Annabel Schaafsma is a Managing Director and Global Head of the Structured Finance Group within Ratings and Research. She is responsible for a global team that both assign primary ratings as well as the surveillance of existing ratings covering all asset types including Asset Backed Securities, Corporate and Residential Mortgage Backed Securities, Structured Credit and Covered Bonds.

Annabel has many years of experience in credit analysis, as well as managing credit professionals. Annabel first joined Moody’s in 2001 in the Structured Finance Group where she went onto leading teams assigning Primary ratings to Residential Mortgage Backed securities and the surveillance of Consumer Asset Backed Securities in EMEA. Prior to her current role she worked in Credit Strategy and Standards Group responsible for the Methodology Development Group. Prior to joining Moody’s Annabel worked for Credit Suisse in the Credit Risk Management department in various roles in London and New York. In 2006 Annabel joined Standard Chartered Bank as Head of Credit Research for the Structured Credit Investment team that invested in structured finance instruments. Before re-joining Moody’s in 2010, Annabel was head of Traded Credit Risk Management for Standard Chartered Bank in London responsible for the identification and analysis of credit risks within the firm’s trading business.

Annabel is passionate about diversity and inclusion; she is the executive sponsor of the Moody’s UK Women’s Business Resource Group. Annabel holds an undergraduate degree in Economics focused in finance and accountancy from Manchester University

David Aldrich is Managing Director of the EMEA Commercial Group, with responsibility for all Moody’s customer relationships in EMEA, across both Developed and Emerging Markets, for Fundamental and Structured Finance. 

David is also Managing Director for relationships with Global Sovereign and Multilateral Development Banks, and previously was Head of Emerging-EMEA for Regional Management. Prior to joining Moody’s in 2013, David managed various fixed income, derivatives and securities services businesses at UBS, Credit Suisse, JP Morgan and, latterly, BNY Mellon. At BNY Mellon, David was EMEA Business Executive for both Alternative Investment Services and Broker-Dealer Services, and was also Head of Securities Industry Banking, Europe within Global Client Management. 

David studied Economics at the University of Kent and is on the MBA Advisory Board at Bayes Business School, City, University of London.

Clement Chamboko, Managing Director: Business Development and Group Chief Commercial Officer GCR Ratings, Africa.

Clement has extensive knowledge of regulatory and market dynamics across the African continent, underpinned by a deep passion and appreciation for Africa’s growth potential. He leads the strategic expansion and customer engagement initiatives at GCR Ratings, playing a pivotal role in driving commercial growth and building strong client relationships. His leadership underscores a commitment to advancing transparency and sustainable development by fostering trust through strategic market engagement.

Clement has notable experience designing and implementing business plans for regional growth and is adept in strategy formation and leading teams to deliver on the objectives set. He has strong business development experience harnessed during his foundational career within banking.

In his current role, Clement oversees the expansion of GCR Ratings’ footprint and the agency’s growing participation in Africa’s capital markets.

Clement has had a stellar career spanning almost two and a half decades, cutting across corporate and investment banking, business banking as well as retail banking.

He has held key positions in leading financial institutions across Africa, including Ecobank, Bank One, Nedbank, Commerzbank, Barclays, Absa, and HSBC.

Clement holds a Post-Graduate Advanced Diploma in Banking Law from the University of Johannesburg and a Post-Graduate Advanced Diploma in Management from Milpark Business School. He also holds a Bachelor of Social Science (Hons) from Rhodes University and formed part of the Executive Development Programme at Wits Business School. He is also a Certified Associate of the Institute of Bankers of South Africa.

Jason Quinn is the Chief Executive of Nedbank Group Limited. He was previously the Interim Group Chief Executive and Group Financial Director of Absa Group Limited. Prior to that he was a Partner at EY.

Brief Career History

Jason’s career started directly from school with EY, where he studied part-time to become a CA (SA), earning his Bachelor of Accounting Science from Unisa and Post Graduate Diploma in Accounting from the University of Natal. After completing his Advanced Diploma in Auditing at RAU, Jason qualified as a Chartered Accountant with SAICA.

In 2005, Jason returned from three years with EY USA as a Senior Manager in the Financial Services practice of the San Francisco office. He was then appointed as a partner at EY South Africa in the Financial Services practice, becoming the youngest partner in the firm’s history at the time. His 15-year career with EY features many highlights across various disciplines in Johannesburg, London and San Francisco, including advising on Investec Limited’s London listing and transformation into a Plc.

Jason left EY to join Absa Group Limited as Group Financial Controller in 2008 and held various senior roles before being appointed as Group Financial Director and an Executive Director of the Group in 2016. He led the Separation negotiations with Barclays, culminating in a $1 billion contribution to Absa and providing leadership oversight to the successful operational separation over a four-year period.

Other highlights include the successful corporate action to create Barclays Africa Group Limited in 2013 through the acquisition and integration of Barclays businesses across the continent by Absa Group. This R18 billion transaction has yielded significant strategic benefits as well as strong portfolio diversification.

Following a strategic review of the business, Jason led the process of creating South Africa’s largest black-owned asset manager with funds under management of more than R1 trillion through the merger of Absa and Sanlam’s investment management business with African Rainbow Capital. The key highlight remains the recent R12 billion BEE transaction which gained significant stakeholder support and placed the Group on a sustainable Level 1 footing. This will make a real difference to the lives of colleagues and communities and was led by Jason from end to end.

During a period of organisational change, Jason provided leadership to the firm’s Digital, Information and Technology team. Improvements were noted in technology resilience and the cybersecurity control environment, and the focus moved towards reshaping the bank’s digitisation strategy.

Jason was the Interim Group CEO of Absa Group Limited and Absa Bank Limited from April 2021 to March 2022, when he resumed his role of Group Financial Director. As Interim CEO he played a key leadership role in delivering record earnings for the business, refreshing and re-anchoring the corporate strategy with renewed focus on ESG and turning around the performance of the South African consumer franchise. On the ESG front, a successful milestone was the creation of African Rainbow Energy and Power, a black-owned leading investor in the renewables space with a R500 million equity investment and a renewables portfolio in excess of R5 billion.
Jason is a past Chairperson of the CFO Forum of SAICA and a past National Council member of SAICA. He was named CFO of the Year in 2020, also winning in the categories of Strategic Execution and Moving into Africa. For 10 consecutive years, Jason and his Investor Relations Team were recognised as Best at Investor Relations for all listed companies on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, including large cap financials.

Henry MacNevin, who is based in London, is currently an Associate Managing Director responsible for bank ratings in the Middle-East, South-Eastern Europe and Turkey, and is also responsible for Moody’s global Islamic Finance initiatives. Mr MacNevin joined Moody’s London-based banking team in October 1996, initially as lead analyst for bank in Italy, the United Kingdom, the Nordic region, Belgium, Luxembourg and Hungary, and has also worked as a backup analyst for other banking systems, principally in Europe. He was also previously responsible Associate Managing Director for Moody’s bank ratings in Italy and the CEE region and was the Country Manager for Moody’s in Italy for several years. 

Mr. MacNevin’s previous banking experience includes seven years with the Barclaysgroup, where he held positions in strategic planning, corporate banking, and credit risk management.Mr. MacNevin earned a B.A. (Hons) in Business Studies from PortsmouthPolytechnic in the United Kingdom

Colin Ellis is Moody’s first Global Credit Strategist, and a Managing Director in the Credit Strategy team. 

In his current role, Colin provides thought leadership for the rating agency that deepens the understanding of ratings and debt capital markets through rigorous and quantitative research. He leads Moody’s teams working on default and ratings analytics and on global financial analysis, including bank projections and stress testing. Colin is also a member of Moody’s Macroeconomic Board, which sets the global forecasts that underpin Moody’s universe of ratings.

Colin joined Moody’s in February 2012, initially leading the work of the Macroeconomic Board and authoring the quarterly Global Macro Outlook. He subsequently worked in the Financial Institutions Group, developing quantitative forward-looking analyses. For 8 years he was the Chief Credit Officer for EMEA, leading analysis and coordination of credit and ratings across all rating franchises in the region. He was also the ‘Head of UK’ for Moody's Ratings, responsible for the running of Moody’s UK operations, from 2019-2022 including the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Prior to joining Moody’s, Colin held roles at the Bank of England, Daiwa Capital Markets, the BVCA and at Birmingham University. He has published papers on a range of topics including corporate investment and pricing, credit risk, private equity, data uncertainty, stress testing, financial contagion and monetary policy. Colin holds degrees from York University, the London School of Economics and Political Science, and Middlesex University. He is a Visiting Professor at Hult International Business School and LSBU, and is also a Fellow of the RSA.

Dr Anthony Costa is the Head of Secretariat for B20 South Africa, based at Business Unity South Africa (BUSA), responsible for the hosting of the B20 Summit in 2025.
He served previously in the Private Office of the President of South Africa, leading the President’s Investment Mobilisation Programme, and participating in several initiatives between government and the private sector. He is on full-time secondment from Nedbank Group Limited, having worked in retail and investment banking, insurance and asset management, including with the Old Mutual Group, for over 15 years.
Anthony holds BA(Hons) and LLB degrees from Wits University, an MBA from the Gordon Institute of Business Studies (University of Pretoria), and a PhD in History from the University of Cambridge (Trinity College). He is an admitted advocate of the High Court of South Africa and former member of the Johannesburg Bar.

Mamokete Lijane has more than 24 years’ experience as a financial markets analyst, having worked at both Absa Corporate and Investment Bank and Aluwani Capital Partners. Her expertise in all areas of non-equity investment research has been invaluable in policy discussions, her role as chair of Economic Research South Africa, and as a member of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council. With an MBA from GIBS, and as a CFA Charterholder, Mamokete has a deep interest in the intersection between public policy, economics, and financial markets. Mamokete writes a regular column for top SA periodical Business Day.

Evan is a Vice President - Senior Credit Officer working on sovereign ratings focused on Northern and Eastern Europe as well as the CIS. His portfolio has included the UK, Switzerland, Iceland, Hungary, Serbia, the Baltics, Ukraine and Moldova. Evan joined Moody’s in 2015 after a varied career in the UK public and private sector. Prior to starting at Moody’s, he spent five and half years working as an economist at the Bank of England, where his last role was an economic adviser in the External Monetary Policy Committee unit. 

He also worked as a financial economist in the Monetary Analysis division as well as in the bank resolution area working with other UK authorities to monitor and resolve financial institutions as part of the UK’s Resolution Regime. Before joining the Bank of England, he worked in corporate finance at KPMG focusing on debt advisory and mergers and acquisitions. He holds an MSc in Finance from Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Spain as well as an MComm in Economics from the University of Cape Town in South Africa.

Dr. Michael Sutcliffe earned an M. Sc. degree from the University of Natal and a PhD degree from Ohio

State University. In 2023 he was awarded an Honorary PhD in Administration from University of KwaZulu-

Natal. He currently serves as a co-Director of City Insight with Ms Sue Bannister (www.cityinsight.co.za).

Established in 2012, City Insight provides information and advice on development issues, and has

completed over 100 projects providing insight, information and advice on development, decentralisation

and impact.

Until his contract ended on 31 December 2011 he was, for over 9 years, the City Manager of eThekwini

metropolitan municipality (www.durban.gov.za), a city of some 4 million people, where he headed the

administration of some 25000 employees with a budget of over R26 billion (US$3.5 billion) per annum. He

was previously appointed by President Mandela to chair the Municipal Demarcation Board

(www.demarcation.org.za), which redrew the boundaries for municipalities. And his other positions have

been as a Member of Provincial Legislature (KwaZulu-Natal) (1994-1999), Director Public Affairs: University

of Durban Westville (1991-1994) and Associate Professor: Town and Regional Planning: University of Natal

(1982-1991).

Dr. Sutcliffe was integrally involved in the transition process from an undemocratic, racist South Africa to

a free and democratic state. He was involved in developing the ANC’s policy positions, the Local

Government White Paper process and the development of the local government legislation.

Over the past 40 years, Dr. Sutcliffe has acted as a consultant to a wide range of local and international

organizations and continues to serve as a board member of a few developmental organizations. During

this period he has written over 500 articles and reports on a wide range of issues, from demarcation and

delimitation issues to urbanization, economic analysis and analyzing political trends. He continues to

research local government in South Africa. He has received several awards, including a prestigious

professional award from the Association of American Geographers and an Honorary Doctorate from the

University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Dr. Sutcliffe has been invited to present papers at conferences in the following countries: Canada, Mexico,

UK, Sweden, Turkey, France, Norway, Australia, USA, Tanzania, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Uganda,

Nigeria, Mozambique, India, Palestine, Tunisia, Bahrain, Kenya, Brazil, Zambia, Qatar, Bahrain, UAE,

Germany and Spain. In addition, he has attended and presented papers at over 200 conferences in

southern Africa and South Africa.

Dr. Sutcliffe was Co-Chair of the UCLG’s Commission on Urban Strategic Planning and an international

Board member of the Global Cities Indicator Forum. He was until recently the Chairperson of the Local

Government Skills and Education Authority of South Africa and served as a Board member of the

Independent Development Trust. He is currently a member of the Minister of Human Settlements’ Advisory

Panel and was appointed by the National Assembly to be part of the Electoral reform Consultation Panel.

He previously served in short-term Ministerial Advisory positions to Cooperative Governance, Home Affairs

and Human Settlements.

Gert is currently the Chief Operating Officer of INCA Portfolio Managers (IPM), and is tasked with

overseeing the day-to-day operational functions of the firm’s to achieve two primary objectives – (i) to

enhance the financial sustainability of municipalities through long-term financial modelling and planning;

and (ii) to facilitate the flow of finance from DFIs and institutional investors for financing of municipal

infrastructure.

He holds three professional designations – ‘Chartered Accountant’ in South Africa; ‘Certified Public

Finance Accountant’ (CPFA) of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy in the United

Kingdom; ‘General Internal Auditor’ under the Institute of Internal Auditors in South Africa. He is also a

member of COGFARO.

He is proficient in strategic and operational design / improvement of governance policies, standards,

processes, systems, capacities, and information. He brings extensive knowledge and experience gained

over 26 years in public sector budgeting, cash management, accounting, internal control, integrated

financial management information systems, internal audit, risk management, external audit, performance

reporting, monitoring and evaluation, and parliamentary oversight. This experience includes – (i) 5 years at

the heart of key PFM reforms as Accountant-general at the National Treasury; (ii) 17 years as Lead FM

Specialist at the World Bank during which he developed good project management capability and a good

understanding, and access, to government and donor networks; and (iii) 4 years at IPM as outlined above.

The remaining 14 years of his career experience in these disciplines were gained in the private sector

(General Manager: Internal Audit – Absa Bank) and as an Associate Professor (Auditing) at the University

of Pretoria. He is also the author / co-author of several publications, including “Managing Public Money”

(fourth revision) which is prescribed at 8 South African universities.

Eyal Shevel is head of Corporate and Public Sector Ratings at GCR Ratings. He has extensive experience across the various industries, having conducted ratings for construction, industrial, agricultural and mining companies across Africa., Eyal has led the credit rating teams for a number Municipal ratings in South Africa and across the continent, and has also been involved in projects in the Water and Energy sectors.

Ntobeko Nyawo is currently the Chief Financial Officer & Executive Director at Redefine Properties Ltd and qualified CA. Prior to this, he worked as the Chief Operating Officer at STANLIB Asset Management (Pty) Ltd. Prior to that, he was chief financial officer of Alexander Forbes Emerging Markets, responsible for driving African expansion in partnership with the chief executive officer.

Iker is an Analyst in the Moody’s EMEA Corporate Finance Group based in Dubai. He covers a diversified industry portfolio, with exposure in Turkey, Africa, and the Middle East.

He joined Moody’s Dubai office in 2022, and previously worked as an associate analyst in the Moody’s London office covering the leveraged finance industry with exposure to Business and Consumer Services, Healthcare, Airlines and Aerospace & Defense. Before that, he spent 2 years working in the consulting industry in Spain.

Iker holds a Masters Degree in Investment Management from Henley Business School. He also holds a BSc in Business Management from the University of Deusto and is a CFA charterholder since 2018.

Sheri is Deputy Sector Head of Corporate and Public Sector Ratings at GCR and has been in the ratings industry for nearly two decades.

She has extensive experience across the corporate and public sectors, having been involved in ratings for construction, industrial, agricultural and mining companies, as well as numerous property funds. In the public sector, Sheri has dealt with several entities including metropolitan municipalities. Sheri has also served in several other senior analytical roles at GCR, being a senior credit committee member and chair within the Insurance sector across the African region and Sector Head for South African Medical Scheme Ratings. Sheri holds an B.com Honours degree in Economics from Wits University in South Africa.

Preshanta Govender is the Chief Finance and Value Management Officer of the Standard Bank of South Africa, bringing over 20 years of banking expertise in financial strategy, value creation and treasury and capital management. During her tenure as the Head of Treasury and Capital Management for Africa regions, she successfully led innovative, high performing teams across multiple geographies, navigating complex regulatory landscapes and maximising shareholder value.

She is a chartered accountant and serves as a non-executive director on various boards.

She is committed to fostering financial excellence and sustainable growth, with a strong passion for advancing diversity and inclusion to create meaningful impact.

Family remains her guiding inspiration, and she treasures traveling and spending quality time with her loved ones.

Mik Kabeya is a Vice President - Senior Credit Officer in the Financial Institutions Group, based in London. Mik covers financial institutions across the African continent. Prior to relocating to London, Mik was based in Dubai where he covered financial institutions based in the Middle East. Before joining Moody’s, Mik worked at Fullerton Financial Holdings and at BNP Paribas.

Robyn MacLennan is an Associate Vice President - Analyst in the Financial Institutions Group, based in London. Robyn covers financial institutions across sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to joining Moody's earlier this year, Robyn led the award-winning sell-side Credit Research team at Standard Bank Group for more than a decade. Robyn is a Chartered Accountant (SA) and has also worked at KPMG in Johannesburg. 

Patricia is a Senior Analyst on GCR's Financial Institutions desk, which covers bank and non-bank financial institutions ratings across sub-Saharan Africa. Her portfolio includes ratings coverage of South Africa's five largest banks, as well as ratings, oversight of analysts, and research across the SADC region, East and West Africa. In addition, Patricia's role comprises country risk assessments that anchor GCR's issuer ratings.

 Patricia was previously Deputy Sector Head of GCR's Corporates and Public Sector desk, which includes extensive coverage of REITs and other issuers which have represented the most active corporate debt capital market activity on the JSE in the past 10 years. She also has strong experience in extractives, retail, manufacturing and agricultural corporate ratings, as well as coverage of local governments and state-owned entities across Africa

Isabella Burke is a Vice President Relationship Manager , Country Manager - South Africa and is based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Isabella’s responsibilities encompass increasing coverage and revenue from new and existing customers in Southern and West Africa. Prior to joining Moody’s Investors Service, Isabella was covering South Africa as Business Development Manager for a London based hedge fund manager. She was tasked with introducing long-only and hedged solutions into the South African market. Isabella has a great depth and breadth of knowledge of capital markets ,having previously worked at Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, Credit Suisse and Investec. Isabella studied at King’s College, London and is fluent in Italian and has basic French.

Nicole Gibb is a seasoned financial services professional with over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. She currently serves as the Group Head of Ratings and Research at GCR Ratings, the leading provider of credit ratings in Africa and an affiliate of Moody’s. Based in GCR Rating's Johannesburg office, Nicole oversees the agency’s analytical output and research strategy, driving methodological excellence, market-relevant insights, and high-quality credit opinions that support financial resilience and sustainable growth across the continent. Nicole’s leadership at GCR Ratings is central to the vital role that GCR Ratings plays in Africa’s financial ecosystem where the team combines deep local insights with international best practices to shape the capital markets across the continent.

Prior to GCR Ratings, Nicole held senior positions at Absa Group, Fitch Ratings, and Rand Merchant Bank, while also having worked at Commerzbank. Most recently, she served as Head of Credit for Non-Bank Financial Institutions at Absa Group, and has been responsible for Banks, Financial Institutions, and Global Corporate portfolios in her previous roles. Her expertise spans credit risk assessment, financial analysis, research, and strategic thought leadership. Nicole has worked across various African markets, building a deep and nuanced understanding of each region’s credit dynamics.

Widely respected for her strategic acumen and people-centric leadership, Nicole is known for building high-performing teams and fostering a values-driven and results-focused culture. A regular contributor to industry thought leadership, Nicole is recognised for her integrity, strategic vision, and analytical rigour in every role she undertakes.

Iker is an Analyst in the Moody’s EMEA Corporate Finance Group based in Dubai. He covers a diversified industry portfolio, with exposure in Turkey, Africa, and the Middle East.

He joined Moody’s Dubai office in 2022, and previously worked as an associate analyst in the Moody’s London office covering the leveraged finance industry with exposure to Business and Consumer Services, Healthcare, Airlines and Aerospace & Defense. Before that, he spent 2 years working in the consulting industry in Spain.

Iker holds a Masters Degree in Investment Management from Henley Business School. He also holds a BSc in Business Management from the University of Deusto and is a CFA charterholder since 2018.

Rehan Akbar is an Associate Managing Director in Moody’s EMEA Corporate Finance Group, based in Dubai. He currently manages the corporate team responsible for rating coverage of companies in the Middle East, Africa, Turkiye, and the CIS region. Prior to joining Moody’s in 2011, Rehan worked as a credit analyst at Mashreq Capital, focusing on emerging market corporates. He began his career as a software engineer and technology consultant.

Rehan holds a Master’s degree in Management Sciences and Engineering from Stanford University and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Lahore University of Management Sciences. He is also a CFA charterholder.

Artem Frolov is a Vice President – Senior Analyst in the Dubai office, covering a portfolio of mining companies in South Africa and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and real estate companies in Saudi Arabia.

Artem joined Moody’s in 2011 in Moscow where he at different times covered several portfolios of Russian and CIS corporates in different sectors, primarily steel and mining, and oil and gas.

Prior to joining Moody’s, he had worked for Fitch Ratings and several large banks in Moscow. Artem holds a PhD in Economics from the Finance Academy in Moscow.

Robyn MacLennan is an Associate Vice President - Analyst in the Financial Institutions Group, based in London. Robyn covers financial institutions across sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to joining Moody's earlier this year, Robyn led the award-winning sell-side Credit Research team at Standard Bank Group for more than a decade. Robyn is a Chartered Accountant (SA) and has also worked at KPMG in Johannesburg. 

Mik Kabeya is a Vice President - Senior Credit Officer in the Financial Institutions Group, based in London. Mik covers financial institutions across the African continent. Prior to relocating to London, Mik was based in Dubai where he covered financial institutions based in the Middle East. Before joining Moody’s, Mik worked at Fullerton Financial Holdings and at BNP Paribas.