Mrs Marie-Chantal Kaninda is Vice-President of Corporate Affairs for Glencore in the DRC, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Kamotto Copper Company (KCC). She has over 25 years of professional experience in the mining sector in major international groups such as Ashanti Goldfieds, AngloGold Ashanti, Debeers Group in charge of administration, communication and external affairs in Central Africa and Communities in Africa, and Rio Tinto as Director of External Relations for Africa.

Marie-Chantal holds a degree in economics from the University of Liège, in Belgium, and for two years was the first woman to helm the World Diamond Council. Married with two daughters, she has long advocated for greater access to training for girls and women, as well as for greater inclusion in the mining sector. She is a mentor to several young women entrepreneurs in the DRC, the founder and creator of a not-for-profit association (the MCKM Foundation), which addresses the issue of girls’ education in the DRC, and is a member of several boards of directors, including Standard Bank in DRC. Marie-Chantal was recognised as one of the most influential women for 3 consecutive years by Forbes Africa.

Mr Eddy Kioni has served as the CEO of Sud South since April 2021. Since August 2011, Edy has concurrently served as the founder and non-executive president of Nathalex sarl. Since 2004, Mr Kioni has been the founder and non-executive director of Missang sprl, an organisation which advises investors in the DRC. Mr Kioni was also the HQ vice, president and DRC country head for Feronia in Toronto and the DRC from 2009 to 2011. Prior to this role, Mr Kioni was the chief of staff at the Ministry of Hydrocarbon from 2008 to 2009 and also served as a senior advisor and coordinator of the DRC government’s economic and technical commission from 2007 to 2008. Mr Kioni began his career as a consultant at TechTeam Global in Brussels in 2000.

Mr Kioni holds a European master’s in Multimedia Projects Management, Political Science and Government from Ichec Brussels Management School which he completed in 2004. Mr Kioni also received a master’s in Political Sciences Administration Management from the Université libre de Bruxelles in 2000. Furthermore, Mr Kioni started his studies in political science and government from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz.

Mr Tosi Mpanu Mpanu is an experienced climate change specialist and the HSE Director at the EGC. He has previously served as a climate negotiator representing the DRC during the UN Climate Convention. Equally, Mr Mpanu Mpanu is the former climate specialist at the Ministry of Environment.

In addition to his current role, Mpanu Mpanu has sat on the Board of Directors of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the Pan African Climate Risk Management Mutual Agency (ARC Agency), a specialised agency of the African Union, and the Steering Committee of the NDC partnership. Mpanu Mpanu holds an MBA in Finance and Investments from the George Washington University in Washington DC and a master’s degree in European Studies and International Relations from Université de Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne.

Ms Josee-Blandine Ongotto is an international mining attorney with more than a decade of experience working to improve and implement policies and best practices in the mining sector. She is currently the project director for Project COTECCO at the ILO. Ms Ongotto holds a graduate degree in Law of the Sea (DEA) from the Universite de Bretagne Occidantale, and Juris Doctorate from Denver University Sturm College of Law focused in natural resources and international transactions.

Ms Ongotto began her career in oil & gas, working for Elf Aquitaine in France and for Agip Recherches in Congo-Brazzaville. Ms Ongotto has worked for law firms and mining companies including Fognani & Faught PLLC, Electrum Ltd. and Holme, Roberts & Owen LLP. Ms Ongotto contributed to the development of the (Model Mining Development Agreement) MMDA 1.0 and the revision of the national mining code and policy in Guinea and DRC. She has worked as Technical Advisor for the ICGLR, and later as CBRMT’s Deputy Chief of Party, where she contributed to the operationalisation of the Initiative Against Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources (RINR). The initiative addressed conflict in minerals trade and promoted peace and responsible mining in the Great Lakes Region, particularly in Eastern Congo.

David Sturmes is the Director of Programme and Business Development at The Impact Facility, co-founder and permanent secretariate of the Fair Cobalt Alliance.

The Fair Cobalt Alliance is a multi-stakeholder action platform with 20+ members, dedicated to investing in the professionalisation of artisanal cobalt mining in partnership with local cooperatives and civil society.

Having worked East and Central Africa as well as South America in past years, Surmes heads up the recruitment of corporate member and fundraising with donors and investors to grow the footprint and reach of the Fair Cobalt Alliance.

Mr Paluku Kahongya currently serves as the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) Minister of Industry, a post he has held since September 2019. As Minister of Industry, Mr Paluku oversees cooperation and investment opportunities in industry in the DRC. Mr Paluku is a pioneer of creating a local battery value chain in the DRC and supports efforts directed at achieving these goals. Prior to assuming this position, Mr Paluku, an experienced politician, was the governor of North Kivu in the DRC.

Mr Paluku was also mayor of Beni, DRC where he initiated different infrastructure projects. Prior to this, Mr Paluku was mayor of Butembo, where he also focused on infrastructure, including building a town hall, public parking, a bridge and repairing roads. Mr Paluku holds a master’s degree in Community Health from the Free University of the Great Lakes Region in Butembo, DRC.