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Shadow Global

Adjoa Ayivor CA(SA), MBA is a business executive, Chartered Accountant and social impact leader with over 18 years of experience across finance, strategy, governance and business transformation in Africa, Europe and Asia. Prior to co-founding Shadow Global, Adjoa held senior executive roles including CFO, Finance Director and Executive Board Member at Ernst & Young, NEC, Capita and Altron, where she led finance, HR, legal, IT and shared services functions and delivered strategic projects across multiple African markets. Adjoa is the Co-Founder and CEO of Shadow Global, an award-winning impact sourcing organisation built on the recognition that two of South Africa’s biggest challenges are the solution to each other: a service sector that cannot always find enough of the right talent, and a generation of young people locked out of formal employment. Shadow Global exists to bridge that gap. Through its 14-week Operational Readiness Programme, Shadow Global tailors training to the specific needs of each employer partner and places graduates into permanent roles where they contribute from day one and achieve retention rates that exceed industry benchmarks. Under Adjoa’s leadership, Shadow Global has created more than 2,500 permanent careers in partnership with leading GBS and hospitality organisations, including Sigma Connected, Nutun, TELUS Digital, Firstsource, Amplify5, EXL, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Radisson Hotel Group, The Royal Portfolio, Newmark Hotels & Reserves, Legacy Hotels & Resorts and Life & Brand Portfolio. Adjoa holds an MBA from Henley Business School and serves on the Advisory Council of CapeBPO. In 2025, both Shadow Global and its late Co-Founder, Franco Cotumaccio, were recognised with industry awards for their contribution to inclusive employment and impact sourcing. At the CEM Africa Conference, Adjoa will moderate one panel discussion and participate as a speaker on another, sharing perspectives on impact sourcing, talent retention and the future of customer experience delivered by people who stay, grow and thrive within organisations.