Welcome to Bridge Contributions, our new publication covering the Bridge Moris Diaspora Talent Platform. You are receiving it because you are part of the Bridge Moris community.
Welcome to another edition of Bridge Contributions, where you’ll meet our Founding Diaspora Contributors structuring growth.
But first, we wanted to share a few insights we learned from our first Lab session held on 30 July.
The Lab was an online co-design session, aimed at getting the diaspora's thoughts on how to successfully set up our Diaspora Talent Platform’s Flexible Engagement Track, which is our contribution pathway that allows diaspora members to contribute their skills without leaving their countries – think advisory engagements, short missions, workshops, training and mentoring, delivered remotely or on short visits.
We were grateful for the 10 members of the diaspora who joined from across the world, and gave us their time and wonderful insights. Here are some takeaways:
- The thread that ran throughout the conversations was that diaspora members really want their contributions to land: work that is asked for and then used.
- Evidence of use beats payment as a motivator every time, and what makes contributed time feel wasted is the absence of a clear path to impact.
- Diaspora members would like the opportunity to determine the scope of engagements, together with the local entity.
- Time commitment sits alongside this: an hour is a knowable cost and gets an easy yes, while a two-month task is a different decision entirely, and contributors expect that commitments be explicit, bounded, and respected.
We are looking forward to leaning on these insights and more, as we roll out our Flexible Engagement Track.
Founding Diaspora Contributors
And now, presenting our next round of Founding Diaspora Contributors:
Capital is only half the story. The other half is convincing an investor, a government, a board, or a room full of competitors that an idea is worth backing. Between them, our Contributors have deep experience in M&A and IPOs, venture and growth capital, the craft of the pitch, the work of building coalitions across institutions that don't naturally agree, and a shared interest in governance and civil society. Presenting Ylan, Rashveena, Akhilesh, Saphina and Richard —our members structuring growth.
Ylan Lamour, a CFA charterholder, is a Principal at Salica Investments in London, investing in venture debt — a career that began as an economics research analyst at the MCB in Port Louis, went through financial modelling at KPMG and into London's private capital world. Mauritius gave him his foundation; sharing his knowledge and network in private capital is how he intends to give back.
Rashveena Rajaram Henkhaus is an Investment Partner at New Lane, and was previously Chief of Staff at General Catalyst, one of the world's leading venture firms, where she worked alongside one of its co-founders. She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, spent four years in equity capital markets at Citi in New York and London, and has worked across several early-stage venture funds, including one focused on Africa. She wants to work with Mauritian founders on the craft of fundraising: the pitch, the positioning, the storytelling that turns a strong idea into a fundable one.
Akhilesh Issur works in responsible investing at British International Investment, the UK government's development finance institution, studying how corruption and political risk shape African infrastructure deals. He studied at Cornell and then Cambridge, where his research focused on political mobilization in pre-independence Mauritius. Closer to home, he wants a stronger Mauritian civil society, and he'd love to help the island's youth shape its future.
Saphina Benimadhu Waters leads global communications and stakeholder engagement on climate and the energy transition for a CEO-led coalition of twelve of the world's largest energy companies, after roles at TotalEnergies and beyond. An LSE graduate and certified executive coach, she sees collaboration as the surest route to results, and wants to reconnect with her roots while learning as much from Mauritius as she brings to it.
Richard Lan is a CPA and global executive dedicated to driving growth in Mauritius. His career features senior leadership roles at Fortune 500 companies across Canada, China, and France. Leveraging extensive private equity and corporate expertise, Richard focuses on backing local innovation and closing critical human-capital gaps to scale businesses regionally and enhance long-term market value.
Want to get involved?
If you are interested in contributing your skills, you can view a starting catalogue of opportunities and submit your CV and/or LinkedIn profile to be considered for future opportunities on our talent platform page.
Your profile stays with the Bridge Moris team. Your submission is not published anywhere and is not browsable by the public.
