Harvard Business School honours Ndidi and Mezuo Nwuneli with Alumni Achievement Award

Ndidi Nwuneli and Mezuo Nwuneli have been conferred with the Harvard Business School’s Alumni Achievement Award.

The award, which is the institution’s “most important honour”, was conferred on the couple during the virtual graduation ceremony for the MBA class of 2021.

The award comes one year after the Nwunelis became the first couple to deliver a keynote address on Harvard Business School (HBS) class day.

Mezuo Nwuneli is the managing partner, Sahel Capital Agribusiness Managers Ltd., which manages FAFIN, a private equity fund that manages over $65.9 million, and invests in mid-sized agribusinesses in Nigeria.

Ndidi Nwuneli is the managing partner of Sahel Consulting Agriculture & Nutrition Ltd., and the founder of LEAP Africa.

Four other recipients of the award are: “Ray Dalio (MBA 1973), founder, co-CIO, and chairman of Bridgewater Associates; H. Naylor Fitzhugh (MBA 1933, posthumous award), one of the first African American graduates of HBS, dubbed the “dean of Black business;”; Terry Virts (GMP 11, 2011), an astronaut and NASA veteran of two spaceflights; and Deborah Winshel (MBA 1985), managing director and global head of social impact at BlackRock, Inc”.

According to HBS, the six award recipients have distinguished themselves in terms of significant contributions to development within their communities.

“Throughout their careers, these remarkable graduates have contributed significantly to their companies and communities while upholding the highest standards and values in everything they do,” a statement on the HBS website reads.

“As such, they represent the best of the School’s alumni body. Exemplary role models, they inspire all those who aspire to have an impact on both business and society.”