About Us
The Mape Project was initiated and is being promoted by International Development Enterprise Associates (UK) Ltd (IDEA (UK)). IDEA (UK)’s vision is to create world class environments, sustainable employment opportunities and notable contributions to Sierra Leone's GDP by engaging in local and national development projects in Sierra Leone.
The members of the Board of Directors of IDEA(UK) are listed below:
- Denis Stefanopulos – Chairman
- Keith Aki-Sawyerr – Managing Director
- Raymond Davies – Finance Director
- Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr – Investment Promotion and Marketing Director
- Kevin Metzger – Executive Director
- Claude Stefanopulos – Executive Director
- Frances Stefanopulos – Executive Director
- Amy Betts-Priddy – Company Secretary
- Graham Simister - Non-Executive Director
- Dimitrios Hatzis - Non-Executive Director
The Project Delivery Team
The Mape Project Delivery Team members have proven track records of planning, organising and managing resources that will be required for the successful completion of this project. The team also has the necessary experience and ability to raise the finance that the project requires.
Keith Aki-Sawyerr – Overall Project Lead
Keith is a chartered civil engineer with over 20 years experience in the design, construction and funding of infrastructure and accommodation projects. Keith started his engineering career with Sir William Halcrow & Partners in the UK where he spent eight years during which time he became a chartered civil engineer. He then spent a further four year with Lloyd’s Register where he was involved in Risk Assessments and the approval and certification of designs and manufacturing processes. Keith has an MBA from Cranfield School of Management and now specialises in structuring and negotiating complex PFI or Project Finance Transactions. Recently completed transactions include the UK’s £500m+ C-Vehicles Project and the Bradford BSF Phase 1 Project. Keith also owns UK based property development and construction companies. Keith holds a BEng (Hons) degree from Fourah Bay College and an MSc in Bridge Engineering from the university of Surrey. Keith is a Sierra Leonean and founding member of IDEA (UK).
Raymond Davies – Finance Lead
Ray is a chartered accountant with over 25 years professional service experience with KPMG in the UK, West and Southern Africa, serving clients ranging from small to medium enterprises and large public and private global entities. Whilst in West Africa, he was Senior Partner of KPMG based in Sierra Leone and responsible for KPMG services in Sierra Leone, The Gambia, and Liberia whilst also covering assignments in Senegal and Cote de Ivoire. In 1998 he transferred to Southern Africa to become Senior Partner of the Malawi Practice working in the Central Africa region which also included Zambia and Zimbabwe. In 2006 he returned to the UK and worked with KPMG London in Transaction Services in the Financial Services Sector before leaving KPMG in 2007 to work independently. Ray’s specialisation is in advisory services and has been responsible for restructuring businesses and preparing companies for disposal as well as providing due diligence services in respect of mergers and acquisitions. Ray is a Sierra Leonean who spent most of his formative years in the UK where he qualified as a chartered accountant
Sam During – Design Development Lead
Sam is a Chartered Project Manager and Chartered Environmentalist, with over 30 years experience working in property development, construction and engineering projects, both in Sierra Leone and the UK. He has a demonstrable track record in managing and delivering complex multi- million pound mixed tenure development and regeneration projects. Amongst the projects Sam has worked on are £160 million Stonebridge Housing Action Trust Regeneration project in Wembley and a £450 million Clapham Park Regeneration project in Clapham. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building and a Member of the British Ecological Society. He also holds a B.Sc(H) and MSc in construction management, and gained a distinction in Diploma in Construction Health & Safety Management. Sam is a CIOB International Ambassador to Sierra Leone, West Africa and UK, and sits on the CIOB London Regional Committee. He is the founder and Chair of the region’s Sustainability Satellite Group, and also sits on both the Chartered Environmentalist and CIOB Professional Interview Panels.
Al Jawara - Commerce & Operations (Coastal Resort)
Al is a chartered accountant with several years experience as a business improvement and change manager and has a proven track record in leading and delivering projects, programmes and business development initiatives in a wide range of organisations and across international boundaries. Al has also set up and run a 1000+ bed hotel family leisure and hotel business in The Gambia working with European Tour Operators (TUI in Germany, Thomson in UK and Spies in Scandinavia). Al is a former Vice President at JP Morgan Investment Bank. He was born in Sierra Leone and has an MBA from INSEAD in France.
Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr - Investment Promotion & Marketing Lead
Yvonne is a Chartered Accountant and for the past 10 years has been Managing Director of the Caleb Group (which she co-founded), a developer and manager of its own portfolio of residential and commercial properties in the UK. At Caleb, Yvonne’s key responsibilities included property, contract and financial negotiations, project and construction management, financial management, projections and analysis. Prior to the Caleb Group, Yvonne was a Director at Andersens (now Deloittes) where she acquired 11 years of experience in risk consulting within the financial services industry in London and Europe. At Andersens she focused on regulatory frameworks, corporate governance and the risk management of processes and controls. Yvonne is Chairperson and co-founder of SLWT (the Sierra Leone WarTrust for Children), a non-profit organisation that has successfully run significant education, health and self-sufficiency programs for children and youth in Sierra Leone since 1999. She holds an MSc in Politics of The World Economy from the London School of Economics (1990) and a BSc Hons in Economics from Fourah Bay College (1988).
Graham Simister - Advisor to the Delivery Team
Graham has spent his career in finance and trading, holding senior management roles in London, Frankfurt and New York. He started his career with Citibank London and worked at Midland Bank and Nomura Bank before returning to Citibank in 1989. He became head of the Investment Bank for Citibank in Frankfurt and was Managing Director in charge of Fixed Income in New York. Graham retired from fulltime employment in 1995 and has since worked on a part-time basis in the capacity of a non-executive director with a number of private companies in the UK. Graham is a graduate of Cambridge University and Harvard Business School.
Dimitrios Hatzis – Advisor to the Delivery Team.
Dimitrios Hatzis has over 20 years experience in the support services and construction industry, including senior roles in Amey Plc and Miller. He has experience in growing asset focused operating businesses, and transactional experience in social infrastructure and M&A. Dimitrios has also held senior positions in the public sector, focused upon improving business efficiency and practices. A chartered engineer in Greece and the UK, Dimitrios has a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering from the University of Edinburgh, a Ph.D. in Engineering from St. John's College, Cambridge University and an MBA from INSEAD.
Amy Betts-Priddy – Company Secretary
Amy has a legal background and has worked in both the public and private sectors. Prior to her role with IDEA (UK) she spent almost four years working for Turner & Townsend plc a construction and consultancy firm, in their contracts services department dealing mainly with contractual and company compliance matters. During her time at the firm she was seconded to BAA to work on the $4bn plus Terminal 5 project. Amy is Sierra Leonean with an LLB (Hons), an LLM and completed her LPC at the College of Law in Guildford in 2002.
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