S2 E8: The Case for Diversity with Soula Proxenos

In the final episode of Season 2 of Creating Markets, we talk to professional board member  Soula Proxenos about what it means to lead both from inside and outside of a company. We learn where she found her fighting spirit and why it is important to have not only women, but a diversity of people represented and listened to at the highest level of an organization. Proxenos tells us why diversity is very good for business.  IFC’s Trailblazer’s report IFC’s Women on Boards and in Business Leadership program  

In this episode of Creating Markets, IFC speaks with Sairee Chahal, the CEO and founder of Sheroes, a women’s only social network. Born out of a legacy of women-only spaces in India, with the Sheroes platform, Sairee’s goal is to create peer-to-peer networking across a range of topics from financial literacy to health and wellbeing. She tackles the challenge of making a safe space for women in the digital age, and notes that when women are included financially, economies perform better. The Sheroes Platform founded by Sairee Chahal IFC’s work in India  

As the CEO of the African Economic Challenge Fund, Victoria Sabula looks for innovative companies to fund. In this episode, IFC speaks with Sabula about what it means to support local businesses across Africa, what investment can do for a community and how to get more African businesses “investor ready.”  AECF Africa IFC’s SME Finance The Kakuma Kalobeyei Challenge Fund

In this episode of Creating Markets, IFC speaks with Santiago Sosa, co-founder of the online commerce platform Nuvemshop about what it takes to start an online business and how to scale it. We also speak about the opportunities for growth and investment in Latin America and how to support small business owners so they can thrive. Santiago Sosa’s platform, Nuvemshop  SME Finance IFC in Latin America and the Caribbean  

In this episode of Creating Markets, IFC speaks with Andile Ngcaba, the chairman of Convergence Partners, a private equity fund that specializes in information and communications technology (ICT). He talks about impact investing and the rewards that have come from decades on the ground building digital infrastructure across the African continent. He also shares the exciting future ahead for a continent that is fast becoming digital.   Andile Ngcaba’s Private Equity firm Convergence Partners A global initiative to connect every school to the internet A pan African cloud-based digital service provider Africa’s first broadband submarine cable IFC’s work on disruptive technologies and venture capital  

In this episode, IFC speaks to Chetna Sinha, founder of Mann Deshi Mahila Cooperative Bank, a bank in India aimed at rural women. Chetna speaks to us about what financial literacy means for women, why it’s important to have access to a bank account, and what financial institutions can do to empower women in India.    Chetna Sinha’s bank for women in India IFC’s Work on Gender in South Asia  IFC’s work on microfinance

In this episode, IFC speaks with Patrick Beattie, the co-founder, and CEO of health tech company Redbird. We talk to Patrick about what drew him to work in West Africa, what it means to decentralize the health-care system, and how to help patients manage chronic disease by putting them in the driver's seat. For more information about this episode visit: Patrick Beattie’s Company Redbird  IFC’s Work in Health Newtown Partners  Founders Factory Africa

IFC talks to Sarah El Battouty, the founder of one of Egypt’s leading environmental design and auditing companies, ECOnsult. In this episode, she talks about charting her own path away from her family’s expectations, and making green buildings affordable, accessible, and respected in Egypt. For more information about this episode, see: Sarah El Battouty’s company Egypt’s leading green building consultancy  Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies (EDGE)  IFC’s work in the Middle East and North Africa

IFC talks to Shuvi Shrivastava, Vice President at Lightspeed India, where she invests in startups in the fintech and consumer tech sector. In this episode, she talks about how she landed on a Forbes 30 Under 30 list and highlights the struggle with self-confidence, both in herself and other entrepreneurs and investors in India, where opportunities for investment are increasing by the day.  For more information about this episode, see: Shuvi Shrivastava’s Medium articles Lightspeed India IFC’s work in India Indian startups answer the call

For the second part of this two-part series on logistics, IFC talks to Imperial Logistics CEO Mohammed Akoojee again to discuss how African nations are planning for the distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine. Akoojee dives into some of the considerations and essential factors that go into one of the biggest vaccination campaigns the continent has ever seen, including vaccine scarcity, cold chains, and making sure the doses are secure.  For more info about this episode, see: Investment Opportunities in Temperature-Controlled Logistics (TCL) – A Series of Notes Investment Opportunities in Temperature-Controlled Logistics Navigating Africa’s New Logistics Landscape COVID-19’s impact sector notes on airports, and on logistics