Tony Elumelu Foundation names inaugural CEO

29 Sep 2010

The Tony Elumelu Foundation has appointed Dr Wiebe Boer as its inaugural CEO. The foundation aims to promote and celebrate excellence in business management, entrepreneurship and leadership in Africa. Hailing from Nigeria, Dr Boer has both global and African experience. He will begin his role as the first CEO of the foundation on Monday, 25 October 2010.

"We considered many extraordinary candidates from around the world during the search for the CEO," said the founder, Tony Elumelu. "Wiebe brings with him very relevant institutional experience. Equally important, he shares our passion for the development of the continent and its people. Wiebe is the right CEO to lead the strategies we are developing to ensure that African business is represented and professionally equipped to compete in the global mainstream and contribute to Africa's prosperity."

Dr Boer's work - broad portfolio

As an associate director with the Rockefeller Foundation's Africa regional office based in Nairobi, Kenya, the focus of Dr Boer's work has been across a broad portfolio including climate change, agricultural development, impact investing, China's engagement with Africa, and impact outsourcing.

"Joining The Tony Elumelu Foundation is an honour and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help harness the economic and human potential of Africans to improve their lives," said Boer. "Tony Elumelu is a remarkable leader and entrepreneur who serves as a role model for a generation of Africans. I am thrilled to join Mr Elumelu and this team as I'm convinced that through this commitment to business leadership and entrepreneurial development, we can equip African business communities to radically transform the performance and efficiency of our economies. Our vision is for this foundation to be a benchmark for 21st century African philanthropy."

Dr Boer's background

Dr Boer joined the Rockefeller Foundation in early 2008 after three years as a consultant with McKinsey & Company's Atlanta office, where in addition to numerous engagements in the private sector in the US, he participated on the team that worked with the Government of Kenya to develop the economic pillar of Vision 2030, the country's ambitious long-term development strategy. Prior to joining McKinsey, Wiebe spent two years in Mauritania managing a USAID-funded food aid development project for World Vision.

Dr Wiebe has a PhD in African History from Yale University and an undergraduate degree from Calvin College. While carrying out his dissertation research in Nigeria on the role of football in the construction of a Nigerian national identity, Wiebe and a group of partners set up the first major ISP in central Nigeria.

"The work of the foundation is a significant opportunity for the future of Africa" said Tony Elumelu. "In Wiebe we have chosen a leader who embodies the spirit of excellence, entrepreneurship and execution that The Tony Elumelu Foundation exemplifies".

Goals of the foundation

The Tony Elumelu Foundation seeks to contribute to the economic transformation of the African continent through fostering Africa's business and entrepreneurial leadership. It is focused on building and engaging African business communities to contribute to Africa's prosperity. Prior to establishing the foundation, Tony Elumelu led the United Bank for Africa through its transformation from a single-country focused bank to a diversified business, operating across Africa and the world. Elumelu is now the chairman of Heirs Holdings Limited. Heirs Holdings is a pan-African principal investment company focused on financial services, natural resources, infrastructure, healthcare and other sectors critical to Africa's economic development.