Personally, crunching numbers is not my thing; neither is economics, statistics or mathematics; which might explain why I am in awe of women who have conquered the world of high finance and uncovered its undecipherable secrets. Kudos to Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Nigerian Minister of Finance; to oversee the economy of a large nation is no mean feat.
Genevieve Sangudi is not a Minister of Finance; her forte lies in the field of Private Equity Investments; an industry not known for its teeming population of women. This exceptional Tanzanian lady is the Managing Director and a Partner of the Carlyle Group, one of the largest global asset management companies in the world with $147 billion in assets under management as at 2012 with co-heads Danie Jordan, a former member of the Johannesburg-based Ethos Private Equity, and Marlon Chigwende, former head of private equity in Africa, Standard Bank. With a B.A. in English and Communication Studies from Macalester College, an MBA in Finance and Strategy from Columbia Business School and a Masters in International Affairs from Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs, Genevieve was more than prepared to tackle headlong the multifaceted issues of financing and equity across international borders.
Born in Kenya, Genevieve had a multifarious childhood-cum-teenage hood after leaving Liberia as a refugee for the United States at the age of fourteen.  As per  Ventures Africa, Genevieve started her career in JP Morgan as a Senior Associate, and went  on to gain remarkable experience in the fast moving consumer goods sector [FMCG], as the Marketing Manager for Procter & Gamble in Boston, Massachusetts where she worked on market strategies for several multi-billion dollar global brands.
Prior to her appointment as the Managing Director of the $500 million fund for African-focused investments at Carlyle, Genevieve served as a Partner and Founding Managing Director of the Nigerian operations of Emerging Capital Partners (ECP), an African-focused Investment firm with over $1.8 billion in management. Under her guidance, they made several profitable and timeous investments in several Nigerian blue-chip companies.
She also served as the Director of Continental Reinsurance PLC in 2008 as well as Director of Blue Financial Services Limited from May 2008 to September 2009. From 2010 – 2011, she was a Director with Oando PLC before her appointment into the Carlyle Group in 2011. Talk about expertise! Genevieve is clearly a pro!
From Tanzania to Kenya, Liberia, United States and back, Genevieve Sangudi is one more reason to make Mama Africa cut the rug in acclamation; are you?
