Organizational update: Appointment of new CFO

Today, we would like to share an update on a senior leadership appointment at One Acre Fund.

Ayanda Mngadi, our current Chief Financial Officer (CFO), will be transitioning out of One Acre Fund at the end of this year. Over the past months, Ayanda has led a robust internal and external recruitment process for her successor, and we are pleased that the strong foundation she has set within the Finance team will enable an internal succession.

We feel deeply thankful to Ayanda for her numerous contributions to our mission. Over the past seven years, her visionary leadership has set One Acre Fund up for success as an organization leading the charge in improving livelihoods across rural Africa. During Ayanda’s time at One Acre Fund, she has overseen 5x growth in the number of farmers served, steadily professionalized our finance sub-departments, and served as a visionary strategic partner.

Introducing our new CFO

We are delighted to announce that Gideon Maina, our current Deputy CFO, will be succeeding Ayanda as the new CFO at One Acre Fund. Gideon will step into the CFO role on January 1, 2024.

We are delighted to have an internal candidate earn the top job. Gideon is a highly skilled finance leader with 20 years of experience within and outside One Acre Fund. His previous roles include CFO of Acorn Group Limited, Group Controller for Centum Investment, multiple cross-finance roles at a publicly listed British multinational, and Senior Auditor at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). His diverse experiences across various companies and finance roles are a valuable contribution to One Acre Fund.

Gideon is well-known within One Acre Fund. Joining as Financial Advisory Services (FAS) Senior Manager in 2019, he became FAS lead in 2021, and currently serves as our Deputy CFO. He is a gifted leader and a powerful steward of One Acre Fund values, who provides welcome continuity to our Finance function. He is also a strategic leader who can roll up his sleeves and get tactical.

Farmers first

Our mission and purpose to create impact for farmers remains the guiding light to our work and why we exist as an organization. Starting with only 40 farmers in 2006, One Acre Fund now serves more than 4 million farmers through full-service programs and operating partnerships. We aim to serve 10 million smallholder farmers by 2030 and empower them to sustainably earn better incomes from their farming activities.

We look forward to Gideon continuing to provide the leadership and expertise required to lead One Acre Fund’s Finance team—enabling the organization to achieve our vision of serving millions more farmers in the coming years.

— Andrew Youn