Mastermind
Carl Acolatse is a business consultant and start-up entrepreneur with 10+ years of experience in Ghana and the United States. In addition to his role as CEO of MindNET Technologies Ltd., he also the development manager for “SWEEP” a $60+ million project to produce electricity from municipal waste.
Carl holds an International MBA degree from Nyenrode Business Universiteit in the Netherlands, with strong competencies in strategy, entrepreneurship and business process optimization. He also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Ghana, and a professional qualification in International Shipping and Logistics from the A.P. Moller-Maersk Training Centre in Copenhagen, Denmark.
In the last two years he has executed consulting projects in the Netherlands and Ghana for companies such as IBM, Capgemini, KPN, AUN Capital and Spaans Babcock B.V. His functional experience includes business development, operations management, sales & marketing, logistics and distribution. Carl is currently a board member of the Ghana Netherlands Business and Culture Council, an organization that works hand in hand with the Dutch Embassy in Ghana to promote commerce and collaboration between Dutch and Ghanaian companies.
Financial Brain
Chiharu Oyama is a Japanese national with 8 years of work experience in Tokyo and Bangkok. She began her career within the Mizuho financial group, and developed her career as a financial consultant, offering various financial services to high net worth individuals.
Through her experiences in Bangkok, she discovered the potential for doing business in emerging countries and is passionate about connecting Japanese investors to overseas opportunities. Her strengths lie in research, planning, execution and finance. She is also a tried and tested entrepreneur.
After launching VIVIA.com.gh in Ghana, she also founded VIVIA JAPAN Inc. in Tokyo the following year and launched a natural skin care brand inspired by natural Ghanaian ingredients like Moringa and Shea Butter. She introduced Moringa oil from Ghana commercially for the first time in Japan. Chiharu is meanwhile also the CFO of MindNET Technologies Ltd., and responsible for all financing and investing decisions of the company.
She holds a B.A in English and American Literature from Seikei University in Japan and an International MBA at Nyenrode Business University in Netherlands. She speaks fluent Japanese and English.
The Gaian
Have you ever heard of Gaia?
It is the living- breathing being that we call Earth. All the things that sustain life on Earth, the organisms, inorganic material, flows and their interactions is what Gaia encompasses. Throughout time Gaia has created an intricate and interwoven web that interlinks all beings with one another. These conditions have allowed the inexplicable thing that is life to multiply, thrive, create and live. This is what Abdallah Ekow Manuar Smith believes in, and this is what he works towards maintaining.
Abdallah holds a MSc degree from Lund University’s Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science program from which he grew and cultivated his passion for nurturing and facilitating sustainable connections between society and nature. Before which, he obtained his Bachelor’s degree as a Political Science Major and double minored in International Development and Global Environmental Studies at Clark University, Massachusetts.
His previous lines of work include a 2 year stint for the Ghanaian based startup company Creàtures at which he performed multiple roles including, account and project manager, copywriter, and film producer. He also worked for Clark University Admissions as their International Ambassador visiting schools across Africa to tell them about Clark University’s unique academic experience. He has worked on several side projects across multiple fields including music and film, and has a strong passion for writing fiction and journalistic pieces. Currently, he is a writer for the Heroes and Friends Crowdfunding group and has a blog on the African Exponent. Above all else, he is a football enthusiast.
The Princess
Tracy has an indefatigable passion for environmental sustainability. This culminated in her pursuit of a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi-Ghana and completed in 2015. As her passion grew, it became part of her lifestyle and unflinching quest to contribute her quota in mitigating environmental degradation, she further pursued a master’s degree in Sustainable Environmental Management at the University of Greenwich in the UK in 2016/2017 academic year. Her aspiration came into fruition as she was awarded a full scholarship from the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, UK.
She has gained a series of work experience as an intern during her undergraduate degree at the Water Resources Commission, Environmental Protection Agency and Rasaboat Ghana Limited.She also worked with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) in Ghana after her undergraduate degree. She was tasked with ensuring environmental and health safety measures.
In terms of volunteerism, She worked with the Ghana Youth Climate Coalition (GYCC) a Non-Profit Organization aimed at creating awareness of environmental issues. She held a position as the secretary for the KNUST chapter and was the programmes committee head for Eastern Region, Ghana. Tracy has worked with an NGO called Richbone Initiative Foundation for four years as a project officer. She was part of the organizing team for campaigns in the area of Youth Development, Women’s Empowerment in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).