Debaters

These are some of Africa’s most credible voices as they've never been seen before. Stepping into the arena of unscripted, high-stakes dialogue. Each debater brings with them sector fluency, intellectual firepower, and both the courage and nimbleness to test ideas in real time.

CxO Africa Corporate Debates, The Discourse Revolution.

Makena Miriti: Head of Supply Chain & Procurement -
MPESA

Makena Miriti is the Head of Supply Chain & Procurement at M-PESA Africa, where she leads strategy and innovation across seven emerging markets. A fintech executive and trained electrical engineer, she specializes in scaling resilient supply chains that serve over 68 million customers.

Makena is a vocal advocate for Lean Agile Procurement, driving faster time-to-market and smarter sourcing across complex ecosystems. Her leadership blends operational precision with strategic foresight, positioning procurement as a catalyst for inclusive growth and digital transformation.

Samuel Ngugi: Head of Supply Chain & Facilities -
Kenya Airways

Samuel Ngugi is a seasoned supply chain executive with over 20 years of experience leading strategic sourcing, contract management, and supplier relationship initiatives across telecommunications, aviation, and manufacturing sectors. As Head of Supply Chain at Kenya Airways, he oversees procurement, asset maintenance, and compliance, driving agile, cost-effective solutions aligned with global standards.

Samuel has led transformative projects integrating Oracle ERP, sustainability frameworks, and vendor performance systems. He is known for his ability to navigate modern geopolitics, and unlock value from complex stakeholder environments.

Maryanne Kuvochi Karanja: Head of Finance Transformation Safaricom

Maryanne Karanja is a transformative force in African supply chain leadership, with over two decades of experience driving strategic execution across complex, multicultural environments. As a Council Member at KISM and former Chairperson of CIPS Kenya Branch, she has shaped procurement governance, professional development, and operational excellence across the continent.

Her expertise spans board-level strategy, stakeholder engagement, and cross-functional team leadership. Maryanne is PRINCE2® Foundation certified and holds MCIPS and MKISM designations, reflecting her commitment to rigorous standards and continuous innovation.

Tsholofelo Tsholofelo: Chief Growth & Commercial Officer - Procura Insights

Tsholofelo Tsholofelo is a pan-African commercial strategist and supply chain systems architect whose leadership spans mining, energy, developmental finance, financial services and executive governance. With over a decade of experience shaping procurement ecosystems across global markets, Tsholofelo is known for embedding transformation into operational strategy, driving digitization, inclusive growth, and AI-enabled intelligence.

Tsholofelo’s work is rooted in prioritizing executive strategic framing to build organizations that are not only resilient, but that are intuitively innovative and disruptive in their approach to solving problems.

Surprise International Guest

Every CxO Debate reserves space for the unexpected, and this year, our surprise international guest brings a global lens, sector-defining insights, and a reputation for challenging orthodoxy at the highest levels.

With a track record of influence across boardrooms, policy circles, and innovation hubs, this guest speaker will provoke, inspire, and reframe the conversation on leadership, resilience, and continental transformation.

Stay tuned. The reveal will be worth the wait.

Moderator

Gofaone Modise is a pan-African communications strategist, podcast host, and moderator known for her dynamic presence across executive platforms. She is the founder of Inbound Media, the creative agency behind campaigns for brands like De Beers Group, and the host of Conversations with Gofaone, a top-ranked podcast spotlighting bold voices in business, sustainability, and leadership. With expertise spanning brand strategy, innovation processes, and applied research, Gofaone brings intellectual depth and energetic moderation to high-stakes dialogues across Botswana, South Africa, and beyond.