MEET THE LEADERSHIP TEAM
OMER BOMBA MOHAMMED
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
​Master of Business Administration, Finance, Columbia Business School​
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Master of Science, Economics & Local Economic Development, London School of Economics​
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Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, International Business, Albright College
Omer is the Chief Executive Officer of Veritas Consulting and has led a series of the organization’s key engagements. These projects range across energy, agriculture, transactional services, and economic development. Highlights of his work include leading the ideation, analytic development, and partnership development of the $23 million Distributed Renewable Energy for Agriculture Modalities Program (DREAM), and subsequently the design of the $100+ scale up study.
His previous Veritas engagements included serving as the senior private sector economist on the development of the National Commercial Agriculture Strategy for the Prime Minister’s Economic Policy and Analysis Unit, the team leader for a national survey and strategy report for MSEs that principally informed the National Growth and Transformation Plan (2015-2020) MSE Strategy, and a four-year engagement to develop/incubate / and scale an aftercare department at the Ethiopian Investment Commission.
Prior to Veritas, Omer served as a Fund Manager for an agribusiness venture fund, and as a lead private initiatives advisor at UNDP Ethiopia where he designed the framework and launched the flagship $26 million Entrepreneurship development Program. Before his return to Ethiopia in 2010,
Omer started his professional career as a research analyst in New York for telecommunications distressed debt, equity, and mutual fund securities. In the public sector, Omer served in Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration as the City’s Small Business Services Director of Planning and Policy for workforce development.
Omer serves as the Board Treasurer for the American Chamber of Commerce in Ethiopia.
KANCHI GASHAW
ENERGY PRACTICE LEAD
Msc. Energy, Environmental Technology
& Economics University Of London​
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Bsc In Physics (Minor In Mathematics),
Mount Holyoke College
Kanchi Gashaw is a senior expert on renewable energy technologies, with extensive experience in solar PV and e-mobility.
At Veritas, she supports the design and implementation of renewable energy projects; Kanchi is responsible for leading techno-economic analysis for renewable energy and PUE projects. Additionally, she leads the Eastern Africa case study for OpenMod4Africa – an EU-Horizon project developing open-source modeling tools for Africa.
Prior to Veritas, Kanchi served as Program Manager at Yazmi USA where she led the turnkey deployment of satellite communication infrastructure and off-grid solar for use-cases that address last-mile service provision. Notably, she has led the design and deployment of satellite networks spanning over 500 rural health facilities and 1,050 secondary schools across Ethiopia, in partnership with donors and Ethiopia's health and education ministries.
In the public sector, Kanchi has served at Ethiopia's former Ministry of Science & Technology as a Co-Investigator overseeing the design of a low-cost, plug-in EV prototype for the rural Ethiopian value-chain. In her early career, Kanchi worked as a research physicist at the Arango Laboratory and the University of Massachusetts where she designed and characterized photovoltaic devices employing quantum dots and organic thin-films. A Chevening scholar, she holds a master's degree from City, University of London in Energy, Environmental Technology and Economics and a bachelor's in physics from Mount Holyoke College.
Kanchi is an associate member of the Energy Institute and a board member at the Ethiopian Women in Energy Association (EWiEn).
Ms. Yacob, as the Director of the Veritas Sandbox Accelerator program, plays a pivotal role in shaping and executing our accelerator program. Her mission is to foster the growth of startups guiding them through the intricacies of emerging markets. Drawing from her entrepreneurial background and one-on-one strategic consultations with founders, she brings a unique blend of experience and capacity-building expertise to her role.
Before relocating to Ethiopia in 2022, Ms. Yacob founded Yacob Trading, an e-distribution company specializing in importing and distributing healthy, gluten-free superfoods such as Teff flour and Moringa powder. The company’s product range expanded to include 11 offerings, including the company brand Adyssinia. When the pandemic hit, she secured a scholarship and pursued an M.B.A at EMLyon business school, achieving academic recognition. Subsequently she transitioned into the realm of business and corporate strategy consulting.
Prior to Veritas, Ms. Yacob collaborated on projects for multinational corporations in France, including TDI, Walmart, Euronews, Group Accor, and Valio. Her work spanned diverse areas, leading teams of consultants across international business development, complex sales, market entry strategies, product development. Also designing models for supply chain optimization, change management and robust network infrastructure. She also briefly held the position of CEO at BlueSpace/BlueMoon, a renowned incubator based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
In addition to her professional endeavors, Ms. Yacob has actively embraced the role of an angel investor, supporting pre-seed stage startups in the Food & Beverage and logistics sectors. Her multifaceted journey reflects a commitment to foster sustainable growth in startups.
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OUR ADDRESS
Veritas Consulting
Saay Building 5th floor, Bole Road ,Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Email: info@veritasethiopia.com