Joanne Yoo is a Partner at Development Partners International (DPI), a leading venture capital and private equity investment firm with over $3 billion under management targeting high growth, impact-driven and innovation-led companies in emerging markets. In addition, Ms. Yoo is an investor in early stage technology companies, and in this capacity, serves on various Investment Committees and Advisory Boards. In 2023, Ms. Yoo received the Pensions & Investments’ Influential Women in Institutional Investing award.

In 2020, Ms. Yoo was appointed by the Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to the Investor Advisory Committee. Ms. Yoo is a co-founder, Executive Committee & Board member of PEWIN (Private Equity Women Investor Network), representing over $3 trillion in assets under management. Ms. Yoo is currently serving on Harvard Kennedy School Dean’s Council. Ms. Yoo received a B.S. in Commerce with concentrations in Finance and International Business from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia; a Master’s in Public Administration from the Kennedy School at Harvard University; and an MBA from Columbia Business School, where she was awarded a Morgan Stanley Fellowship.

Ijeoma has 23 years' experience in the global investment business. Her focus has been on private equity, private credit, venture capital and other alternative asset classes, channeling much needed institutional investment and value creation support into strong businesses poised for growth in a number of sectors, including consumer goods, logistics and technology. She has spent her career across 4 continents deploying capital and supporting private companies in their growth and expansion, advising on M&A strategy, revenue enhancement, supply chain management and capital efficiency. She also advises institutional and private investors on alternative investment strategies, evaluation, and allocation.

Ijeoma is the Managing Director / CEO of FBNQuest Funds, the alternative investments business of FBNQuest, part of the 128-year-old FBN Holdings Group of businesses. She is a member of FBNQuest’s Executive Leadership Committee and Chair of the Human Capital Committee. She is also a Non-Executive Director of FBNQuest Capital and FBNQuest Asset Management. Prior to joining FBNQuest, she ran her own alternative investments consultancy, OAI Alternative Investments and led Investor Coverage and Corporate Business Development activities across Africa for a diversified alternatives platform.

Previously, she spent 13 years at JPMorgan Chase & Co. including 11 years with the JPMorgan Asset Management Private Equity Group in both New York and London. There she led the group’s business development activities in EMEA performing broad functions across deal execution, portfolio management, business development and investor relations. She was a member of the group’s Investment Committee.

Ijeoma holds a B.Sc. from the University of Lagos, a CSS from Harvard University, and an MBA from INSEAD.

Hany Assaad is the Co-founder of Avanz Capital Management LLC and the CEO and Managing Director of Avanz Capital Egypt, an Egyptian asset management company and a subsidiary of Avanz Capital Management LLC, established to manage fund-of-funds and other specialist private capital funds investing in private equity and venture capital. Hany has been a member of the Investment Committees of the Avanz Capital funds. He leads the sourcing, screening, negotiation of investments, and portfolio management as well as the environmental, social and governance (ESG) aspects, working with fund managers in emerging markets to incorporate responsible and sustainable investing in private capital investments, and to strategically and effectively target to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals. Hany has had a long career in emerging markets investments, including more than two decades at International Finance Corporation. He oversaw IFC’s funds business in several emerging market regions. He managed a substantial portfolio of funds, and was a member of several advisory committees. He is a strong advocate of gender-lens investing and is committed to increasing the proportion of women in fund management teams and investment committees.

Hamdiya has over 22 years of experience in Finance and Investments and over 15 years of experience in Venture Capital and Private Equity investing. She is currently the Chief Executive officer of Savannah Impact Advisory (SIA), a Fund Management Company specializing in private equity/venture capital fund structuring, fund management, and impact investing advisory. Savannah is currently Managing the first private sector-led fund of funds in Ghana co-designed and sponsored by Impact Investing Ghana. Prior to SIA, she worked as the General Manager of Venture Capital Trust Fund (VCTF), a government backed Fund of Funds where she oversees the investments and general operations of the Trust. She also managed the Venture Capital Trust Fund Technical Assistance Facility, which is designed to support emerging fund managers and build the capacity of investee companies.

Ms. Ismaila is a Member of the Governing Council for the Ghana Alternative Exchange (a second-tier listing platform for SMEs on the Ghana Stock Exchange), an Investment Committee member for the Mastercard Africa Growth Fund, a member of the Governing Council of the Star Ghana Foundation and a member of the Gender Lens Advisory Board of the African Venture Philanthropy Alliance (AVPA). She was formerly a member of the Board of Trustees for the Global Steering Group for Impact Investing in London.

Ms. Ismaila holds an Executive Certificate in Private Equity and Venture Capital from Harvard Business School, a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University in the City of New York, a BBA (Sum Cum Laude) from Monroe College and an LLB degree from GIMPA Law School.

She is a Fellow of the 2019 Class of the Aspen Finance Leaders Fellowship and a Member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.