Rendeavour has announced the appointment of David Kippen as Chairman of the Board, joining Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC, who continues in his role as Deputy Chairman. In addition, Graeme Wheeler and Darrell M. Blocker have joined the Board as Independent Directors.
As part of regular board rotation, Frank Mosier, Rendeavour’s Founding Chairman, retired as chair, having served in that position for more than eight years. He remains a board director and one of the largest shareholders.
Rendeavour is the owner and developer of Tatu City, Kenya’s first operational Special Economic Zone (SEZ), Alaro City, a partnership with the Lagos State Government in Nigeria’s Lekki Free Zone, Jigna, in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja; and Kiswishi SEZ, the first private SEZ in DRC. In Ghana, Rendeavour is building Appolonia City and King City.
“We are pleased to strengthen our board with versatile emerging markets experts with experience in global finance, economic development and security,” said Stephen Jennings, Founder and CEO of Rendeavour. “In David, we have a long-serving director; in Graeme, we have a globally renowned economist, central banker and policy maker; and in Darrell, we have one of the most respected intelligence officers to have served in Africa.”
On the Rendeavour board, Mr. Kippen represents Torstein Hagen, the founder, chairman and CEO of Viking Cruises and a long-time investor in Rendeavour. Rendeavour’s other board members are Yomi Ademola, Simon Edwards and Robert Reid.
David Kippen
David Kippen is a private equity and infrastructure investor based in London. David’s career spans TMT, energy and industrial sectors with Credit Suisse First Boston, JPMorgan Chase and UBS based in London, New York and San Francisco. Over the past 30 years, David has completed over 45 M&A transactions together with private and public debt and equity financings in OECD and emerging markets. David has also developed cross border ventures, worked with growth stage companies and acted as an interim CFO. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from McGill University in Montreal and a Masters of International Public Policy from Johns Hopkins/SAIS in Washington DC.
Graeme Wheeler
Graeme Wheeler served as Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand from 2012 to 2017. Prior to that, he held senior positions at the World Bank, including Managing Director responsible for World Bank operations from 2006 to 2010; Vice President and Treasurer of the World Bank from 2001 to 2006; and Director of the Financial Products and Services Department from 1997 to 2001. In New Zealand, Graeme also served as Treasurer of the New Zealand Debt Management Office (NZDMO) and Deputy Secretary to the New Zealand Treasury from 1993 to 1997, Director of Macroeconomic Policy in the New Zealand Treasury from 1990 to 1993, Economic and Financial Counsellor in the New Zealand Delegation to the OECD, Paris, from 1984 to 1990 and an advisor in the New Zealand Treasury from 1973 to 1984. Graeme has served as Independent Non-Executive Director of China Construction Bank Corporation since 2019 and Non-Executive director of Thyssen-Bornemisza Group since 2017. Mr. Wheeler obtained his Master of Commerce in economics from the University of Auckland in 1972. Mr. Wheeler was awarded Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2018.
Darrell M. Blocker
Darrell M. Blocker retired after a successful 32-year career in the U.S. Intelligence Community, earning the CIA’s Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal in 2018. His CIA career highlights include serving as Chief of Africa Division, Deputy Director of the Counterterrorist Center, Chief of the agency’s iconic training facility and multiple tours as a Chief of Station. At the time of his retirement, after serving as a CIA operative for 28 years, Darrell was the most senior black officer in the Directorate of Operations with the rank equivalency of a three-star general. Darrell also served four years as an Analyst/Briefer in the U.S. Air Force (1987-1990). Darrell has lived and worked in ten foreign countries, but his earliest childhood memories were the five years living in Okinawa (1968-1973). He also served in South Korea as an Air Force officer which launched his career as subject matter expert (SME) on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea or North Korea. Darrell’s other SME areas include Soviet Russia, Iran, Terrorism and Counterintelligence which he uses as an on-air contributor for ABC News since 2019. Darrell founded DMB Consulting Services, a strategic crisis management and executive advisory firm, in 2018, serving as a strategic advisor to individuals and businesses operating in the defense, national security and international affairs sectors. He is currently serving on one nonprofit board dedicated to improving the future of youth in foster care (Peace4Kids.org).