Advisory Board

The activities of the PAD are steered by an Advisory Board comprising the following experts possessing generations of experience across multiple regions in various public and private leadership roles:

⁠Abbasali Haj

East Africa Capital, Tanzania

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Alfonso Prat Gay

Former Minister of Finance, Argentina

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Daniel Pinhasi

Former Ambassador to Senegal, Israel

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Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Former President and Nobel Laureate, Liberia

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Eerik Kross

Member of Parliament, Estonia

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Gideon Pogrund

Director of Centre for Business Ethics, GIBS, South Africa

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Gregory Nemyria

Rada Foreign Affairs Committee, Ukraine

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Karin von Hippel

Former Director-General: RUSI, US/UK

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Ian Khama

Former President, Botswana

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Jean-Christophe Belliard

Ambassador, France

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Leopoldo Lopez

Co-Founder World Liberty Congress, Venezuela

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Luis Franceschi

Commonwealth, Kenya

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Luis Ravina

University of Navarra, Spain

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Marie-Noelle Nwokolo

Ghana

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Moekesti Majoro

Former Prime Minister, Lesotho

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Pacho Santos

Former Vice-President, Colombia

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Paula Roque

Intelwatch, Portugal/Angola

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Basil Gavalas

DIKTIO & Democracy and Culture Foundation Council Member

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Peter Obi

Former Governor and Presidential Candidate, Nigeria.

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Tendai Biti

Former Finance Minister and Human Rights Lawyer, Zimbabwe

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The PAD’s day-to-day activities are curated by:

Custodian Team

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Greg Mills, formerly the director of the South African Institute of International Affairs, the founding director of the Brenthurst Foundation, an adviser to several African leaders and governments, and an award-winning author of books which include Why Africa is Poor, Making Africa Work, The Ledger, Expensive Poverty, and The Art of War and Peace.

Ray Hartley, formerly the editor of the Sunday Times, Rand Daily Mail and Times Live, research and communications director of the Brenthurst Foundation, and the author of several books on contemporary African politics.

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Kate Almquist Knopf, formerly the USAID assistant administrator for Africa, and the director of the Africa Center for Strategic Studies.

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Stephan Malherbe

Genesis Analytics, South Africa