Dr Ken Ife is Director of the African & Caribbean Business Network and is helping to form London-wide policy through serving on various advisory groups and commissions of the Greater London Authority and the London Development Agency.

As well as the London Food Board Dr Ife sits on Business Link London’s Stakeholder Members Board and he is Business Champion on the Board of Haringey City Growth Strategy, contributing to the new economic vision in London inner-cities. He is also Chair of Haringey Business Development Agency, which specializes in BAME business development.

Over the last twenty two years Dr Ife has invested substantially in London inner-cities regeneration through his Technology Centres and has been a leading Black Entrepreneur in this field.

As well as being a respected Businessman, Dr Ife is also a Senior Visiting Research Fellow of the University of East London, a Cosmetics Manufacturing Chemist / Engineer and works as a Training and International Economic Development Consultant, working with the African Development Bank (World Bank Group).

As a Corporate Executive and Policy Adviser to the President of Africa Business Round Table / NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa’s Development) Business Group, he has a key role of shaping business policy and strategy formulation on Africa. He is the Chairman of First Produce (Nigeria) Ltd – (which leads a Presidential Task Force promoting the export of selected Fresh Fruits and Vegetables to Europe and beyond).

Detailed background of Dr Ken Ife

Trained as a Chartered Accountant, he is a former Partner in an International firm of Chartered Accountants where he specialised in the area of Corporate Finance and Venture Capital.

He then took up a number of Non-Executive Directorships in the Private Sector, the most significant being with a large food based Cash and Carry Distribution company from which he has developed an interest in the Agro – Processing sector.

He is a former Director of the Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the appointee of the Chamber to the Board of Leicester City Challenge. This company was set up with UK Government Funding for the purposes of regenerating parts of the inner city.

Regarded as one of the more successful City Challenge companies in the UK the Programme in five years generated Private Sector investment of around £150 million and created nearly 2000 new jobs. A number of new businesses were attracted to the area.

His principal role in City Challenge was to monitor the process of making grants to businesses and he was also involved under UK Government Treasury Guidelines in the financial appraisal of the larger projects undertaken by City Challenge to ensure feasibility.

In the late 1990’s he was commissioned by a number of UK Companies encouraged by the UK Government to investigate commercial and project opportunities in Cote d’Ivoire. With the support of the Government of Cote d’Ivoire he initiated the setting up a Bilateral Trade and Investment Centre in the UK to promote Economic Linkages between the UK and that Country.

Since then he has been instrumental in setting up representation in Ghana and surrounding Francophone countries.

His involvement in these countries brought him a working relationship on a number of project opportunities with the African Development Bank (then based in Abidjan) and with UNIDO.

He is a Director of First Produce (Nigeria) Ltd, his role being focussed on financial management and also marketing (in conjunction with First Produce Ltd (UK) of which he is Company Secretary).

The University of East London has a long and well established reputation for providing business and management education not only in the UK but also across the regions of the world. Participating through the Business School, the University is a designated ‘Centre of Excellence’ in applied research relating to several thematic areas in business and management, including SME’s and local economic regeneration and business development.

The UEL Business School is reputedly leading in research aimed at re-drawing boundaries in enterprise development and entrepeneurship; enterprise research ethos characterised by originality, uniqueness and relevance appropriate for developing innovative perspectives and new explanations. With the involvement of active research staff within the school, complemented by internationally distinguished Senior Visiting Research Fellows and Professors, the Business School has demonstrable competence and a track record in delivering locally, nationally and internationally funded projects.

The Business School is an Adviser to the Project, its team being led by Professor Sonny Nwanko, Professor of Marketing and Director of Research & Enterprise.

Educated to degree level in engineering and German, with a postgraduate diploma in marketing, Andy has worked for over fifteen years in the field of international trade, largely in engineering products and projects with blue chip companies, with a particular emphasis on mechanical handling and process engineering.

During this period, he has set up a number of overseas subsidiary companies and has been parachuted in to turn around and restructure failing business units. This has given him a good understanding of the necessity for a locally - based, culturally sensitive, approach to company management, and an international perspective on corporate governance.

In his subsequent career as a consultant, he has also taken a leading role in developing and implementing marketing plans in a variety of industries, covering such aspects as product launches, distributor selection, training and management, market research and evaluation.

Following a number of market gap-led sales and marketing projects within West Africa, his most recent project has been lead a project at redundant fruit grading plant and, using external and local investment to enable the farmers in the Kankan region of Guinea to access the lucrative markets of UK and Europe. Prior to the installation and commissioning of the equipment and systems there had been virtually no formal exports for the last 5 years. In the last season the team developed both the demand and an ability to supply consistent quality product that has assured a steady export stream.

He is a Trustee and executive Board member of the Institute of Export, whose mission is to improve standards in international trade by education, training and continuous professional development. Within this role, as chair of one of the key working parties, he is bringing his experience to bear on setting up a regional and international structure for the Institute membership and is also involved in liaison with other countries interested in setting up accreditation for export development programmes.

He is Managing Director of First Produce Ltd (UK), his role being focussed on Marketing and Product Development.

Educated to degree level in vocational and educational guidance for adults Tony worked for a number of years in training, designing and delivering a variety of structured training courses for Government and corporate clients. This involved a good knowledge of monitoring and auditing procedures required to ensure robust systems and processes were in place guaranteeing auditable targets were met.

He took a leading role in preparing and monitoring successful bids for ESF funding ensuring each bid was quality assured against the set criteria, met all the objectives and had added value.

Tony was responsible for creating and developing a relocation programme for business, their employees / families moving into Leicestershire from the UK and overseas working with various partner agencies such as government bodies education authorities and councils bringing employment and productivity to deprived areas. This was further developed and implanted for Ghana, Cote D’Ivoire, Burkina Faso and Ethiopia .

It was also his responsibility to research and build networks with companies looking to Africa for production and manufacturing opportunities. Sourcing new business and assessing their suitability for investment projects and trading opportunities.

Initiated and organised an exhibition for British companies in Burkina Faso to facilitate training in international commerce and the export of agricultural products to Europe. Tony completed a feasibility study for the establishment of tourist projects in Ghana and Ethiopia and carried out extensive agricultural research in Ghana, obtaining base data to produce a needs analysis.

He successfully led trade missions to West Africa co-ordinating opportunities for investigating new markets making and developing new business contacts and investigating investment opportunities.

Tony worked with a major UK company relocating and setting up manufacturing in Sri Lanka and exploring their possibilities for Africa. He also co-ordinated the Chambers of Commerce links in the UK, Republic of Ireland Ghana Burkina Faso and Cote D’Ivoire.

He has designed and is currently assisting with the Multi - Agency Neighbourhood Policing project being implemented across the UK by the Home Office.

He is a technical adviser to the project and a shareholder in First Produce Ltd (UK).

Kriss is famous for his achievements in Athletics where his greatest individual triumph was his Gold medal in the 1990 European Championships when he also beat David Hemery’s 22 year old British Record. He began his International career in 1983 as a member of the 4x400 metre relay squad and will probably always be remembered for helping Britain clinch the Gold and beat the Americans in the World Championships 4x400 metre relay in Tokyo in 1991.

In 1992 Kriss was awarded the MBE by Her Majesty The Queen in her Birthday Honour’s List in recognition of his services to the country through athletics.

Kriss is currently working in the UK media and public relations areas where his personality and reputation as a performer has made him a popular and attractive celebrity.

Kriss was born in London in 1958 of Nigerian parents and is married to Monika with whom he has two daughters. He is an adviser to the Project on Media and related promotional matters.

Other stakeholders interested in the project include representatives of UK Regulatory Authorities such as DEFRA, Food Standards Agency and Customs and Excise.

Other organisations with an interest in Agricultural Development and Food are also represented such as DFID and the London Food Board.