitality, renewal, and the power of the sun.

www.aduna.com
@adunaworld
www.facebook.com/adunaworld 
www.youtube.com/adunafeelgoodworld

Aduna Ltd

Co-Founder & CEO

Jacana is a mission-driven private equity business that engages the established private equity world to catalyse SME growth in Sub-Saharan Africa and, ultimately, make a significant and sustainable contribution to economic development and poverty alleviation.

I worked with Jacana to help them review and define their brand position, as well as spending two months in Accra with Fidelity Capital Partners, creating a strategy for creating an entrepreneurship network in Ghana.

Jacana Venture Partnership

Strategy Consultant

BFCS is the first company to industrially process the fruit of the legendary Baobab Tree - African's very own Superfruit.

My contribution was:

*Full audit of underlying business model, including pre-investment due diligence: operations, HR, financial management, financing, sales & marketing
*Building of financial model, including 5 year revenue projections and cash flow forecasting
*Development of strategic marketing plan
*CSR plan
*Writing of investor-ready business plan
*Introduction to several social investment funds who are keen to invest both debt and equity

Baobab Fruit Company Senegal

Embarking on Phase 2 of Gambian mango project, which will be the design of a multi-dimensional Public-Private project consisting of the following elements:

1) Creation of a business plan for a social agri-business, including 200 hectare mango farm and processing plant.
2) Design of integrated outgrower scheme which will redefine global best practice.
3) Creation of a branded marketing arm in UK.

The World Bank

Provided strategic and operational leadership for a team of consultants employed by World Bank and GIPFZA (Gambia Investment Promotion and Free Zones Agency) to pave the way for foreign direct investment into the horticulture sector. Key achievements included:

•Produced comprehensive international, regional and domestic market study for mango-based products (fresh and processed)

•Laid the strategic foundations for the creation of a multi-stakeholder partnership capable of overcoming the serious competitive disadvantages of the country.  

•Brought the EU’s biggest smoothie company to the table and opened the door to a joint venture combining procurement with CSR to achieve backward-integration with African smallholders.

Lead Consultant, Strategy & Marketing

I was brought in to help this Zambia-based Mobile Banking start-up to re-focus their strategy, define their brand, develop an operational sales & marketing plan and move towards profitability. 

•Identified compelling value proposition around which to focus this sprawling business.

•Sold 6 month ‘nuts and bolts’ sales & marketing strategy for national roll out of money transfer business, m-banking platform and electronic voucher scheme.

•Laid the foundations for creation of a powerful and emotive consumer brand by crystallising personality, values and essence and kick-starting creative development.

•Reviewed and revamped all sales and marketing materials (B2B and consumer)

Zoona

Strategy & Marketing Consultant

I was hired by Haygrove Development with the dual purpose of 1) Exploring the opportunities for social enterprise in Africa presented by the carbon markets and 2) Managing Gambia is Good (see below) remotely while recruiting my successor.

•Developed in-depth expertise and contacts in carbon markets and authored strategy paper: ‘Climate Change: How Haygrove and Concern Universal (CU) can leverage the voluntary carbon markets to make a difference.’

•Enhanced network through collaborative project with Imperial College London and CU: ‘Developing a Framework for Sustainable Development using Carbon Financing’. 

•Developed business model and plan for a pro-poor carbon marketing company

•Managed Gambia is Good (see below) remotely while recruiting my successor.

Haygrove Development

Business Development Director

Gambia is Good is a hybrid social business specialising in locally grown fresh produce, created in partnership between an NGO (Concern Universal) and a private UK company (Haygrove) I joined this enterprise as a volunteer in its fledgling stages and was appointed General Manager within 9 months, going on to win several international awards. Achievements included:

•Turned project around by reducing average net running costs from £10k to £2k.  
 
•Achieved dramatic growth in annual sales volumes from 9 tons to 185 tons.

•Winner, 2008 World Business &amp; Development Awards (UNDP/IBLF)

•Successfully created backwardly integrated supply chain between Gambian tourist industry (hotels, restaurants and operators) and small-scale horticultural producers.

•Forged partnership with UK NGO the Travel Foundation and launched the GiG Farmyard as a demonstration farm and tourist excursion in 2006.
 
•Winner, 2008 Virgin Responsible Tourism Awards.

•Wrote, won and project-managed 4 further donor-funded sister projects, including landing a grant from DFID’s Business Linkages Challenge Fund.

•Enabled 1000 rural smallholders to make change from subsistence farming to commercial enterprise by increasing income by an average of 5 times. 

•Winner, 2008 UK National Charity Awards for International Development.

Gambia is Good

General Manager

I also spent two years writing TV drama, which was probably the most hardcore job of them all, and sharpened my creative abilities, writing skills and problem solving. 

•Key member of the team who successfully delivered 2 seasons of British TV’s biggest drama series (32 X 1 hour episodes, Sky One) 

•Full writing credits on ten episodes.

Hewland International

Script Writer

I joined Bates UK, a Top 10 London ad agency (absorbed into WPP in 2005) on a graduate recruitment scheme, straight out of University. Within two and a half years, and at the age of 24, I was appointed Account Director. 


•Successfully established and maintained senior level relationships (Marketing Director/General Manager) with several blue chip clients.

•Ran the £40m Woolworths business achieving record Christmas sales. 

•Lead strategic and creative development for a portfolio of 8 different FMCG brands within Heinz’ Frozen &amp; Chilled division, which came with a small army of clients. 

•Achieved market leadership for all Pfizer brands handled, including Benylin, Sudafed &amp; Benadryl (2001 Institute of Practitioning Advertisers ‘Effectiveness Award’ Winner)

•One of the home-grown Account Directors selected to assist in the management of the graduate recruitment program, vetting CVs, observing workshops and conducting interviews.

Andrew Hunt