With more than 20 years of experience in global capital investment and philanthropy as well as more than $150 million committed by Kuramo Africa Opportunity Funds (KAOF) in to 40 companies in 20 sub-Saharan African countries over the last five years, it is easy to honor investment aficionado Wale Adeosun, founder and chief investment officer of Kuramo Capital Management, with Face2Face Africa‘s Visionary Leadership Award.
“Wale,” as he is fondly called, received his MBA from John M. Olin School of Business, Washington University in Saint Louis, Miss., with a concentration in Finance as well as his bachelor’s degree in Economics and Business Administration from Coe College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
In 1995, he was awarded the prestigious Chartered Financial Analyst designation, and he is a member of the CFA Institute.
As the founder and CIO of Kuramo Capital Management, an investment management firm that provides targeted global investment services to institutional investors focused on growth markets with offices in New York City; Lagos, Nigeria; and Nairobi, Kenya, Wale’s firm Kuramo Africa Opportunity Funds (KAOF) provides access to the growth opportunities in sub-Saharan Africa with U.S. endowments, foundations, and pension plans.
“I believe in and am truly passionate about the potential of Africans to create enduring and global businesses. Indeed, my professional career has been devoted to this belief, both at Kuramo Capital and in the businesses in which we invest. Thank you to the Face2Face team for recognizing my efforts and for honoring me with the Corporate Leadership Award. ” — Wale Adeosun on being honored with the Face2Face Africa Award.
In November 2015, Wale was among the 16 private sector leaders appointed to U.S. President Barack Obama’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa (PAC-DBIA), and until recently, Wale served as chair of the Investment Advisory Committee for the $180 billion New York State Common Retirement Fund and as member of the Sub-Saharan Africa Committee of the Board of the Export-Import Bank of the United States.
Wale was also a treasurer and CIO at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), where he managed $1 billion in endowment and pension assets. He led RPI’s increased investment in alternative investments globally and in growth markets, including Africa.
From 1999 to 2004, Wale was a managing director at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in Chicago, where he was responsible for more than $2 billion in assets managing the hedge fund program and U.S. equities portfolio.
Wale has also worked as a member of the Treasury Group at Inland Steel Industries –now Arcelor Mittal USA in Chicago — managing $2 billion in pension assets.
Wale is a trustee of the board of Coe College and also serves as chairman of the Nigeria Higher Education Foundation created by the MacArthur Foundation in New York City. Wale was inducted into the New York Chapter of the National Association of Securities Professional’s Wall Street Hall of Fame in 2008.
Wale will be honored at the 2016 FACE List Awards Gala on Saturday, July 9, at ESPACE Ballroom in New York.
See the Full List of the 2016 Honorees Here.
