Speakers
Proudly supported by industry leaders and innovators.
2026 Event Speakers
Lasting legacy in an evolving world
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Marjorie Kivuva
Tarra Agility Africa
Partner – Private Wealth
Email Address:
Biography
Marjorie Kivuva is Partner, Private Wealth and Head of Legal at Tarra Agility Africa. The firm advises indigenous and international families and businesses across tax, legal and accounting matters, bringing all three together under one roof. An approach well-suited to families whose interests span several countries.
Her practice focuses on private wealth and legacy: private and family wealth and business tax issues, estate and trust administration, family corporate governance and family succession planning, formation of trusts, foundations and other structures (local and offshore), will creation and execution, creation of family constitutions and shareholder agreements, dispute resolution through mediation, settlements, and litigation, guidance on next-generation influence in family business operations and wealth preservation.
She works with founders and their families, family offices and institutional trustees, helping them organise and transition wealth in good order.
An Advocate of the High Court of Kenya 2012, Marjorie holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and has 14 years’ experience advising on succession and estate planning, real estate, corporate, finance, banking, energy, and estate planning. She is a member of the Centre of Corporate Governance and the Institute of Directors (Kenya).
She is a convener of the Nairobi Private Wealth Conference, which brings families and specialists together around the intergenerational transfer of wealth in Africa.
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Beatrice Njeri
Tarra Agility Africa
Partner – Tax & Accounting
Email Address:
Biography
CPA Beatrice Njeri is a multidisciplinary finance and tax professional with over 14 years of progressive experience in tax advisory, accounting, and corporate financial structuring across both public and private sectors in Africa. She currently serves as Co-founder and Partner at Tarra Agility Africa, a boutique international advisory firm providing bespoke legal, tax, and accounting solutions to enable ambitious indigenous and foreign investments across the continent.
In this role, Beatrice leads high-level strategic engagements centered on transaction structuring, cross-border tax optimization, and regulatory compliance for high-growth enterprises and institutional investors. Her focus is operational efficiency, risk monitoring, and financial reporting integrity.
Beyond cross-border advisory, Beatrice brings extensive experience overseeing end-to-end tax compliance, strategic financial advisory, and robust financial reporting for SMEs, corporates, and high-net-worth individuals.
She is particularly passionate about operational intelligence for family-owned businesses helping them move beyond survival and periodic compliance toward sustainable growth, generational continuity, and data-driven decision-making. She believes that for family businesses, clarity in operations and finance is not just a tool but a legacy asset.
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Birju Sanghrajka
Chief Executive Officer and Head of Coverage, Corporate and Investment Banking, Kenya
Standard Chartered
Biography
Birju Sanghrajka is a seasoned banking and financial services executive with extensive experience in corporate and investment banking, wealth management, trade finance, and cross-border financing solutions across Africa and international markets. He currently serves in a leadership role at Standard Chartered, where he has played a key role in driving strategic growth, investment partnerships, and sustainable financing initiatives.
With a strong background in debt capital markets, project finance, and syndications, Birju has contributed to major financing and infrastructure conversations across the region, helping connect global investors with opportunities in Africa. He is passionate about innovation in banking, sustainable development, and creating long-term value for clients through strategic financial solutions.
Birju is also recognized for his leadership in supporting business growth, strengthening client relationships, and championing initiatives focused on wealth preservation, succession planning, and economic transformation.
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Edith Chumba
Head of Wealth and Retail Banking
Standard Charted
Biography
Edith has over 21 years of retail banking experience, having started her career at Absa Bank Kenya Plc before joining Standard Chartered Bank Kenya in 2015. Edith was appointed as Head, Wealth and Retail Banking from 2019. Prior to her current role, Edith was the Head of Distribution Channels. She has been instrumental in leading the transformation of the WRB business and in overseeing the delivery of turnaround strategies for the business in Kenya.
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Dalu Ajene
Chief Executive Officer and Head of Coverage for Africa
Standard Chartered
Biography
Seasoned financial services executive with over two decades of international banking experience across Africa, the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East. He brings a dynamic blend of global insight, deep local expertise,
and a strong track record in corporate and investment banking, and wealth and retail banking. Dalu has held senior roles at Credit Suisse, BNP Paribas, Bank of America and Bear Stearns, and was instrumental in launching Rand Merchant Bank in Nigeria, where he worked for over ten years in various local and group functions, ultimately serving as its CEO.
His leadership blends global perspective with deep local insight, driving innovation and cross-border growth.
Since joining Standard Chartered in 2024, Dalu has led the bank’s vision to connect Nigerian clients to global
opportunities – solving their most complex challenges, while intermediating capital and optimizing value for
such clients. He has been a champion for global subsidiaries, financial institutions and wealth and retail clients to deliver sustainable impact and economic transformation.
He holds an M.B.A. in Finance and Strategy from Harvard Business School and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Dartmouth College. He is an active member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), the Metropolitan Club and other non-profit endeavours.
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Brian Otieno
Senior Tax Associate
Tarra Agility Africa
Biography
Brian Otieno is a Senior Tax Associate at Tarra Agility with a wealth of experience in advising on the tax implications of the various estate planning tools, including wills, trusts and family companies.
Brian’s expertise extends to providing tax advisory services to clients in various sectors on a wide array of transactions including (a) financial services such as banks and insurance companies, (b) corporate restructuring, (c) mergers and acquisitions, (d) real estate, (e) carbon markets, (f) digital services and (g) setting up entities in special regimes such as special economic zones and export processing zones.
Brian also has experience in providing tax dispute resolution services, including mediation and litigation services to clients in various sectors such as (a) energy, (b) manufacturing, (c) financial services sectors, including banks and insurance companies, (d) pharmaceutical industry, among other multinational companies.
Having trained in globally ranked professional services firms, including Bowmans Kenya (Coulson Harney Advocates LLP), a premier African law firm and PKF Taxation Services Limited which is part of the PKF International group of auditors and tax advisers, Brian brings on board extensive experience with the African and global tax operating environment.
Brian is a champion of smart and tax-efficient estate planning for the sustainable growth of personal and family investments.
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Rene Michau
Global Head of Digital Assets,
Standard Chartered
Biography
René Michau is a visionary leader in digital finance, serving as the Global Head of Digital Assets at Standard Chartered Bank, where he spearheads the bank’s innovation and delivery of secure digital asset solutions for institutional clients. Based in Singapore, René plays a key role in shaping the future of finance by integrating cryptocurrencies, tokenization, and stablecoins into the bank’s ecosystem.
Since joining Standard Chartered in 2016, René has held several influential positions, including Head of Fintech Client Advisory where he established the Fintech Banking business within CIB. His expertise in fintech, crypto and digital payments is backed by an extensive career across major banks, including HSBC, ANZ, and National Australia Bank, where he led groundbreaking projects such as the launch of a cloud-based merchant platform and the development of a carbon trading capability.
René’s leadership extends beyond banking, as he is deeply embedded in the global fintech and crypto communities. He co-chairs the Global Digital Finance (GDF) Financial Institutions Crypto Working Group and
the Institute of International Finance (IIF) Digital Assets Forum, driving industry-wide conversations on the future of digital assets. He is also an active member of the Digital Asset Markets sub-committee within the U.S.
Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (CFTC) Global Markets Advisory Committee, influencing regulatory discussions at the highest level.
A former officer in the Australian Army, René brings a disciplined and strategic approach to leadership. His passion for fintech goes beyond innovation—he is a strong advocate for empowering women in crypto and fintech, actively championing diversity and inclusion in the industry. René is not only shaping Standard Chartered’s digital asset strategy—he is helping define the future of digital finance globally.
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Manpreet Gill
Chief Investment Officer EMEA
Standard Chartered
Biography
Manpreet Gill is Chief Investment Officer for the Africa, Middle-East and Europe (AMEE) region and heads a team specialising in the Fixed Income, Currencies and Commodities (FICC) asset classes. He is a key member of the Bank’s Group Investment Committee and an advisor to the Discretionary Portfolio Management division.
Manpreet has close to two decades of financial markets experience across asset classes. His previous roles have included Asia Strategist at Barclays Wealth in Singapore and G10 FX Strategist at ICICI
Bank in India.
He holds degrees from INSEAD, the Delhi School of Economics and St. Stephen’s College. Manpreet’s views are widely sought by both clients and the media. He frequently appears on international media, such as CNBC and Bloomberg, regularly writes for regional newspapers and social media and speaks at key industry forums. While Manpreet is now based in Dubai, he has previously lived in Singapore as well as several other countries across Asia, Middle- East, Africa and Europe. He is an ardent motorsport fan.
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Vishal Agrawal
Chairman & CEO
Full Circle
Biography
Chairman and CEO overseeing a diverse portfolio of companies, including venture-backed pan African companies. Vishal started Full Circle in 2017, a proprietary investment firm. The firm’s focus has been on venture capital investments targeting pre-seed and early -stage companies and advise on business start-up
solutions. The venture portfolio has had significant organic growth with number of exits.
Based in Nairobi with an emerging market focus, he is an Investment Banker with 3 decades of experience. An infrastructure specialist with experience in Public- Private Partnerships and Project Financing. He is also a bestselling author of the leadership book, ‘Give to Get’ which has been featured in Forbes, CNBC and other media channels. Vishal started in Eastern Europe doing mass privatisation deals after the fall of the Soviet Union in mid 90’s.
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Valentine Gaya
Corporate & Commercial Associate
Tarra Agility Africa
Biography
Valentine Gaya is a driven legal professional with over seven years of experience in legal research, drafting, regulatory compliance, policy formulation, and implementation. Possessing specialized expertise in tax, commercial law, securities, banking law, non-governmental advisory, and aviation law.
Valentine has facilitated end-to-end M&A transactions, advised on tax-optimized deal structures, and represented clients before the Kenya Revenue Authority and the Tax Appeals Tribunal. His experience spans cross-border investments, corporate restructuring, intellectual property management, and conveyancing.
Valentine Gaya brings a rare combination of legal rigour, commercial awareness, and operational leadership to any organisation. Whether negotiating complex contracts, managing stakeholder engagement, or streamlining office policies, he focuses on mitigating risk and driving organisational growth.
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Renee Ngamau
Founder & Executive Coach | Advocate | Specialist in Business Succession, Family
Transitions & Next-Generation Leadership
ReneeSense Ltd
Biography
Renee Ngamau is the Founder of ReneeSense Ltd, where she coaches founders, families and enterprises through the human work of succession: the conversations, negotiations and relational shifts that determine whether a family’s wealth, business and legacy survive the transfer from one generation to the next. An Advocate of almost two decades’ standing, with an LLM with Distinction in Banking and Financial Law (Queen Mary, University of London) and prior practice at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Total Kenya Limited, she pairs legal rigour with certified coaching depth as an NLP Master Trainer and Strategic Intervention Coach.
She has trained over 480 entrepreneurs, supported over a dozen families in transition, chaired Amnesty International Kenya through its own leadership succession, and served on Amnesty International’s International Board of Directors, amongst others. As Co-Founder and President of CheckUps Medical, she is navigating founder-to-institution transition in real time — and draws from her expertise and experience.
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Ayesha Abbas
Head of Affluent and Wealth Solutions, EMEA
Standard Chartered
Biography
Ayesha Abbas has established her career in the Middle East, where she has lived and worked since 2006. Her career has been centred on senior management roles within the banking and financial services sector. She previously spent 18 years at HSBC UAE, where she held senior positions across different markets in the country, region and group roles within the Premier Wealth Management and Private Banking business.
Ayesha joined Standard Chartered Bank in February 2019 as General Manager – Affluent, Head of Priority & Premium Banking and Branch Network in the UAE and was elevated as Head Wealth and Retail Business for the UAE and a key member of the WRB management team. She played an instrumental role in orchestrating the WRB business & refreshed growth strategy, and turnaround
business during her tenure.
Presently, Ayesha serves as the Regional Head of the Affluent, Wealth Solutions, Mortgage, and Deposits across the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. She is directly responsible for business growth, digital transformation and strategic business delivery across EMEA markets. Ayesha is an active member of the UAE’s Diversity & Inclusion Council, where she sponsors numerous initiatives in this domain.
She is particularly recognised for her mentorship in the Women in Tech Programme and is passionate about promoting financial inclusion for underprivileged individuals and people of determination. Beyond her professional pursuits, Ayesha is an enthusiastic traveller who enjoys dedicating her holidays to hiking and forest walks.
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Michael W. Memory
Client Portfolio Manager
Allianz
Biography
Michael Memory is a client portfolio manager, income and growth at Voya Investment Manager. He joined the firm following Voya’s integration of certain assets and teams comprising the substantial majority of Allianz Global Investors U.S. business, where he was a senior product specialist and director with product-specialist responsibilities for the U.S. income and growth strategies team.
Prior to that, Michael held roles in marketing, performance measurement and compliance. Previously, he worked at Financial Network Investment Corporation and CIBC Oppenheimer. Michael earned a BA from the University of California, Los Angeles and holds a Certificate in Investment Performance Measurement (CIPM).
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Denis Gikunda
Managing Director
Lintons Academy & Foundation
Biography
Currently Managing Director at Lintons, Denis transitioned from Mastercard Labs where he set up their innovation management practice & portfolio. Prior to Mastercard, Denis was part of the founding Google team in Africa; for 7 years there led various product development, strategy and operations teams. His time there led to rapid continent-wide scale-up and adoption of services such as Google Search, Translate, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Chrome and Android.
In 2015, while on sabbatical from Google, Denis cut his teeth in the “family business” arena, taking on a strategy and operations role at Lintons, leading to the successful launch of 8 new retail outlets and the regional launch of global brands Lancome & Yves St Laurent in just 8 months. Since joining Lintons full-time in 2019 to steer through covid recovery, Denis has led 2nd expansion phase to over 30 stores, diversifying the business into a group, establishing Lintons as a profitable, globally recognised and data-driven retail platform.
Denis is a Software Engineer by training with a B.SC in Computer Science from McGill University. He is passionate about the intersection of design, commerce and technology, bringing work experience from Canada, the US, and across Sub Saharan Africa.