Baobab is committed to leading by example, with rock-solid governance held to the very highest standards of competency, diversity and integrity.
The role of the Supervisory Board is to approve strategic orientations, ensure their implementation in line with the Group’s values, and uphold the highest international standards of corporate governance, ethics and risk management.
Chairman of the Supervisory Board
Vice Chairman
Chairman of the Audit, Risk & Compliance Committee
Member
Chair of the ESG Committee
Chairman of the Strategy Committee
Chairman of the HR Committee
Since the opening of our capital in 2005, our investors have shared a common commitment to sustainable development. Their successive entry has played a decisive role in the strategic direction and good governance of our institution.
With over 30 years’ experience in African and international banking, Arnold Ekpe is well known for the key role he played in building and transforming Africa’s banking industry. As a former two-time CEO of the Ecobank Group,
he was responsible for growing the bank from 5 to 36 countries and the balance sheet from USD2bn to USD20bn.
Arnold Ekpe is currently the Chairman of the Business Council for Africa and a non-executive director of Crown Agents bank, one of the leading providers of FX and payments in frontier and emerging markets. He is a non-executive directorate chair of the audit and risk committee of Aavishkaar Group, one of India’s leading impact platforms; and a non-executive Director of the Dangote Group, Africa leading industrial group.
Arnold was formerly CEO of United Bank for Africa and former Chairman of Atlas Mara. He also served as Chairman of Wari, largest privately owned mobile digital payment platform and agent network in West Africa.
Arnold holds a First-Class Honours Degree in Engineering from Manchester University (1976) and an MBA from Manchester Business School (1979).
François Robinet serves as Managing Director of AXA Strategic Ventures, the startup-focused investment team of the AXA Group. He has dedicated the majority of his career to AXA Group, gaining extensive experience in risk management, asset management, and life insurance. Notably, he held the position of CEO at the quantitative asset management firm AXA Rosenberg and later served as the Chief Risk Officer for AXA Group.
François also holds the position of CEO at AXA Life Invest, a company specializing in the design, manufacture, and distribution of non-traditional life insurance products.
François Robinet holds a Master’s degree from Stanford University in California, a degree from the National School of Statistics and Administration (ENSAE), and alumni status from the Center for Advanced Studies in Insurance. François is also a certified actuary, holding a diploma from the French Institute of Actuaries.
He serves on the Board of Directors for several AXA Group companies. François is also a member of the strategic council at FTV Capital, a San Francisco-based venture capital firm specializing in financial technology.
Over 20 years of experience at the EIB (European Investment Bank)
Since 2003, Claudio Zucca has served as an advisor at the EIB, responsible for capital optimization and asset sales. Previously, he oversaw structured credit operations on the Italian market as well as protection schemes in cooperation with the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance.Claudio has also held various other positions, such as Senior Loan Officer and Senior Policy Officer at the EIB.
Before joining the EIB, Claudio Zucca worked as a financial analyst at prestigious institutions such as UniCredit in Milan and JP Morgan in London and New York City.
Claudio Zucca holds a PhD in Quantitative Economics and a Bachelor’s degree in Economic and Social Sciences from Bocconi University. He also earned a Master’s in Economics from the London School of Economics.
Erick Decker has been a member of the AXA Group since 1999, currently holding the position of Chief Investment Officer for AXA Southern Europe & International and New Markets countries since 2006. His professional journey began in the 1980s as a financial analyst in the US Savings & Loans sector. He later joined industry regulatory bodies to oversee members’ investment activities.
Upon returning to Europe, Erick Decker joined BNP Paribas as part of a new ALM (Asset and Liability Management) team within the group, where he was responsible for interest rate risk management. In addition to his investment responsibilities, he plays an active role in the group’s responsible investment governance and coordinates implementation phases with asset managers.
Erick holds a degree in finance from California State University, Fresno, as well as a Master’s in Financial Sciences from Texas Tech University.
Hossam graduated in business & finance from the American University of Cairo, Egypt and he holds a MBA from the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.
Norway-based Thomas Klungsøyr has been Investment Director at Abler Nordic—a public-private partnership investing in and building up financial institutions in Africa and Asia—since 2019.
Prior to joining Abler Nordic, Thomas was Investment Director at Alliance Microfinance and Chairman of Banco D-Miro in Ecuador. In addition, he has over 10 years of banking experience within M&A, credit and risk assessments, and the management of a turn-around of under-performing banks in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Thomas holds an MSc BA in Finance from the Norwegian School of Economics (NHH) as well as an master’s from CEMS with leadership as a concentration.