Meet the Team Empowering Financial
Literacy in Black-Owned Businesses
Wekeza is the only economic Statue of Liberty for the African Diaspora in the United States.
01
Sabrina Lamb
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Sabrina Lamb is the Founder and CEO of Wekeza Holdings, a Pan-African fintech platform headquartered in the U.S. that transforms how families across the African diaspora save, invest, and build generational wealth. Wekeza—meaning Wekeza (“save” and “invest”) in Swahili—delivers financial education and inclusive investment access across four African countries and the United States. Sabrina has contributed to Ghana’s foundational Ministry of Finance Digital Financial Services Policy, partnering with leading organizations including Mastercard, IQRA Bilingual Academy (Dakar, Senegal), Bronx Community School District 7, and McLain High School (Tulsa, OK). Her work consistently champions culturally relevant financial empowerment and access for African communities worldwide
02
Dr. Erick Komolo
Kenya Legal Counsel
Dr. Komolo is a practitioner and academic based out of Nairobi, Kenya. He majors in Employment/Labour Law, Arbitration/Mediation, Human Rights & Constitutional Law, Judicial Review, Legal Audits, Land & Environmental Law, International Trade Law, Public-Private Partnerships, Monitoring & Evaluation, and Commercial Law generally. He has extensively advised clients and successfully argued cases before courts in these areas thro’ his firm DR.KOMOLO & PARTNERS ADVOCATES (www.komoloadvocates.com)
Leadership Team
03
Deborah Owens
Founder and CEO of WealthyU
Deborah is the Founder and CEO of WealthyU. WealthyU was founded to provide a financial success roadmap for professional women of color to overcome systemic barriers in the financial services industry which put their financial futures in jeopardy.
Wekeza Advisors
04
Raghu Iyer
Raghu Iyer has 20-plus years of global experience in US, Europe & Asia in senior executive/management and executive board member roles including 12 years at CXO levels (COO, CSO & CIO) & board levels in fintech, financial services, pharmaceuticals, health tech, digital health and technology sectors. Prior to his current role at Nex Cubed since 2017 as a strategic investor/operator/advisor with early-stage firms, Raghu was Chief Business Strategy and Operations Officer as well as an Executive Board Member at Vivimed Labs, a mid-size generic pharmaceutical firm where he grew its business from US $48 million in annual revenues to $225 million over 5 years. Prior to that, in 2008, Raghu was founding CIO of Singapore Mercantile Exchange (SMX) which was acquired by ICE (Inter Continental Exchange) for $150 million in 2011. Raghu was also a member of the board of directors at SMX. During his long career, Raghu has held senior management positions in business/technology strategy and operations overseeing engagements globally totaling more than $100 billion in value at firms such as McKinsey, Morgan Stanley, J P Morgan, Wells Fargo, S&P, Oracle, KPMG, BDF AG etc. These initiatives focused on M&A, business/financial growth, corporate turnaround, Digital/IT Transformation Strategy, and operational/financial improvement & effectiveness. During his extensive career, Raghu has been engaged in 40 M&A transactions valued at more than $2.5 billion. Raghu has also played an active role in fund raising totaling more than $750 million for publicly listed and privately held firms as well as startups. Raghu holds an MBA from SIU, Carbondale, IL and received an MS in Engineering from University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK. Raghu also attended the Global Advanced Management Program (GAMP) at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, Chicago, IL.
Wekeza Advisors
05
Ambassador Harold
E. Doley
first African-American to purchase a New York Stock Exchange seat. He was the first president of the African Development Bank.
Wekeza Advisors
06
Reggie Canal
President, Fortis Lux Sports & Entertainment Division Licensed Insurance Advisor (Haitian-American)
Reginald Canal is President of the Fortis Lux Sports & Entertainment Division. As a leader at the forefront of his field, he is empowering professional athletes and entertainers to develop effective financial strategies in their personal and business lives. Under his bold leadership, the Sports & Entertainment Division has defied the expectations of what a world-class client service model can be. He is a shining example of an individual with a perseverant, positive attitude that steadily works to achieve his goals. Prior to Fortis Lux, Reginald excelled in a variety of roles at HSBC over a 15 year banking career including: a two-year overseas assignment with HSBC’s Consulting Group in Hong Kong, managed HSBC’s New York City flagship Premier Affluent Center to record sales results and started the Affluent African American Segment targeting High Net Worth Individuals and Commercial Clients. Reginald is a passionate advocate for inclusion and diversity in his community. He is a lifetime member of the National Black MBA Association. Reginald is Trustee for Miss Halls (All Girls Boarding School); a founding board member of the Haitian Roundtable; member of the Board of Directors of Valley Arts; and the Multicultural Committee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Reginald holds a Bachelors of Arts in French and a Master in Business Administration in International Business from Binghamton University. For a complimentary consultation,email Reggie: rcanal@fortislux.com
Licensed Financial and Legal Professionals
07
Dr. Dominique Reese, AFC®, FFC®
CEO, Reese Financial Solutions and Training Solutions (African-American)
Dr. Dominique Reese, AFC®, FFC® CEO, Reese Financial Solutions and Training Solutions Contact : https://reesefinancialservices.com/
Licensed Financial and Legal Professionals
08
Lillie N. Nkenchor, Esq, LL.M
President, Lillie N. Nkenchor, PC Estate and business planning (Nigerian-American)
Lillie N. Nkenchor, Esq, LL.M President of Lillie N. Nkenchor, PC Estate and business planning Contact : https://www.lillienkenchor.com/
Licensed Financial and Legal Professionals
09
Vangile Makwakwa, MBA
Founder, Wealth Money South African, Global Citizen
Vangile Makwakwa is the founder of Wealthy Money, a company that helps people heal ancestral money trauma so they can fall in love with their bank accounts and live their best lives.
She is also the host of the Property Magicians Podcast an A to Z guide to property investing so you can start and grow your property portfolio.
She’s the author of Heart, Mind & Money: Using Emotional Intelligence for Financial Success. She has a finance degree and an MBA and started her personal finance journey by paying off $60,000 in debt. She’s been travelling for 15 years and is building her company wealthy-money.com as she travels and lives in different countries.
Listen to the podcast here: wealthymoney.podbean.com
Contact : https://reesefinancialservices.com/
Company bio:
Wealthy Money helps people heal their ancestral (inter-generational) money trauma so that they can fall in love with their bank accounts, increase their income and live their best lives. Learn more at this link: wealthy-money.com
Social media links:
Twitter: @vangilemakwakwa
Instagram: @vangilemakwakwa
Facebook: Wealthy Money
10
Manyell Akinfe-Reed
Financial Coach
Manyell Akinfe-Reed’s journey in financial services began in 2005. Like many others, she faced the challenge of doing more with less. Her goals were to buy a house, pay off student loans, and save, but she soon realized that her salary alone wouldn’t suffice. In her search for ways to earn extra income, she met a Financial Advisor. This meeting was a turning point, sparking an ‘aha’ moment about her limited knowledge of money management. Committed to improving her financial IQ and determined to empower others, she embarked on her journey in financial services.
Manyell’s expertise and insights have garnered respect in the financial education community. She has extensively written on how economic changes affect a family’s bottom line and has contributed to Reuters, CNBC, and Black Enterprise Business Report. She’s also been a source for Essence.com and Jet Magazine, specializing in explaining how economic trends affect family budgets.
Her commitment to financial education goes beyond media contributions. Manyell has collaborated with key organizations like the National Urban League, The Department of Education, and the World of Money. She has been instrumental in developing economic curriculums for various financial literacy initiatives, simplifying complex financial concepts for a broader audience. Her work includes diverse and impactful partnerships, such as with the Harlem Children’s Zone on economic empowerment town halls, Carver Bank on homeownership workshops, the New York City’s DA’s Office on programs aimed at reducing recidivism through economic education, and Mobility Capital Finance on community engagement and financial education.
In addition to her consulting and development roles, Manyell stands out as an energetic presenter and educator. She has been a key speaker at notable events such as the WBLS Circle of Sisters and the NAACP Women’s Economic Empowerment Summit. Her engaging seminars have extended her reach to a wide range of groups, including churches, community centers, and nonprofit organizations. Her appearance on New York’s Hot 97 Street Soldiers and various Blog Talk Radio shows highlights her knack for keeping it real and meeting people right where they are.
Licensed Financial and Legal Professionals
11
Michael Warren
Licensed Financial Professional
Contact : https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-warren-b0364257/
11
Tuesday P. Brooks, MBA
Founder of AJOY Small Business Tax & Accounting Certified Acceptance Agency (CAA)
Contact : https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-warren-b0364257/
Licensed Financial and Legal Professionals
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