Early Life and Schooling
Leslie Nelson grew up within the UK, the oldest of three boys in a Ghanaian household. His father labored as an accountant, whereas his mom was a gross sales govt at a publishing firm. “I grew up watching my mother and father work arduous and take dangers. That gave me a way of self-discipline and drive,” Nelson recollects.
An avid athlete, he performed soccer and tennis in highschool, skilled as a schoolboy boxer and as soon as held his faculty’s file for the 100-meter excessive hurdles, “regardless that my rivals are satisfied to today I obtained a false begin!” joked Leslie. At present, he performs golf repeatedly and does so off of a single handicap and now prefers to stroll than run. “Sports activities taught me focus. You’ll want to be disciplined, however you additionally must adapt when issues change quick, the scoreboard is as pure because it will get when the ultimate bell is rung or whistle blown” he says.
Educated on three continents, Nelson completed his GCSEs and A’ranges within the UK, accomplished College in Ghana and put up graduate schooling within the USA.
Beginning Out in Finance
Nelson had a Liberal Arts background but started his profession as an analyst after which senior affiliate at Merrill Lynch and UBS. “These early years gave me a powerful basis. I discovered how wealth is collected and invested and the way capital strikes, how selections made in New York or London can have an effect on individuals in all places and so far as Africa,” he explains.
He spent 16 years at GE, working in roles that spanned Leverage lending to personal fairness purchasers, telecom, oil and gasoline, energy, healthcare and aviation sectors. At GE Africa he rose to be CEO of GE Africa’s $1 billion energy enterprise, serving as Nation CEO for GE in Ghana and main the areas Mission Improvement group. Closing a number of the area’s most important energy offers contributes to fixing the area’s greatest infrastructure problem “as a area we’re lengthy on pure sources similar to minerals and pure gasoline however brief on energy…I work to shut this hole”.
“These have been large jobs. I used to be liable for deploying over a billion {dollars} of funding capital. It meant bringing actual energy initiatives to life in locations that wanted them most,” Nelson says.
Main in Power and Infrastructure
From 2018 to 2020, Nelson joined New Fortress Power (NASDAQ: NFE) as Managing Director for Africa. He additionally sat on the corporate’s international administration crew throughout its profitable IPO in 2019. “Seeing up shut and private a begin up firm going public was a milestone. It confirmed me the ability of constructing sturdy groups, sturdy programs but additionally a pathway to artwork of the potential,” he recollects.
In 2021, he based an Africa-focused vitality transition enterprise. The platform works to decarbonize and produce reasonably priced, accessible energy to communities throughout Africa. In 2023, the corporate shaped a three way partnership with certainly one of Africa’s largest non-public fairness funding managers.
“The way forward for vitality in Africa will not be about copying the West. It’s about constructing programs that match the realities of the continent. Dependable energy, reasonably priced options, and cleaner applied sciences,” Nelson explains.
Boards, Mentorship, and Giving Again
Nelson has held many advisory and board roles through the years. He has labored as an Advisor to Africa’s largest Funding Supervisor, served as Vice Chairperson of an Oil and Gasoline Infrastructure firm in Ghana, sits on the Board of Pension Funds and Asset Administration Corporations and has served on the Advisory Boards of establishments like Ashesi College, The China Africa Enterprise faculty and the College of Ghana Enterprise College.
Nonetheless, certainly one of his proudest commitments is private. By the Village of Hope Orphanage, he funds the tutoring of 15 orphans who made it to college. “I additionally bought laptops for all of them, and I test in on their progress. They are going to graduate in 2026. My hope is that they won’t solely discover jobs, however my community will allow them to turn out to be leaders of their communities,” Nelson says.
He additionally gave the keynote deal with on the College of Ghana’s commencement in 2015. “That was full circle. To face earlier than the following era and inform them, ‘You are able to do this too,’ was highly effective,” he remembers.
Management Model and Outlook
Nelson describes his management type as hands-on however collaborative. “I consider in constructing groups that may suppose for themselves. My job is to not give all of the solutions however to assist individuals see the larger image,” he says.
Colleagues describe him as a “large image thinker and dreamer”, somebody who bridges cultures and industries. With over 25 years in international enterprise and 15 years working in Africa, Nelson sees himself as each a connector and a builder. “You’ll want to perceive each the investor in New York and the engineer in Lagos. Solely then are you able to shut the hole between capital and influence,” he explains.
Last Ideas
Trying again, Nelson’s journey has been certainly one of transferring throughout borders—geographic, skilled, and private. From London to Europe to Abuja to Accra to New York, from funding banking to vitality transition, his path has been formed by resilience and flexibility.
“The world is now multi velocity. The leaders who will succeed are those who can adapt, who can cross boundaries, and who always remember the place they began,” Nelson says.
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