Bringing Hope Celebration

After 20 years of working within the energy and supply chain sectors, Jo founded ARC Ride with the aim of improving access and transforming mobility for more than 350 million Africans. Through his pan-African ARC Ride team, Jo is establishing sustainable infrastructure that is interwoven with innovative technology to provide clean energy transportation solutions in the form of electric vehicles. He continues to lead the charge to save more than 200 metric tonnes of CO₂ emissions per year through riding electric.

Nephat is a finance professional with more than twenty-five years of experience, twenty of them at senior management level. Since January 2018 he has led Auto Springs East Africa, an SME in automotive parts manufacturing. His career has spanned four other industries: real estate at Quest Works, education as University Secretary and Finance Director at Strathmore University, food at Kenya Wine Agencies, and publishing at Longhorn Publishers. He holds an MBA in Strategic Management and a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and Finance, both from the University of Nairobi, and is a Certified Public Accountant of Kenya and a qualified Certified Public Secretary. He and his wife are raising six children.

Born in Brussels and educated in Geneva (Bachelor and Master in Economic Law), Charles found his way to East Africa through an eight-month posting to a mining exploration project in Burundi — no running water, sleeping in tents, learning the hard way. In 2013 he resigned and put his modest savings into a fish farm in Burundi, growing it year on year until the 2015 military coup made it impossible to continue. He and his wife Anna moved to Rwanda in 2017 and established Kivu Tilapia Farm, which he leads today. Anna and Charles enjoy making a positive impact for their Rwandan community, along with those in nearby DRC and the Batwa community in Burundi, through job creation and charitable projects. Together they have two children.

Roland brings more than thirty years in the food industry at executive and director level, with CEO experience across three continents having led Nestlé China (55,000 people, 33 factories, 50 legal entities), Nestlé Pakistan, and Nestlé Switzerland (which he turned around after inheriting weak performance and low morale). He left Nestlé China in 2015 to live and serve aboard the world’s largest hospital ship with his family, sailing around Africa for over a year with Mercy Ships. Roland founded and built Philafrica Foods in South Africa, a food processor pairing profit with a strong social agenda, grown to 20 factories and 4,000 employees by mid-2020. They acquired Pharmakina in 2023. Roland studied Business & Economics at the University of Lausanne and completed the PED programme at IMD, Switzerland.

John is President of the Colson Center and the daily voice of Breakpoint, the nationally syndicated commentary on culture founded by Chuck Colson. He has co-authored five books, including A Practical Guide to Culture, and taught biblical studies at Bryan College before joining the Colson Center in 2010. He and his wife Sarah have four children and live in Colorado Springs.

Rachel is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional and Certified Kingdom Advisor® with over 20 years helping faith-driven families steward their wealth. She received the Larry Burkett Award in 2022 and founded Wealth Squared in 2021. She also founded Wealthfluence, advising Christian wealth managers on biblical values in investing, and is a published author and frequent speaker on faith-driven investing and generosity.

Jansen is Chief Compliance Officer and Senior Advisor at Steward Advisors Group, which serves Christians who want their investments to reflect their kingdom ideals. He was previously CFO and COO of a $30B institutional allocator. Since answering a call into faith-driven investing in 2020, he has helped launch and manage private international missional funds.

Eric is President of the National Christian Foundation Rocky Mountain Region, where he inspires biblical generosity and mobilizes resources for global impact, and co-hosts the Generosity Now Podcast. Before NCF he co-owned Most Insurance in Tampa and ran a real estate company. Married to Jacqie since 2010, they have two sons and a golden retriever.

Inspired in 1984 by the power of business to fulfill the Great Commandment, David has spent his life using finance-driven solutions to create jobs in the developing world. He has served as President of Opportunity US, chaired Opportunity Global, co-founded MicroEnsure, and held leadership roles at MBNA and the Red Cross. A White House Fellow and Bain & Co. alumnus, he holds a joint JD and MBA from Harvard. David and his wife Kim live in Philadelphia and have two adult sons.

Jon has 30 years in international business leadership, investment, and strategy consulting with Cargill and Land O’Lakes, where he served as a Vice President. He has lived and worked on three continents, most notably in Tanzania, where he led a team executing over 50 loans to small and medium enterprises across East and West Africa. He holds a BA from Wheaton College, an MBA from Regis University, and a D.Min. from Bethel. Jon and Kara have four children.

Harry has spent 30 years leading cross-cultural teams, primarily in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, delivering large-scale finance programs. He has led global teams at Macquarie Bank and Andersen Consulting, and at Opportunity International and Oikocredit. He is involved in several UK startup social enterprises and sits on the boards of two faith-based social justice organizations in Australia. Harry holds an MBA with distinction from the University of Oxford. He spends his free time with his wife Julie and three adult children.

Andy is a seasoned director across corporate, private equity, and startup contexts. Before Talanton he was Managing Director of Chorus Network, a UK platform for impact investors; earlier, at KPMG, he advised His Majesty’s Treasury on its sale of Eurostar. As a Christian evangelist he has led global missions and spoken at major companies. He is a chartered accountant. Andy, his wife Rachel, and their two sons recently relocated to Nairobi.

Michelle is a Kenyan national and U.S. permanent resident with experience in sales, marketing, and account management at Volkswagen in Germany, Hilton in London and Nairobi, and Lattice Consulting in Kenya. She holds an MBA in Finance and Marketing, is a GIZ Alumni Fellow, and speaks English, Swahili, and German. Michelle is married and is the proud mother of the most beautiful little girl.

Kenneth brings close to 26 years across investment management, transaction advisory, corporate governance, and audit in East Africa. He began at PwC, then KPMG’s Corporate Finance practice, then CBA Capital, rising to CEO of UAP Financial Services in Uganda. He founded and led Moussahs Advisory before joining Talanton in 2023. He holds a BComm in Finance (Hons) from the University of Nairobi and is a CPA. Kenneth has run seven marathons, with another next month, and enjoys farming. He and his wife have two teenage children.

Driven by a lifelong passion for Africa and for seeing its people build themselves up, Carol manages Talanton’s fund operations. She previously managed global financial operations at KOKO Networks and headed finance and administration at Purple Elephant Ventures. She studied Economics and Statistics at the University of Nairobi and is ACCA-qualified. She lives in Nairobi with her seven-year-old son, whom she describes as “her heart walking outside her body.” Carol has summited Mt. Kenya and Kilimanjaro.

Desiree leads marketing and administration at Talanton, bringing 20 years across corporate sales, executive support, and non-profit leadership — including founding a non-profit serving the homeless community in her hometown of Virginia Beach. A mother of four, she now lives in Brisbane, Australia, and spends weekends cheering from the soccer sidelines. Having lived and traveled across five continents, she brings valuable international insight to her work.

Julie’s career spans school chaplaincy in Australia, pastoring university students in Oxford, donor management at Opportunity International UK, and serving as Executive Director of International Care Ministries in Hong Kong. She holds a Bachelor of Theology from Oxford and a Bachelor of Applied Science from the University of Canberra. Alongside her role at Talanton, Julie chairs the Elder Board of her local Baptist church and leads several Bible study groups. Julie is married to Harry and mum to three wonderful humans.

Brooke has been with Talanton for over two years as Executive Assistant, after 15+ years in Montessori education — a background that taught her to hold complex schedules and meticulous records. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Western Baptist College and is active in her church, including children’s ministries and mission trips. An outdoor enthusiast, she camps, kayaks, and hikes. She is a wife and mother of two teenagers.

Kathy is retired from a career as portfolio manager at Dodge & Cox and now gives her time to faith-based organizations. She sits on the boards of The Fuller Foundation and New Door Ventures, the Opportunity International Ambassadors Council, the steering committee of JPOW, and Generous Giving. She also consults for faith-based non-profits through the Barnabas Group.

Peter holds degrees in chemical engineering and business administration and had a distinguished career as President of UTi Worldwide Inc., a global logistics company. He served 11 years on the board of Opportunity International and chaired the Westmont College Board of Trustees. Monique was a core leader for Community Bible Study and now leads a women’s study through their church; she is an artist and ceramicist. They live in California and have four adult children and 12 grandchildren.

Christian started his first cable television company at 16, then earned a BA in Economics from Colorado College. Over the next thirty years he started and sold over two dozen telecom companies in seven states, served on the National Cable Television Co-Op board, and was named a Cable Television Pioneer. Married to his high school sweetheart Karyn, they have four children and four dogs. Christian skis, fly fishes, leads men’s small groups and mission trips, and flies airplanes with friends.

Sam is an economist, policy advisor, and business leader whose career spans the public and private sectors, including top leadership roles within the Kenyan government. He is a non-executive board director at Equity Group Bank and sits on boards in insurance, food processing, and logistics. He recently completed an interim President and CEO role at GiveDirectly, and works toward a prosperous, thriving Africa built through job and wealth creation.

Jeff is President and CEO of Baillie Lumber Co., a manufacturer and distributor of hardwood lumber and flooring. He graduated from Wheaton College in 1982 and Harvard Law School in 1985, and practiced law at Kirkland and Ellis in Chicago until joining Baillie in 1990. He has served on the boards of Wheaton College, Opportunity International, the Nichols School (Chair 2017–2020), the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, and his local church. He has three sons: Ben, Seth, and Luke.

Dana is an impact investor — angel, venture, and private equity — and Ambassador for Impact Foundation. She sits on the boards of Talanton, Noble Story Co, and Five Talents US, and co-founded the Washington DC chapter of Faith Driven Entrepreneur and Investor. She spent 20 years at USAID managing over 30 staff and $60 million in foreign aid, and holds a Master’s in International Economic Development from Columbia. With her husband Bill she co-authored Stewards Not Owners.

Hervé is a former Founding Senior Partner of CarVal Investors, where he managed a global portfolio and served on the investment committee. Before CarVal he led M&A and strategy for Cargill and HP Europe. He has served on the global and US boards of Opportunity International and its affiliate banks in Ghana and Mozambique. Raised in France, he lives in Minneapolis with his wife Jennifer, and believes in using his time and talents generously to glorify God.

Dave is a Founding Partner with Edgewater Funds, a private equity firm with over $4 billion in committed capital. He was previously CEO of YesMail and a consultant with McKinsey & Company, and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. He chairs The Faraja Fund Foundation, which supports a primary school for children with physical disabilities in Tanzania. He and his wife Tracy have three children and three grandchildren.