21 APR 2020
Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli (MBA 1999) and Mezuo O. Nwuneli (MBA 2003) to be Harvard Business School’s Class Day Speakers
Will Address Class of 2020 as part of Virtual Commencement Exercises


Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli and Mezuo O. Nwuneli
Photo: Susan Young
BOSTON—Alumni Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli (MBA 1999) and Mezuo O. Nwuneli (MBA 2003), leaders in the African agriculture and nutrition landscape, will be Harvard Business School’s (HBS) Class Day Distinguished Speakers on Thursday, May 28, 2020.

The ceremony, which will be presented virtually on the same day as the broader Harvard University commencement and the conferring of HBS diplomas, will also include a welcome from the co-presidents of the MBA Class of 2020 and a student address.

Mezuo Nwuneli is the Managing Partner, Sahel Capital Agribusiness Managers Ltd., which manages FAFIN, a private equity fund that invests in mid-sized agribusinesses in Nigeria. He has worked for 25 years in corporate finance, investment banking, and private equity. He was selected as an Archbishop Tutu Fellow and is an Eisenhower Fellow. Mezuo is on the board of directors of a range of companies in Nigeria, and he earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Management from Carnegie Mellon University.

Ndidi Nwuneli is the Managing Partner of Sahel Consulting Agriculture & Nutrition Ltd., which works across West Africa shaping agricultural policy, creating catalytic ventures, and implementing ecosystem solutions. She has 25 years of experience in international development. Ndidi is also the Founder of LEAP Africa, an author of several books, and serves on the Boards of the Rockefeller Foundation, Godrej Consumer Products India, Fairfax Africa Canada, and the African Philanthropy Forum. Ndidi holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

In 2009, the couple co-founded AACE Foods, a food manufacturing company which sources from over 10,000 farmers and produces a range of packaged food products for local and international markets. Based in Lagos, Nigeria, they actively contribute to educational and health initiatives through their family foundation.

The HBS Class Day ceremony is planned and conducted by a committee of second-year MBA students. It is open to members of the graduating class and their guests as well as HBS alumni, faculty, and staff.