The World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF), an affiliated partner of the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI), that aims to ease access to finance, promote financial inclusion, and create more jobs and social justice, has appointed Folashade Ambrose-Medebem to serve as a Senator representing Nigeria at the forum.
Folashade, is the director of communications, public affairs and sustainable development at Lafarge Africa Plc, a leading Sub-Saharan Africa building materials company, subsidiary of LafargeHolcim.
She who now joins as the second Nigerian Senator at the Grand Assembly of the World Business Angels Investment Forum will in her role encourage and initiate collaboration between WBAF and key stakeholders in Nigeria’s entrepreneurship ecosystem, and also help venture capital and companies connect with international companies, Fintechs and other relevant institutions alike.
Folashade is a multifaceted international leader with over two decades experience spanning across strategy and performance management, finance, business culture transformation, change, sustainability and corporate affairs. She was appointed director of communications, public affairs and sustainable development for Lafarge Africa Plc (a member of LafargeHolcim Group) in 2016. During her career, she has worked for PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Diageo Plc. Ford Motors and the Ministry of Finance – Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria (YouWiN) enterprise programme supported by the Department for International Development UK (DFID) and the World Bank.
Beyond her day job, Folashade also served on the 24 Executive Board Committee of the Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG) and currently serves as a board member of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Private Sector Advisory Group (PSAG) Nigeria and the board of the United Nations Global Compact Nigeria. She also sits on the Board of the European Business Organisation (EBO) in Nigeria where she serves as the president.
Speaking on her appointment, she said: “I am extremely delighted at this great opportunity to serve with a great sense of national pride. My focus will be to drive for veritable representation that positively impacts gender equality in the corporate business world and also support local investors access to the global angels’ market.’’
WBAF under the leadership of its chairman, Baybars Altuntas, welcomed the appointment as Folashade will once again distinguish herself in the pursuit of the organization’s commitment to collaborate globally in order to empower the economic development of the world by fostering innovative financial instruments for startups, scaleups, innovators, entrepreneurs and SMEs and to promote gender equality and women’s participation in all sectors of the world economy.