Fellows of the Development Leadership Dialogue

A Brazilian policymaker and scholar, Adriana co-founded Plataforma CIPÓ, a think tank headquartered in Rio de Janeiro. 

Between 2023 and 2025, she was Special Advisor in international affairs in the office of President Lula da Silva. Dr Abdenur earned a Ph.D. in sociology of development from Princeton University, a MA in international education and development from Columbia University Teachers College, and an A.B. in East Asian Studies. 

She has taught at universities in Brazil and abroad and has published widely on global governance, climate change and sustainable development.

Prof Yuen Yuen Ang is the Alfred Chandler Chair Professor of Political Economy at Johns Hopkins University. A multi-disciplinary scholar of development and innovation, specializing in China, Ang's work has been recognized for both its intellectual and public impact. She is the author of two acclaimed books, How China Escaped the Poverty Trap (2016) and China's Gilded Age (2020), both featured in The Economist and described as "game-changing."

She is the inaugural recipient of the Theda Skocpol Prize for “impactful contributions to the study of comparative politics," awarded by the American Political Science Association, in addition to book awards across multiple social sciences: the Peter Katzenstein Prize (political economy), Viviana Zelizer Prize (economic sociology), Douglass North Award (institutional economics), Alice Amsden Award (socio-economics), and Barrington Moore Prize (honorable mention, historical sociology).

Apolitical, the UK platform for public servants, named her among the world's 100 Most Influential Academics in Government. Foreign Affairs, the premier outlet on US foreign policy, named her writing among the "Best of Books" and "Best of Print." She has advised multilateral organizations such as the United Nations and UNDP and national development agencies on adaptive governance, anti-corruption, and China's role in global development.

Ang has been profiled in American, Chinese, Korean, Indonesian, and European outlets, including podcast interviews at Freakonomics Radio and The Ezra Klein Show.

Dr Adeyemi Dipeolu is a diplomat, economist, and public administrator. Until May 2023, he served as Special Adviser to the President on Economic Matters in the Office of the Vice President of Nigeria. Previously Dr. Dipeolu was at the UN Economic Commission for Africa as Coordinator of the Africa Trade Policy Centre, Chief of Staff and Director of the Capacity Development Division respectively.

While at ECA he led work on Transformative Industrial Policy and on Conflict and Development in Africa. He was also Head of Secretariat of the High-Level Panel on Illicit Financial Flows from Africa. Before joining ECA, Dr. Dipeolu was in the Nigerian Foreign Service where he rose to the rank of Ambassador and served in Caracas, Addis Ababa, Pretoria and Geneva respectively. He was also a Special Assistant in the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President.

Ambassador Dipeolu is a Fellow of the Nigerian Economic Society and studied at the Universities of South Africa, Cambridge, Oxford and Ife. He is an Adjunct Professor at the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance of the University of Cape Town and serves on several Advisory Boards and Working Groups relating to development, fiscal, trade and industrial policy.

Professor João Carlos Ferraz is full Professor at the Instituto de Economia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (IE/UFRJ), Brazil. He has a long-standing experience in teaching and research, policy practice and advice and strategic counselling to firms on subjects related to comparative development, development finance, industrial organisation, competition and innovation.

His current research is related to business engagement with innovation and advanced technologies, and on State capabilities to innovate in policymaking, especially in development finance. He was Vice-President and Executive Director of the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES), 2007-2016 and Director of the Division of Production, Productivity and Management, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, United Nations (ECLAC/UN), Chile, 2003-2007. He has participated in councils of institutions of diverse nature: industrial and innovation policy secretariats, board of directors of private companies, advisory committees in international organisations and university councils.

João Carlos holds a DPhil from the Science Policy and Research Unit, Sussex University. He is Adjunct Professor at the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance, University of Cape Town and was visiting scholar at the Research Institute for Economics.

Professor Naila Kabeer is Professor of Gender and Development at the Department of International Development at the London School of Economics. She is also on the faculty of the International Inequalities Institute at the LSE.

She has had extensive experience in research, training, teaching and policy advice in the related fields of gender, poverty, labour markets, social protection and collective action. She has also published extensively on these issues, including a number of books (eg. Reversed Realities Verso 1994; The power to choose Verso 2000; Mainstreaming gender and social protection in the informal economy Commonwealth Secretariat 2008 and Organizing women in the informal economy Zed Books 2013).

She is on the editorial board of Feminist Economics and Gender and Development, advisory editor of Development and Change and the International Advisory Board of the Canadian Journal of Development Studies. She is also on the advisory boards of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development and the UNU-International Institute for Global Health.

Lillian Kidane is a global executive with over 2 decades of experience working across Fortune 500 technology firms, NGOs, and global consulting firms to bring environmentally sustainable and socially impactful change to the African continent. Her expertise resides at the intersections between policy and practice, between commercial viability and societal transformation. Her experience includes providing policy advisory services to Ministers, Heads of State across the African across a range of topics relating to inclusive economic growth – and engaging global leaders to understand nuances of the African continent – its societies, people and opportunities. 

At Dalberg Global Advisors, where Lillian serves as Regional Director for Africa, she oversees the firm’s portfolio on industrial policy and planning. Most recently, she has advised the African Union as well as governments in Ethiopia, South Africa, Senegal on industrial reform following the recent global pandemic to ensure health security on the continent. Her work prior to Dalberg focused on catalyzing private investment in Africa across sectors such as education, health, agri-processing and climate. As an executive at General Electric (GE) she led GE’s committed $6 billion endowment – Healthymagination© Africa sub-portfolio, leading a team of researchers and business leaders tasked to advance the company’s investments in Africa for Africa. Through local partnerships, Healthymagination© introduced innovation in (1) manufacturing and supply chain processes, (2) skills to employment pathways, and (3) technology advancement – with the aim of maintaining sustainable ‘disruptive’ models in the delivery of healthcare for all.

Lillian completed her post-graduate studies in management at Yale University (USA), holds a Masters from Johns Hopkins University (USA) and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame (USA).

Keun Lee is Distinguished Professor of Seoul National University (economics), a Fellow of the CIFAR (Canada), and the chairman of the Center for Economic Catch-up. He is also an editor of Research Policy, and associate editor of Industrial and Corporate China.

He is the winner of the 2014 Schumpeter Prize for his monograph on Schumpeterian Analysis of Economic Catch-up (2013 Cambridge Univ. Press), and also the 2019 Kapp Prize by EAEPE. He is also awarded the title of EBES Fellow of the Year 2023 by the EBES.

He write regularky for Project Syndicate. Previously, He served as the Vice-chairman of the National Economic Advisory Council for the chair and President of Korea, as the President of the International Schumpeter Society (2016-18), a member of the Committee for Development Policy of UN (2013-18), a GFC member of the World Economic Forum (2016-19).

He obtained Ph.D. in economics from the University of California, Berkeley. His total citations received is about 12,650 with H-index of 53 and I-10 index of 141 (Google Scholar).

Professor Carlos Lopes is a Professor at the Mandela School of Public Governance, University of Cape Town, an Affiliate Professor at Sciences Po, Paris, a Foundation Fellow of the International Science Council, an ODI Senior Visiting Fellow and a Chatham House Associate Fellow. In 2017 and again in 2022, he was a Visiting Fellow of the Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford. He belongs to the boards of about a dozen institutions. Prof Lopes has occupied several leadership positions across the United Nations system, including Policy Director for Secretary-General Kofi Annan and

Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa. He is a member of the African Union Reform team and was designated in 2018 AU High Representative for Partnerships with Europe. He has served on several Global Commissions. Prof Lopes is a widely published author with over 20 edited or authored books and featured articles in primary media vehicles. He was selected 23 times for the “most influential Africans” lists of New African, Jeune Afrique, Africa Report, Financial Afrik and others.

Mr Mutuma Marangu is an active investor and company director located between Nairobi and London. He is involved in physical, commodity–based oil and gas; renewable energy; agriculture / agri – processing and forestry; real estate; development of educational games apps, as well as advising / development / implementation of capital markets–based solutions, solely focussed in sub – Saharan Africa.

From May 2018 – June 2021, Mutuma was IPO Advisor to Kenya’s Ministry of Petroleum & Mining for the dual Nairobi / London listing of its upstream oil & gas assets back-in rights. Additionally, Mutuma has been formally engaged since January 2020 in a Senior Advisor capacity to Astonfield Solar, one of Africa’s most progressive companies involved in providing renewable solar solutions for the Commercial and Industrial sector on the Continent.

Further, in December 2021, Mutuma Co-Founded Carbon Pesa Limited, a UK-incorporated climate fintech startup company focused on ‘fit for purpose’ data-driven implementable digital-based solutions for the reconciliation of Africa’s Climate and Just Energy Transition. Most recently, Mutuma has been engaged at the Senior Advisor level with several groups involved in mitigation and adaptation in the “carbon-heavy” and “carbon-medium” sectors.

In a personal capacity, through The Mutuma Marangu Sculpture and Art Collection [TMMSAC] Mutuma is an active, large collector of 21st Century, ultra–contemporary African Art and [“Climate Positive”/“Carbon Negative”- “Carbon Removals”] Kenyan Rock and Stone Sculptures as well as historically important Bibles and early 21st Century Political and Economic Books via The Mutuma Marangu Bible and Book Collection [TMMBBC].

Mutuma has received a BA in Economics from Vassar College; an MPhil in Economics and Politics of Development from Cambridge University, UK, and an MBA in Finance from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

Bernard Mensah is President of International for Bank of America and is a member of Bank of America’s Executive Management Team. He is also the Chief Executive Officer of Merrill Lynch International, Bank of America’s largest international subsidiary. 

Based in London, Bernard is responsible for the development and execution of Bank of America’s strategy and extensive business activities internationally. These span corporate, commercial and investment banking, sales and trading, research and treasury services and associated support and control functions. He is also responsible for ensuring the effective delivery of the broad Bank of America franchise to its corporate and institutional clients internationally. Prior to assuming his current position in 2020, he jointly led the bank’s fixed income, currencies and commodities trading business globally. 

He joined the firm in 2010 from Goldman Sachs in London, where he was a Partner and global head of Bank Loan and Distressed Trading, and prior to that ran the bank’s Asia Credit and Convertibles business, based in Hong Kong and Tokyo. 

Bernard co-chairs the Africa Advisory Board of The King’s Trust International and is a member of the board of the Kofi Annan Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation that promotes better global governance to achieve a fairer, more peaceful world. He is a member of the Stanford University Parents and Family Advisory Board, and previously served as Co-Chair.

Mr Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar is currently the Chairman of Lembaga Tabung Haji Malaysia (Hajj Pilgrims Fund Board), the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), the Chairman of INCEIF (The International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance) and the Chairman of the Malaysia International Islamic Finance Centre (MIFC) Leadership Council.

Between June 2004 and July 2018, he was the Managing Director of Khazanah Nasional Berhad, Malaysia's strategic investment fund. Other current affiliations include as a member of the Global Future Council on Investing of the World Economic Forum, a member of the Steering Committee of the Global Ethical Finance Initiative (GEFI), and a board member of the international humanitarian relief organization, MERCY Malaysia.

Azman obtained an M.Phil in Development Studies from Darwin College, Cambridge University, as a Chevening scholar, and a Diploma in Islamic Studies from International Islamic University Malaysia. He is also a CFA Charter Holder and a Fellow of the Association of Chartered and Certified Accountants (ACCA). Between 2019 and 2022, Azman was a Bye-Fellow of Darwin College,

Cambridge and the Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Centre of Development Studies, University of Cambridge.

Deepak Nayyar is Emeritus Professor of Economics at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and an Honorary Fellow of Balliol College, Oxford. He previously served as Vice Chancellor, University of Delhi, and Distinguished University Professor of Economics at the New School for Social Research, New York.

Earlier, he taught at the University of Oxford, the University of Sussex, and the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta. He is Chairman of the Board of the Institute of Development Studies, Sussex, in Britain, and was Chairman of the Board of the World Institute for Development Economics Research, WIDER, Helsinki.

He has served as Director on the Board of the Social Science Research Council in the United States. His professional life in academia has been interspersed with time in the world of public policy, as Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India and Secretary in the Ministry of Finance. He was educated at St. Stephen’s College and the Delhi School of Economics. [Thereafter, as a Rhodes Scholar, he went on to study at Balliol College, University of Oxford, where he obtained a B. Phil and a D. Phil in Economics.] Professor Nayyar has published numerous articles in academic journal and several books.

His books include the best-selling Catch Up: Developing Countries in the World Economy and The Intelligent Person’s Guide to Liberalization, both of which have been translated into many languages. His latest books, Resurgent Asia: Diversity in Development and Asian Transformations: An Inquiry into the Development of Nations analyze the remarkable economic transformation, and rise, of Asia during the past half-century.

Professor Jose Antonio Ocampo is Professor at the School of International and Public Affairs, Member of the Committee on Global Thought, and co-President of the Initiative for Policy Dialogue (IPD) at Columbia University.

He has occupied numerous positions at the United Nations and his native Colombia, including UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), and Minister of Finance and Public Credit on two occasions, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Director of the National Planning Office of Colombia, and Member of the Board of Directors of Banco de la República (Colombia’s central bank). He is also a member and has been Chair of the Committee for Development Policy of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), and of the Independent Commission for the Reform of International Corporate Taxation (ICRICT).

He also teaches regularly at Universidad de los Andes and other Colombian universities. He has received numerous academic distinctions, including the 2012 Jaume Vicens Vives award of the Spanish Association of Economic History for the best book on Spanish or Latin American economic history, the 2008 Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought and the 1988 Alejandro Angel Escobar National Science Award of Colombia.

He has published extensively on macroeconomic theory and policy, international financial issues, economic and social development, international trade, and Colombian and Latin American economic history.

Professor Arkebe Oqubay (PhD) is a British Academy Global Professor and Former Senior Minister and Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia.

Arkebe is a distinguished scholar-practitioner. He holds the British Academy Global Professor position at SOAS University of London. He leads a landmark research project, The Greening of Africa’s Economic Development (2023-2027), funded by the British Academy. He is a former Senior Minister and Special Advisor to three successive Prime Ministers of Ethiopia and has been at the centre of policymaking in Ethiopia for over thirty years. 

Arkebe has been recognised internationally for his bold reforms, innovative and strategic leadership role in Ethiopia’s economic transformation, and championing the country’s pioneering industrial development model, replicated across many African countries. He is the former Mayor of Addis Ababa, acclaimed as Best African Mayor in 2005 and a finalist for World Mayor, and he has led the boards of key public enterprises, including Ethiopian Airlines.

Dr. Arkebe is a leading advocate for Africa’s industrialisation, economic transformation, and sustainability. He continues to provide crucial policy advice to African governments and consults for international organisations. His publication with Oxford University Press includes the acclaimed Made in Africa (2015), How Nations Learn (2019), China-Africa and an Economic Transformation (2019), The Oxford Handbook on Industrial Policy (2020), The Oxford Handbook of Industrial Hubs and Economic Development (2024), and the highly anticipated The Oxford Handbook on the Greening of Economic Development (2025).

He is the recipient of various awards, including the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star, bestowed upon him by the Emperor of Japan in recognition of his dedicated contributions to Africa’s industrialisation. He was also Africa’s sole candidate for the Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), unanimously endorsed by the African Union.

Dr Jonathan Pincus is a development economist specializing in Southeast Asia. He has taught in the United States, Europe and Asia, including SOAS, University of London.

He was dean of the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program, a partnership between the Harvard Kennedy School and the Economics University of Ho Chi Minh City. Also at the Kennedy School, he helped establish the Rajawali Foundation Institute for Asia and the Harvard Indonesia Program.

He has worked for various development organizations, mostly in Southeast Asia. He is a trustee of several philanthropies, including the Indonesian Scholarship and Research Support Foundation (ISRSF), an Indonesian foundation that offers scholarships to postgraduate students in economics.

Professor Fiona Tregenna holds the DSI/NRF South African Research Chair in Industrial Development, heading this centre of research, capacity-building, and public and policy engagement.

She is also a Professor of Economics at the University of Johannesburg. Her research focuses on structural change, industrialisation and deindustrialisation, and innovation and technological upgrading. Fiona has published widely in leading journals, received awards and grants for her research, led large research projects, co-edited several books, and serves on the editorial boards of various international journals and book series.

She serves on many panels, boards and councils; these include the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Advisory Council, through which she advises on trade and industrial development across Africa, and advising South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on economic policy as a member of his Presidential Economic Advisory Council. She sits part-time on the Competition Tribunal of South Africa.

Fiona has advised international organisations such as UNIDO, UNCTAD, the United Nations University and the ILO, and has contributed to a number of flagship United Nations reports. Fiona is an elected member of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), and sits on several ASSAf bodies. She holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Cambridge.

Dzodzi Tsikata is Professor of Development Studies at SOAS, University of London. Before this, she was Professor of Development Sociology and immediate past Director of the Institute of African Studies (IAS) at the University of Ghana.

Her research in the last 30 years has been in the areas of gender and development policies and practices; agrarian change and rural livelihoods; the labour relations of the informal economy and transformative social policy. Her recent publications are the co-edited (with Elisabeth Prügl and Fenneke Reysoo) Forum in the Journal of Peasant Studies on the theme “Commercialising Agriculture/Reorganising Gender” (JPS 48,7, September 2021).

She is also the Principal Investigator of a pan-African research, networking and advocacy project, the Gender Equitable and Transformative Social Policy for Post-COVID-19 Africa (GETSPA) which is examining the social policy trajectories of thirty-one African countries. She is the secretary of the executive committee of IDEAS and a member of the Agrarian South Network and a member of the editorial collectives of Feminist Africa and Agrarian South: Journal of Political Economy.