Royal African Society Co-opts Four Distinguished Leaders to Its Council

The Royal African Society is pleased to announce the co-option of four distinguished leaders to its Council: Ifrah Hassan Ibrahim, James Benoit, John Butt, and Tammy Brophy. Their appointments further strengthen the Society’s leadership as it celebrates its 125th anniversary, bringing together expertise across finance, sustainability, policy, investment, education, and global development.

Chairperson’s Welcome

Ms. Arunma Oteh, Chairperson of the Royal African Society, said:

“As we mark 125 years of the Royal African Society, we are reminded of our enduring mission to deepen understanding of Africa and amplify African voices globally. The exceptional leaders we welcome to our Council embody this mission. Their diverse expertise, passion for the continent, and track records of excellence will strengthen our ability to serve as a bridge between Africa, the United Kingdom, and the wider world.”

CEO’s Remarks

Stella Okuzu, CEO of the Royal African Society, added:

“I am thrilled to welcome these four distinguished leaders to our Council. Their combined experience in finance, investment, sustainability, education, and leadership will greatly enhance our ability to deliver impactful programmes and expand our reach across Africa and the United Kingdom. Their insight and strategic guidance come at a crucial moment in our growth as an organisation.”

Profiles of the Newly Co-opted Council Members

Ifrah Hassan Ibrahim

Ifrah Hassan Ibrahim is the Founder of Protea Advisory Limited, a London-based consultancy advising African and Emerging Market sovereign clients on debt management, sustainable finance, and access to international capital markets.

She brings over 15 years’ experience in global investment banking, having started her career in Zurich at UBS, and later held senior roles at Credit Suisse and Barclays, where she led Sub-Saharan Africa coverage and worked closely with Ministries of Finance, central banks, and multilateral institutions such as the World Bank.

A Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Ifrah combines deep technical expertise in international finance with a strong commitment to Africa’s and broader Emerging Markets’ long-term economic development. Her work focuses on supporting primarily African, as well as other Emerging Market sovereign borrowers, in strengthening their access to global capital markets, giving her valuable insight into the economic and policy challenges facing the continent.

Born to Somali parents and raised in Switzerland, she brings a genuinely international perspective and strong diaspora connection. Fluent in French, English and Somali, and conversant in German, she is based in London and is well placed to support the Royal African Society’s mission of connecting African expertise with UK audiences and institutions. Her experience at the intersection of finance, public policy and international development would offer valuable strategic insight into the economic trends shaping Africa–UK relations.

James Benoit

James Benoit is a Canadian–Mauritian banking executive with more than two decades of global leadership experience across Africa, Europe, Asia and North America. A Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), he has built a distinguished career connecting African markets with international capital and financial institutions.

As Managing Director and CEO of FCMB Bank (UK), James led the transformation of the institution into a fully licensed UK-regulated bank, expanding services across corporate, retail and diaspora markets while strengthening its role as a bridge between African and UK economies. He has also played a foundational role in AfrAsia Bank and has held senior leadership positions in international banking, capital markets and regulatory strategy.

James has extensive experience advising financial institutions and governments on market entry, regulatory frameworks and capital-raising strategies, alongside a strong commitment to inclusive and ethical finance. His global networks span investors, policymakers, financial institutions and diaspora entrepreneurs.

With deep personal and professional ties to Africa, James brings strategic vision and international networks that would strengthen the Royal African Society’s work in fostering partnerships and investment relationships between Africa and the UK.

John Butt

Born in Cameroon, John Butt has built a career driven by curiosity, pursuing the frontiers where disruption meets opportunity for growth. As General Partner of Conduit Ventures Ltd, a regulated UK-based investment firm backed by sovereign and institutional capital, he sets the strategic direction of funds that deploy innovative solutions in energy transition, water risk, and food security to catalyse sustainable economic growth. He pursues these themes with particular conviction across Africa, alongside select markets in Latin America, Europe, and Asia.

His career spans policy and investment banking at Citigroup Global Markets and Price Waterhouse in Washington DC, Europe, and the former Soviet bloc, where he worked with governments and the private sector, building on early foundations at the Bank of England. Having lived and worked across North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia, including China and Japan, he draws on a distinctive cross-border lens. His work is informed by an appreciation that culture, innovation, consensus-building, and partnerships are as decisive as capital in driving positive outcomes across transition and established economies alike.

He holds a Biochemistry degree from the University of St Andrews, Scotland, and an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, USA.

Tammy Brophy

Tammy Brophy is Associate Director of the Oxford MBA at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School, where she provides strategic leadership for one of the world’s leading business education programmes. She leads Oxford Saïd’s Africa Initiative, developing partnerships across academia, government and industry to strengthen engagement with African business ecosystems.

With over a decade of experience at Oxford and earlier professional experience in South Africa, Tammy has built a strong record of connecting academic insight with practical leadership and enterprise development. She has played a key role in expanding African participation in the Oxford MBA and securing more than £1 million in scholarship partnerships for African and female students.

Tammy’s work focuses on inclusive growth, leadership development and knowledge exchange, and she has led major initiatives including the Oxford Africa Business Forum and programmes supporting gender equity in business education.

A dual South African–British national, Tammy brings deep experience of building partnerships across sectors and borders. Her expertise in education, leadership development and Africa-focused collaboration would support the Royal African Society’s mission to promote knowledge, dialogue and connections between Africa and the UK.

Per Kind Favour of APO

Africa Fact: Ethiopia minted its own coins over 1,500 years ago. One scholar wrote that: “Almost no other contemporary state anywhere in the world could issue in gold, a statement of sovereignty achieved only by Rome, Persia, and the Kushan kingdom in northern India at the time.”
Africa Fact: The Ethiopian script of the 4th century AD influenced the writing script of Armenia. A Russian historian noted that: “Soon after its creation, the Ethiopic vocalised script began to influence the scripts of Armenia and Georgia. D. A. Olderogge suggested that Mesrop Mashtotz used the vocalised Ethiopic script when he invented the Armenian alphabet.”
Africa Fact: “In the first half of the first millennium CE,” says a modern scholar, Ethiopia “was ranked as one of the world’s greatest empires”. A Persian cleric of the third century AD identified it as the third most important state in the world after Persia and Rome.