Category: New Speakers

Rea Stark is an industrial designer, entrepreneur, and investor, who is best known for founding EV company Piëch Automotive and for his design workmade for some of the biggest brands worldwide.
Stark has worked as an industrial designer, with a focus on ergonomic design,for Sony, LG, Canon, and Nespresso, among others. His contributions have garnered various recognitions and Design Awards. He also founded a Zurich-based design studio, Stark & Cie. SA.
In 2020, Stark founded Quantum Group SA, a Switzerland-based holding company that creates and revives portfolio brands in diverse industries, from future technologies to luxury brands. The company is working towards the goal of creating a new type of multi-brand platform.
He also invests in new ventures through his family office.
In 2016, Stark co-founded Piëch Automotive in Zurich. The business launched the Piëch GT – then GT Mark Zero – leading to the car winning awards for its design. The electric sports car was designed with a transformative modular concept, which allows for software and hardware components to be updated,
creating a timeless vehicle.

Graduated in economics, Theophane evolves in real estate and tech industries. Passionated by the blockchain technology, he is deeply involved in several projects for the last 6 years. Theophane is the Managing Partner at Caravage http://caravage.ch and the CEO at Eldora https://eldora.do

Zimbabwean born Media Executive and tech entrepreneur passionate about communication intelligence, AI and democratizing career success with a focus on emerging markets.

Latest venture is BoxPlay.io An award winning Executive Producer of The Square – a 3 Emmy, Oscar Nominated film. First CTO of wework. Coined and trademarked CQ: Communication Quotient(™): Expressive & Receptive Intelligence(™), and H2H, Human 2 Human(™).

Fyras Mawazini is the International Development Director of SOS MEDITERRANEE since the summer of 2023. He holds a Master’s degree in International Relations with a specialization in Development Studies from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland. 

With over 27 years of work experience mostly at the international level, Fyras began his career as the Middle East regional export manager for French companies in the eyewear business sector. He then spent over 15 years working for international NGOs in various countries in Africa and the Middle East. In 2011, he joined the Drosos Foundation, a Swiss Private Foundation, as the Country Director for Egypt. From 2016 to mid-2023, he served as the Regional Director for Morocco and Tunisia. His diverse assignments have allowed him to reside in numerous African countries and the MENA region, providing him with invaluable insights into societal transformations and developing important networks of partners. 

Throughout his career, Fyras actively contributed to the dynamism of these networks and their role as agents of change. He provided support and guidance in the implementation of development programs that address social challenges, thereby actively participating in fostering positive social impact.

Dr Abu Sa’da is the Founder and Director General of SOS MEDITERRANEE Switzerland.
She has led humanitarian programs in the field, notably in the Middle East and the Horn of Africa,
for Oxfam GB, the United Nations and MSF (Doctors Without Borders) Switzerland.

She is the author of numerous papers, reports and chapters on humanitarian action, NGOs,
and the Middle East, as well as books, and has taught political science at New York University, Paris; Sciences Po, Lille, and the University of London. Caroline has also been the Director of the Research Unit of MSF Switzerland and the Editorial Responsible for the International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights in Geneva.

She holds a PhD in Political Science and International Relations from Sciences Po, Paris, and has recently been awarded a doctorate honoris causa by Lausanne University.

Sven is a Founding Director of IPG Howden Switzerland in 2015, where he advises High Net Worth individuals throughout Africa and the Near / Middle East on life insurance-based wealth structuring and planning needs. He is an industry-leader who specializes in the design, implementation and active management of jumbo life insurance portfolios for clients globally. Due to his outstanding performance, Sven is a continuous member of IPG Howden prestigious Chairman’s Council.
Previously, Sven was a Founder and Managing Partner of Swiss Insurance Family Office Ltd., a brokerage firm based in Switzerland & Liechtenstein, providing tailor-made life insurance solutions to international High Net Worth individuals and families.
During his career, Sven has held several leadership positions within the international insurance industry, including management positions at Swiss Life’s International and AXA Group.
Sven graduated from the Economic College of Solothurn in Switzerland, and later received his Master of Science in Economical Geography from the University of Berne in Switzerland and University of Plymouth in the UK.
His award-winning master’s thesis on ‘internationalization strategies of multi-national insurance companies’ was published in 2005. He is fluent in German, English, and French.

Michael joined Ocorian in November 2021 as Managing Director of the newly acquired Trust Corporation International. 
In September 2022, Michael was appointed Global Head of Private Clients, tasked with strengthening Ocorian’s focus on growth.
Prior to Ocorian’s acquisition of Trust Corporation International, Michael was CEO of the firm that he established in 2003 and had previously worked in London and Guernsey as a private client partner of the law firm Wedlake Bell.

He has acted as an executive and non-executive director of regulated businesses and is a Chartered Director (awarded by the Institute of Directors). He assists wealthy families and financial institutions in developing wealth management and estate planning strategies. Whilst in private practice, Michael was noted as having a leading local presence in the Legal 500.
Michael is a member of the Law Society of England and Wales, Institute of Directors, Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (past chairman of the Guernsey Branch and Founder’s Award recipient), Guernsey International Legal Association, the International Bar Association and sits on the committee of the Guernsey Association of Trustees (past chairman).  
Until recently Michael sat on the board of Guernsey Finance LBG. These appointments have given Michael a deep involvement in representing industry views and helping shape regulatory, tax, and legislative policy. Michael remains responsible for managing aspects of the business and retains some client relationships which include sitting on the boards of client firms, private trust companies, investments funds, and representing family interests as a protector.

Having started his career at Robert Flemings in equity research, John has over 25 years’ industry experience. 
During this time he had a long career in portfolio management at London and Capital Asset Management focussing on clients from the African continent. 
With a keen interest on the entrepreneurial side of his clients’ activities, John decided to explore combining personal wealth management with strategic business growth, focussing on the integration of advisory, corporate and business services.

John set up the UK operation of ABAX in 2015 and following the acquisition by Ocorian in 2018 continues to focus on building the bridge for those seeking knowledge, understanding and investment opportunities available across Africa, whilst maximising enterprise and shareholder value.

Mr. Erwan Camphuis holds a B.A. in Business & Administration from the University of Hull (UK), a Licence in Management from ESA-Paris (FR) and a Bachelor of Commerce from the UIBE school in Beijing (PRC). 

He partakes a vast multi-cultural and multi-country experience, having started his career in China in 1993 in government funded industrial project financing. He, then worked for over 10 years in the retail sector developing brands and successful international retail groups in more than 60 counties. 

Mr. Camphuis and his partner Mr. Olivier Sohaing are continuing the African business development legacy started in 1950 by their own fathers through  OSEC Holding, a family office based in Mauritius. OSEC Holding is a private investment vehicle, which engages in entrepreneurial and development projects in the CEMAC region (Central Africa) and the rest of the African continent focusing on real estate and hospitality, agriculture and healthcare.

Aya Zaghnin is an entrepreneur, investment banker and fund manager Aya began her careerfounding and scaling an e-mentorship platform for SMEs in Morocco before turning to investment banking, where she worked on multiple infrastructure projects as well as Series C+ startups  in emerging markets.

An avid investor, Aya directly and indirectly invested in and supported 15+ startups in the Agtech, Foodtech, Fintech, mobility and gaming sectors, advised companies based in more than 25 countries and set up funds based in the Middle-East to target GCC investments and Africa. She joined Breega, an international fund with roots in Europe with more than 600M USD AUM in 2023 to propel pioneering and purpose-driven founders from idea into impact.