Mick Bardella
Chair of Trustees
Mick is a partner at EY. Born to Italian migrant parents in South Africa, he moved to the UK in 2007 having spent the prior eight years in Australia. Mick works predominantly in the Mining & Metals sector and has extensive experience working in low and middle-income countries. He is part of Team Abana, who has ridden across America and Australia to raise funds for Chance for Childhood.
Elizabeth Ntege
Elizabeth is the Co-founder and Director of NFT Consult Group, a business process outsourcing and consultancy firm with offices across East Africa. She has extensive experience in business strategy and transformation, serving as a business advisor and integrator at Uganda’s largest start-up business incubator and a non-executive director at Stanbic bank among other governance positions. Elizabeth has recently joined Impact2Invest, an initiative that supports the development of a growing community of 100 women entrepreneurs in Africa. Her purpose is to inspire others in the belief that they too have the potential to make a difference in their community.
Nicoletta Piccolrovazzi
Nicoletta is the Co-founder of Applied Sustainability GmbH, a consulting firm that helps organisations position sustainability at the core of business and operations. She held leadership positions in a Fortune 500 company serving a global customer base. Her expertise covers topics from Leadership, Sustainability, and R&D to end-use markets for advanced materials. Nicoletta is a strong advocate and promoter of diversity and inclusion. She is a supporter of the Rainbows4Children Foundation (Ethiopia) and a tutor on the Business and Climate Change course of the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.
Carole Ramella
Carole has over twenty years of experience in fundraising advisory, financial analysis and company valuation having worked with Paribas, Arthur Anderson and Duff & Phelps among others. She has experience among multiple sectors and has worked with companies across 15 countries. As well as founding GFA consulting in 2011 to support the growth of African businesses, Carole is also a Foreign Trade Advisor for the French Government and sits on the Investment Committee of Investisseurs & Parenaires, a leading French private equity fund investing in Africa.
MAX WHICHER
Max is the Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer of Spin Brands, a specialist social media agency. From a young age, Max raised finances to build a skatepark for his community through government grants and council funding, sparking his passion for leadership. He continued along this path, managing a team at a local cycle business that he eventually acquired through a leveraged MBO at the age of 19 and went on to grow and sell 8 years later. Max continued to pursue his entrepreneurial dreams and worked hard to build his business acumen with new ventures. His expertise spans commercial and digital transformation in leadership positions.
Our GHANA BOARD
Geneviève Partington
Geneviève is an international development expert with over 10 years of experience in project and grants management. She is a gender justice activist with a deep understanding of international relations and the non-profit sector. Geneviève serves as Section Director at Amnesty International Ghana, where she leads a team of seven staff and three volunteers in the coordination, leadership, and advocacy for human rights issues. Outside of her professional life, Geneviève is actively involved in volunteerism, mentorship, and community leadership roles. She is a passionate advocate for social change.
Margaretha Ubels
Margaretha is a Dutch national with over 20 years of experience in education, healthcare, and community development. She is currently the Administrative Manager at Pyramid Recycling Enterprise in Accra, Ghana, and the Owner and Managing Director of Special Learning Materials Ltd. Margaretha has also held leadership positions at Special Attention Project (SAP) and Catholic Action for Street Children (CAS). Margaretha is passionate about improving lives through education and healthcare. She has worked as a Cultural Orientation and Language teacher, a Researcher and Programme Developer, and a Health Educator.
Elizabeth armah
Elizabeth is an award-winning Ghanaian education influencer with over 25 years of experience in early childhood education. She is a certified UK-trained Montessori teacher trainer and the founder of Little Treasures Montessori School, a school that provides a safe and equitable learning environment for all children, including those with special needs. She is passionate about inclusive education and is committed to helping children with special needs reach their full potential. She is a devout Christian who serves as a consecrated minister in her church. She is also a Trustee of Awawaa2, an NGO, founded by a group of international educationists & specialists, who help children with communication difficulties.
