Vice President, Africa at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors
Henrietta Bankole-Olusina is Vice President at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA). She leads RPA’s efforts in Africa, working with partners and stakeholders, while leading or
participating in advisory, thought leadership, donor funded sponsored projects, and other work advancing RPA’s mission which is to accelerate philanthropy in pursuit of a just world.
She was formerly Nigeria Program Director at RPA, where her responsibility was to liaise with
Nigerian government stakeholders to assess the needs, challenges and opportunities to enable
the government to drive financial inclusion regulatory reform with a focus on strengthening
pro-poor financial inclusion policies and support an enabling regulatory environment for
Digital Financial Services (DFS) in the emerging market.
Before joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in November 2020, Henrietta was the
Managing Director at ARM Financial Advisers where she was responsible for digital financial
services, innovation, retail distribution and Group Corporate Transformation and IT. Prior to
that, she was Management Consulting Lead for Financial Services and Head of Payments and
Mobility at Accenture. She has served as the Chairperson of the Financial Inclusion Channels
Working Group and member of the National Financial Inclusion Technical Committee for the
implementation of Nigeria’s Financial Inclusion strategy.
She is a graduate of the University of Lagos, Nigeria and holds a Master’s in Business
Administration (MBA) degree with specialization in Corporate Strategy and Economic Policy
from the Maastricht School of Management, The Netherlands. She is a certified trainer, Change
Management and Balanced Scorecard professional.
Executive Global Director of Sustainability and Impact at R/GA
As the self-proclaimed Queen of Pivots, Bayyina has gained experience in advertising, film, television, media venture capital, and tech industries. Within R/GA, she has worked in the Ventures Studio, Content Studio, and Creative Department as both a Producer and Art Director. Her passion for purpose-led action led to her appointment as R/GA’s first Global Director of Sustainability and Impact, where she created the flagship pro bono program, Make/Good. This initiative has supported 25+ underrepresented businesses and non-profits, helping secure $2.5M in funding and providing award-winning design services.
Bayyina has been recognized as a Humanitarian and one of the Most Influential People of African Descent under 40, an ADCOLOR Change Agent nominee, and a Rising Star of Madison Avenue by Business Insider. Her impact spans international borders and knows no bounds, as co-founder and executive sponsor of the Afro-Brazilian business resource group, GDN. In addition, Bayyina takes great pride in serving as an advisor for ESG-focused entrepreneurs and a mentor to students and professionals seeking to live more fully in their purpose.
Recent accomplishments include co-leading the creation of PAM, Founderland’s AI-powered pitch mentor supporting women of color founders in raising capital; co-creating and launching RISE, Interpublic Group’s first global inclusion framework; and partnering with Black Women for Black Lives to create an NFT for #blackinukraine, aiding over 5,000 people of African descent stranded in Ukraine.
An avid traveler and digital nomad, Bayyina calls Brooklyn, NY, and Salvador, Brazil home. When grounded, she can be found in her art studio painting, capturing breathtaking views with her drone, or blowing bubbles at live music concerts.
Founder & Chief Curator of Nubian Hueman
Anika Hobbs is a visionary retail strategist, curator, and economic change agent with over 15 years of experience in multi-level, national, and international retail trade. After earning a degree in Environmental Design (Interiors) from Syracuse University, she began her career with one of the world’s leading fashion-retail brands during its early U.S. expansion.
This experience, combined with extensive international travel across Africa, Central America, Asia, and Europe, deepened her expertise in design, business strategy, and social responsibility.
As the Founder & Chief Curator of Nubian Hueman, Anika has transformed the brand into a retail social enterprise dedicated to elevating emerging product-based brands of Africa and the African Diaspora. Under her leadership, Nubian Hueman has:
Through Nubian Hueman’s brick-and-mortar locations in Washington, DC, and Baltimore, MD, Anika has cultivated a catalyst for culture, community, and the creative economy connecting consumers with independent artists and fostering economic impact, global responsibility, and collective community engagement.
Anika is also a dedicated advocate for social impact and entrepreneurship, serving on multiple boards and leadership initiatives:
Her leadership has positioned her as a sought-after speaker and panelist, engaging audiences on entrepreneurship, social impact, and retail innovation, including panels for HERImpact by Ford Motor Company. Nubian Hueman’s influence has been recognized by President Barack Obama, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, Forbes, Women to Watch Award from Washington Business Journal, Fast Company, The Washington Post, NPR, and more.
Vice President, Global Research Forum on Diaspora & Transnationalism
Her experience includes supporting governments, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), bilateral development partners, EU institutions, Civil society and UN agencies in engagement strategies, research, programme formulation, implementation as well as monitoring and evaluation. On migration governance, she has worked with IOM, UNESCO, UNHCR, EU institutions, civil society, foundations and diaspora organisations in continental Europe, Jordan, China, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe as well as other assignments in West and East Africa. Her areas of interest in migration governance include labour migration, migration and development as well as diaspora engagement. She is a Vice President of the Global Research Forum on Diaspora & Transnationalism (GRFDT), member of GFMD civil society International steering committee, member of UN network on migration worksteam on remittances/diaspora as well as member of the GIZ Diaspora Advisory Board. She also coordinates the African nonstate actors platform on GFMD/GCM
