Our Team
Our core leadership team and industry experts bring a wealth of experience and expertise to African Collaborations Group (ACG).
Founder and Executive Chairman
Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard
Founder and Executive Chairman, African Collaborations Group (ACG)
Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard is a Franco-Gabonese entrepreneur and the founder and 100% owner of APO Group. He has been recognised among the 100 Most Influential Africans in 2023 and again in 2024, and has been featured in international media including CNN, Forbes, Forbes Africa, and CNBC Africa.
Read moreMore information at www.Pompigne-Mognard.com
Founding Chief Executive Officer
Paulo J. Cruz
Founding Chief Executive Officer, African Collaborations Group (ACG)
Paulo J. Cruz is the Founding Chief Executive Officer of African Collaborations Group (ACG), where he leads the development of a pan-African platform for structuring institutional-grade sport and entertainment district ecosystems.
Mr Cruz joins ACG from DAMAC Group, one of the largest privately held real estate developers in the Middle East (close to USD 10 billion in property sales in 2025), where he served as Senior Vice President from 2022 to 2026. He brings over 28 years of senior executive experience across real estate, infrastructure and large-scale development in Africa, the Middle East and Europe, having originated and structured projects ranging from USD 50 million to over USD 5 billion.
His expertise lies in transforming early-stage concepts into financially structured, investable developments.
Prior to DAMAC Group, he held senior leadership roles at BlackIvy Group, BP, Movares and Cushman & Wakefield, and previously served as Group Chief Executive Officer of LandAfrique.
At ACG, he leads the execution of the Victory District™ framework, driving investment and sustainable growth while advancing integrated district ecosystems across Africa.
Read more information here.
Our Advisory Board
ACG is supported by an Advisory Board of senior, highly experienced leaders who bring independent perspective, credibility, and real-world execution insight to the development of Victory District™ and future projects.
The Advisory Board exists to strengthen decision-making at the earliest stages of project origination – helping ACG stress-test assumptions, accelerate stakeholder alignment, and ensure the concept evolves into a model that is technically credible, commercially viable, and institutionally deliverable.
Advisory Board members serve in a non-executive, strategic advisory capacity.
They do not manage day-to-day operations; instead, they provide guidance, introductions, and constructive challenge across the core dimensions that make or break complex infrastructure programmes, including governance, bankability, sport ecosystem fit, and long-term operational sustainability.
Fatma Samoura
Former Secretary General of FIFA (2016-2023); Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) Senate Member (2022-Present)
Abi Ijasanmi
Former Chief Operating Officer of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) (2022-2024); Founder and Chief Executive Officer of African Sports Investor
Carlos Carrión
Former Head of the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium Renovation Project
Chantelé Carrington
CEO of Invest Africa
Paulo Gomes
Chairman of the Orango Investment Corporation; Former Executive Director of The World Bank
Aïcha Diop
Former Head of Brand Marketing & Advertising of NBA Africa and Basketball Africa League (BAL) (2020-2026)
Herbert Mensah
President of Rugby Africa; World Rugby Executive Board Member; Chair of the World Rugby Regions
NJ Ayuk
Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber (AEC)
Rick Taylor
Founder of The Business Tourism Company
Clare Barrell
Director International Relations Investment and Member Services of World Rugby
Kenny Jean-Marie
Former Chief Member Associations Officer of FIFA (2021-2024)
Jan Alessie
Co-Founder and Managing Director, World Football Summit (WFS)
Mike Dada
Founder of All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA)
Fleur Tchibota
Former Chief of Staff, Office of the CEO of Africa50 (2022-2026)
Jonathan Worsley
Chairman and CEO of The Bench (Future Hospitality Summit)
Gianni Merlo
President of the International Sports Press Association (AIPS)
Jason Jennings
Former Chief Operating Officer of Event Horizon (Afro Nation)
Aida Diarra
Former Senior Vice President of Sub-Saharan Africa of Visa (2018-2025)
Dr. Adesegun Adeosun Jr
(King SMADE)
Co-Founder of Afro Nation
João Peseiro Monteiro
Broadcast and Media Sports Events Consultant; Former Head of Service of Euronews
Diamil Faye
Acting General Manager of the Riyadh 2034 – Asian Games
Ahmed Abas
Head of Sports, Leisure and Entertainment MEA of JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle)
Lee Martin
Senior Advisor of Getty Images
Dr Aila Ahonen
President of the European Association for Sport Management
Grégoire Ndjaka
CEO of the African Union of Broadcasting (AUB)
Andrew Skipper MBE
Former Chair of the Hogan Lovells Africa Practice
James Williams
Former Senior Director of Events of Informa Tech (Africa Tech Festival)
Our Research and Impact Advisory Panel
To complement our Advisory Board, African Collaborations Group (ACG) has established a Research and Impact Advisory Panel: a focused group of independent researchers and practitioners who strengthen the evidence base behind Victory District™ and ensure ambition is translated into measurable, credible and bankable outcomes.
The Panel supports a feasibility phase by providing independent challenge, helping define a robust theory of change, and validating an impact framework that DFIs, investors and government counterparts can rely on for institution-grade decision-making.
The Panel advises on the impact narrative across jobs, skills, inclusion, youth pathways and public value; defines practical KPIs, baselines and an evidence plan for feasibility work; stress-tests demand, utilisation and economic impact assumptions; embeds ESG, climate resilience and safeguards thinking early, in a way that withstands due diligence; and peer-reviews key feasibility outputs before they are shared with decision-makers.
Prof Simon Chadwick
Professor of Sport and Geopolitical Economy (United Kingdom)
Dr Katie McDonald
Lecturer of Sport and Recreation Management, La Trobe University (Australia)
Dr Karin Book
PhD, Associate Professor, Senior Lecturer, Department of Sports Sciences, Malmö University (Sweden)
Prof Andrew Zimbalist
Robert A. Woods Professor Emeritus of Economics, Smith College (USA)
Prof Urmilla Bob
Dean of Research and Full Professor of Geography, University of KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa)
Prof Benjamin Flowers
Professor of Architecture, Knowlton School, The Ohio State University (USA)
