Will MBIAKOP
Executive Chairman, African Sports & Creative Institute (ASCI)
With a distinguished career that seamlessly blends his expertise in business, sports, and a deep connection to Africa, Will Mbiakop stands as a paradigm of “doing business with purpose and innovation.”
As an accomplished athlete himself, Mbiakop is a staunch advocate for leveraging the sports and entertainment industries to address Africa’s pressing challenges, including socio-economic development and climate change.
Currently, he is the Founder and Executive Chairman of the African Sports and Creative Institute (ASCI), which delivers research and advisory, capacity building programs, contributing to uplifting the sports and entertainment ecosystem in Africa.
Previously, as the head of Business Development for NBA Africa for approximately a decade, Mbiakop was instrumental in the growth of the NBA on the continent, spearheading a team that contributed to 70% of the organization’s revenue, cultivating innovative partnerships with top public and private organizations like MTN, GE, OCP, AfDB, and AFD.
Prior to his tenure with the NBA, Mbiakop was the founder and Executive Chairman of AMW Consulting, which emerged as a force in sports marketing, media, sports tourism and events, earning acclaim as the sports business nexus of the Middle East and Africa.
As speaker, his insights on sports and business have been featured on CNN, the OECD Africa Forum, Bloomberg TV, World Bank Meetings, France24, Africa24 and more.
He is an MBA graduate with Merit from the Manchester Business School and a published author of the pioneering work: “Africa Sports Industry: Understanding the Game”.
A proud African with heritage rooted in Cameroon and Morocco, Mbiakop has lived in Yaounde, London, Dubai, Paris, and currently resides in South Africa.