Women's Empowerment Committee

Lebogang Chaka

Madam Chaka has advised various companies such as Zanele Mbeki Development Trust, Aspen Institute, Sasol, Xstrata Coal, Exxaro, Volkswagen, Imperial, WesBank, Standard Bank, Mondelez, Kellogg’s, Discovery, Southern African Trust; Telkom MMI Holdings, Government Employees Medical Scheme, Mpumalanga Provincial Government, Government Pension Administration Agency, Department of Defence and South African Postal Services. She was the inaugural chair of the Former President Thabo Mbeki’s Alumni Forum. She formed part of the advisory team to Former President Mbeki to Nigeria to launch the Afro Champions initiative alongside the world’s richest black man Aliko Dangote, Vice President of Nigeria, Yemi Osinbajo and Former President of Nigeria Olusegun Obasanjo. Madam Chaka serves on the advisory board of the African Women in Energy and Power. Madam Chaka led a successful mission to President George Weah of Liberia, the “only footballer to become a president” where he endorsed Football for Peace, a UK based charity. She represented the Africa region during the Football for Peace event with HRH Prince of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge. She is the Patron for Commonwealth Business Women across 16 African countries.

She founded a company called Afro Visionary Legacy, a strategic advisory and public speaking firm with a focus on Africa and its diaspora. Madam Chaka has experience from top – tier consulting firms having worked within the advisory divisions of the likes of Accenture, Deloitte and KPMG. Her career has seen her on platforms in Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Liberia, Tanzania, Ghana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Namibia, Uganda, Togo, United Kingdom, Dubai & U.S.A.

As a Pan African speaker, she has shared stages with H.E Vice President, Jewel Taylor of Liberia and H.E Former Vice President of Zimbabwe Joice Mujuru, Former President H.E. Mbeki of South Africa, Former President H.E. Mkapa of Tanzania, Former President H.E. Marzouki of Tunisia, and Former President H.E Mohamud of Somalia and Former Minister of Public Services, Labour and Social Welfare, H.E. Patrick Zhuwao of Zimbabwe. As a speaker, she has addressed children in underprivileged schools in Ghana, DRC and Zimbabwe. She has also spoken at prisons including addressing over 900 high maximum male prisons in Leeuwkop Prison.

Some of her notable keynote presentations include; Responsibilities of Africans to innovate and collaborate with each other across the continent; Doing business with an “African” mindset; How women can become the driving force for Africa's development; The role of private sector and job creation in the renewable energy and water affairs sectors; Role of youth in the realisation of Agenda 2063. She has appeared on various media platforms such Forbes Women Magazine, Huffington Post, Liberia Broadcast System, Kwese TV in Ghana, Vox Africa Francophone in Belgium and DRC, African Diaspora TV and Channels TV in Nigeria. She holds a Master of International Business awarded with distinction and a Bachelor of Business and Commerce from Monash University, Australia. She studied African Studies to understand the needs of the Continent.

Efe Ukala

Efe is an experienced private equity lawyer and currently, serves as Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at JP Morgan where she advises institutional investors. She has extensive experience in private and public investments arising out of frontier markets.

Previously, Efe served as a Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer at Kuramo Capital Management, an independent investment management firm focused on alternative assets in emerging and frontier markets, where she advised on numerous cross-border investments deals across Africa and managed the firm’s fund formation processes. At Kuramo, she participated in the firm’s Investment Committee meetings, advised on structuring cross-border private equity transactions, negotiated transactions, and drafted agreements. She managed the legal transaction processes from inception to close and worked on diverse deals ranging from consumer goods to financial services. In addition, Efe also advised the firm and its portfolio companies on compliance and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act matters. 

Efe received her A.B. from the University of Chicago where she was a Jeff Metcalf Fellow and her J.D. from Washington and Lee University School of Law. Efe is a member of the New York State and New Jersey State Bars. She was an elected member of board of the University of Chicago Black Alumni Association and Vice President of the Association of Black Women Attorneys NYC.

Yogesh Mago

Yogesh Mago is Founder and President of Operation Water. He is also a Senior Advisor to Ospraie Ag Science LLC, the venture arm of Ospraie Management LLC, a commodities investment firm. Yogesh serves on the Board of Directors of Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc., a NASDAQ-listed company which discovers, develops, and promotes sustainable bioprotection and plant health solutions. In addition, he is on the Advisory Board of Girl Rising, the nonprofit organization behind the worldwide social action campaign for girls' education and empowerment.

Previously, Yogesh was a Senior Investment Analyst at hedge funds, Ospraie Management LLC and Merchants' Gate Capital LP. In those roles, he sourced and oversaw portfolio investments across five continents in a variety of industries, including agriculture, travel, consumer, transportation, industrials, and real estate. He has over 15 years of experience in fundamental, public and private equity investing globally.

Yogesh began his career as an investment banker at The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. in New York City. He graduated magna cum laude from the NYU Stern School of Business Undergraduate College, with concentrations in finance and international business.