Akinyemi “Aki” Akiwowo is the head of Dallas Legal and Compliance at Morgan Stanley, where he leads the expansion of the Firm’s presence in Dallas. His responsibilities include talent development, external engagement, and advancing the Firm’s broader business priorities in the region. Aki also serves as Global Chief Operating Officer of Morgan Stanley’s Litigation Department, overseeing day-to-day operations, strategic planning, outside counsel relationships, Board reporting, resource allocation, and talent initiatives. Prior to his Dallas leadership role, Aki was a member of Morgan Stanley’s Litigation Department, where he managed domestic and international institutional civil litigation, regulatory enforcement matters, and internal investigations across sales and trading, investment banking, capital markets, data privacy, private equity, and investment management. His experience includes defending the Firm in class action and antitrust litigation and responding to investigations by FINRA, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Aki previously co-chaired Morgan Stanley’s Legal and Compliance Division Diversity and Inclusion Network and serves on the Division’s Diversity Steering Committee. He is also a member of the Council of Urban Professionals Fellows Board and the Board of Trustees of Seton Hall Preparatory School, his high school alma mater. Before joining Morgan Stanley, Aki served as Principal Counsel in FINRA’s Department of Enforcement, where he led complex investigations involving member firms and associated individuals under FINRA, NASD, and NYSE rules, as well as federal securities laws. Earlier in his career, he practiced commercial and securities litigation in New Jersey. Aki’s connection to Indego Africa’s mission of supporting community-based, women entrepreneurs is deeply personal. After a 30-year career as an educator in the United States, Aki’s mother, Dr. Lola Akiwowo, founded the Alliance International School of Nigeria in Ijebu-Ode. Her work has shown him firsthand that when women have access to education, business opportunities, financial tools, and the resources to participate fully in the economy, they become powerful engines of opportunity for their communities. Aki dedicates this award to his mother, whose life’s work continues to inspire his commitment to education, opportunity, and empowerment.

Sarah Youngwood is Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Nasdaq, where she brings more than 25 years of global leadership experience and a deep commitment to creating opportunity, strengthening communities, and advancing sustainable, long-term impact. At Nasdaq, Sarah leads the company’s global finance organization and serves as Co-Chair of its Corporate Sustainability Steering Committee, helping guide Nasdaq’s approach to sustainability and long-term value creation. Her leadership reflects a belief in the power of business and capital to create broader economic opportunity—values that closely align with Indego Africa’s mission of supporting women entrepreneurs and artisan-owned businesses. Prior to joining Nasdaq, Sarah served as Group Chief Financial Officer and a member of the Group Executive Board at UBS. Previously, she spent more than two decades at JPMorgan Chase, holding senior leadership roles across finance, technology, investor relations, and investment banking in Paris, London, and New York. She served on the Diversity Council at both JPMorgan Chase and UBS and was a founding member of Women on the Move at JPMorgan Chase. Throughout her career, Sarah has championed the importance of women’s leadership and the role that access, opportunity, and strong institutions can play in enabling individuals and communities to thrive. Sarah is honored to receive Indego Africa’s 2026 Visionary Award, which recognizes leaders who use their influence and leadership to expand opportunity and create meaningful, lasting change.