Victoria Mehran is an American investor with profound investment expertise in the African region. She has invested in over 50 early-stage tech companies around the emerging market with focus in India and Africa.

An alumni of the Imperial College London, she is also a board member of three early-stage companies in CyberSecurity and Retail tech. In the past nine months, she has traveled around the MENA, Africa, and India and established a huge network amongst startups, LPs, HNI, and VCs."

Lebo Thubisi holds the role of Joint Deputy Chief Investment Officer at Alexander Forbes, a position he assumed in February 2023. With a focus on alternative asset classes, Lebo plays a vital role in shaping the organisation's investment landscape and alternative investments capability.

Lebo's trajectory showcases his unwavering dedication to the asset management industry. In his previous role as Head of Manager Research at Alexander Forbes Investments, he led a team of researchers across both traditional and alternative assets. This pivotal responsibility drove the company's investment research efforts, ensuring that strategies encompassing hedge funds and private markets underwent meticulous analysis to align with client objectives.

Spanning over 15 years, Lebo's financial services journey began at Investment Solutions before evolving into Alexander Forbes Investments. Here, he delivered presentations on investment and manager research processes to clients and contributed insightful commentaries on diverse investment themes. Lebo was a noteworthy contributor to the formulation of the Alexander Forbes Investments Transformation Policy and a key driver in the shaping a more sustainable and inclusive investment industry.

Lebo's expertise flourished during his tenure at Brait Ltd, where he honed his skills as a specialised Risk Analyst and Manager Research Analyst, focusing on hedge funds. His journey began as a graduate trainee at JP Morgan in Cape Town, laying the foundation for his distinguished career.

Lebo's contributions transcend his role, as he actively participates in various committees within Alexander Forbes Investments. These encompass the Investment Committee, Private Markets Governance Committee, Operational Due Diligence Committee, and Investment Team Management Committee. He also represents the organisation on industry bodies such as the South African Venture Capital and Private Equity Association as a Non-executive Director.

In summary, Lebo Thubisi's career is marked by strategic leadership in investment research and a commitment to delivering valuable insights. His current role as Joint Deputy Chief Investment Officer underscores his pivotal position in driving Alexander Forbes to continue delivering compelling investment solutions to clients. This aligns with the organisation's vision, encompassing expansion in traditional and alternative investments, growth in the retail sector, and leadership in responsible investing principles.

Lebo holds a Bachelor of Business Science in Finance and Economics (Hons) from the University of Cape Town.

Betty Salanic is the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Accelerate Investors and the host of the CIO Conversations Podcast. Accelerate Investors creates educational content for institutional investors, develops strategic partnerships with allocator investors, and builds high-quality peerto-peer engagement opportunities. Additionally, on the podcast, she interviews leading chief investment officers of endowments, foundations, and pensions on their backgrounds, investment portfolios, and global outlook. Formerly, Betty conducted research and due diligence on multi-million dollar private equity and venture capital investments for Rice University’s ~$8 billion endowment. Previously, she was at an impact investment fund, Root Capital, in investor relations - raising capital from foundations, government agencies, and socially responsible investors. Betty began her career as an analyst at J.P. Morgan Asset Management in New York. Betty graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a BBA in Finance and a BS in Corporate Communication. In addition, she studied abroad in Milan at Bocconi University and in Hong Kong at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, where she studied international economics and finance, and emerging markets, respectively. Betty serves on The University of Texas at Austin Diversity & Community Engagement Advisory Council and the Financial Advisory Committee for the New York Junior League, one of the oldest non-profit organizations in New York City. Previously, she served on the NYC Comptroller’s Advisory Council on Economic Growth through Diversity and Inclusion. She also served on The University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business BBA Advisory Board for six years and founded Women of McCombs. Betty is fluent in Spanish and enjoys swimming, reading (check out the 2023 Accel Summer Reading List!), and hiking.