The NCDF Global Advisory Board is a distinguished group of experts and thought leaders from diverse fields who provide invaluable guidance and strategic direction to the NCDF. Comprised of individuals with extensive experience in areas such as finance, technology, sustainability, policy-making, and social entrepreneurship, the Advisory Board plays a crucial role in shaping the organization's initiatives and ensuring their alignment with global best practices. Through their collective wisdom and expertise, the Advisory Board helps to drive sustainable development, foster innovation, and maximize the positive impact of NCDF's projects around the world.
Chairman, Advisory Board
Shehu Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai El-Kanemi, born on May 13, 1957, is the Shehu of Borno Emirate in northeast Nigeria. He assumed the position in 2009, succeeding his father, Shehu Umar Ibn Abubakar Garbai. Shehu Abubakar attended Government College Maiduguri for his secondary education and later pursued further studies at Kaduna Polytechnic (1978-1982) and Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (1986), where he obtained an Advanced Diploma in Local Government Administration. Throughout his career, he served in various government ministries and held the position of Permanent Secretary.
Member, Advisory Board
Cliff Southcombe, the Managing Director of Social Enterprise International Ltd, has been instrumental in promoting the concept of social enterprise across 45 countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa for the past two decades. With a firm belief in ethical governance and social objectives, Cliff leads a team of 20 experts spread across Europe, South America, and Asia. He has established active Social Licences with like-minded international companies and is a key figure in the FairShares movement. Cliff, originally from India but now based in the UK, played a pivotal role in the early 90s Social Enterprise movement in the UK.
ADVISORY BOARD
Sebastian is a business growth and M&A expert specializing in industrial tech, agrifood tech, and smart cities. With a background in research, advisory, and investment, he excels in deep-diving into industries, advising senior executives, and executing investment transactions. Currently focused on unlocking capital for regenerative agriculture, Sebastian leverages his family's background and industry experience to identify opportunities and drive capital into areas like financing new agricultural models, agricultural technology, infrastructure innovation, and emerging market initiatives for RegenAg. Beyond his work in regenerative agriculture, Sebastian actively collaborates with international investors, organizing impactful industrial and agrifood tech pitch events. As an experienced public speaker, Sebastian is open to engaging in various speaking opportunities, bringing his wealth of expertise to diverse audiences.
ADVISORY BOARD
Rishi Gohill is a versatile and commercially astute Strategy Consultant and Change Programme Manager with over 17 years of experience in financial services, spanning sales and trading, risk management, equity derivatives, rates, structured trading desks, and business planning. Known for top-level stakeholder management and engagement, with a focus on promoting business cases, facilitating management decision-making, and presenting optimal paths to delivery. Proficient in full project lifecycle management and utilizing front-to-back PDLC/SDLC frameworks, translating business requirements into tangible project deliverables. Key expertise includes blockchain technology, Bloomberg, Murex, ION, JIRA, Salesforce, and AWS, among others. With a background in Mathematics from the University of Southampton, excels in applying analytical skills to drive business strategy and growth planning, with a keen interest in number theory, topology, cryptography, and group/rings/field theory.
Sign up for NCDF insights to receive trends, sustainability, impact investing and more directly to your inbox