The Powerlist celebrates Britain’s most influential people of African, African American and African Caribbean heritage. The Global Executive Leader Award sponsored by the London Stock Exchange Group is given to an outstanding leader, based outside the United Kingdom, who has demonstrated exceptional vision, innovation, influence and had a transformative impact on their organization.

After attending Buckingham Palace in London by Royal Invitation for the Powerlist Celebration of Black Excellence Awards 2024 Reception, which was hosted by King Charles III, Rene Awambeng said: “I am passionate about serving Africa at Afreximbank and this Award is a recognition of the transformational work and contribution we do to make positive change in Africa. At Afreximbank we see the Diaspora as the 56^th country of Africa. This Award is a privilege and should serve as inspiration for the younger men and women to work hard and aspire for change.

The Powerlist is an annual publication that was first published in 2007 with the aim of providing professional role models for young people of African and African Caribbean heritage in Great Britain. It has created a network of influencers and in many ways is rebranding black Britain. The publication is distributed primarily to schools and

universities. It has become heavily requested by corporates as it is recognised as a valuable source for identifying black talent.

The judging process for the Powerlist is based on strict criteria. Powerful Media receives new nominations and updates from current Powerlisters. Names are put through a rigorous test based on the criteria of influence: ‘The ability to positively alter events and change lives as demonstrated over a meaningful period of time.’ Biographies of the highest-scoring 150 or so are given to the judging panel for deliberation.

About Afreximbank

African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is a Pan-African multilateral financial institution mandated to finance and promote intra-and extra-African trade. For 30 years, the Bank has been deploying innovative structures to deliver financing solutions that support the transformation of the structure of Africa’s trade, accelerating industrialization and intra-regional trade, thereby boosting economic expansion in Africa. A stalwart supporter of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), Afreximbank has launched a Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) that was adopted by the African Union (AU) as the payment and settlement platform to underpin the implementation of the AfCFTA. Working with the AfCFTA Secretariat and the AU, the Bank is setting up a US$10 billion Adjustment Fund to support countries to effectively participate in the AfCFTA. At the end of 2022, Afreximbank’s total assets and guarantees stood at over US$31 billion, and its shareholder funds amounted to US$5.2 billion. The Bank disbursed more than US$86 billion between 2016 and 2022. Afreximbank has investment grade ratings assigned by GCR (international scale) (A), Moody’s (Baa1), Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR) (A-) and Fitch (BBB). Afreximbank has evolved into a group entity comprising the Bank, its impact fund subsidiary called the Fund for Export Development Africa (FEDA), and its insurance management subsidiary, AfrexInsure, (together, “the Group”).