Top 20 Powerful Voices of 2026
Vincenzo Russi
Founder and CEO of GREEN LIVING LTD
Architect Vincenzo Russi is the founder and CEO of Green Living Ltd/Green Living Architecture FZCO, where he plays a key role in the overall decision-making process for both companies.
Recognized for his inventiveness and the creation of new business opportunities in international markets, arch. Russi has gained extensive experience in the creation of a new construction system—energy and water self-sufficient shipping container homes. This has contributed to a 215% increase in annual revenue, company growth in terms of operations and specialized technical staff, and the dissemination of a construction system that only Green Living brings to the market in Europe and the UAE, earning significant awards and recognition.
Throughout his career, arch. Russi has remained faithful to the company’s philosophy: innovation, cost-effectiveness, and high-quality construction, successfully addressing regulatory, technical, and market challenges by adapting his universally reproducible product.
Today, arch. Russi continues to focus on the intrinsic properties of the product, presenting its architecture in new and strategic areas and typologies, with a strong emphasis on customer focus, continuous innovation, sustainability, and low-cost production of modern architecture, creating cultural architecture (a University Campus in Lithuania), villas and barracks for the Carabinieri (Italy), and bars and villas (Dubai).
Driven by a vision of ambition and a desire to continually improve in other economic markets as well, Russi believes that his corporate philosophy inspires, as is already happening, a radical transformation in the high-quality design and construction sector in society.
Steve Ogidan
Chairman/CEO of Global Knowledge Consulting Group
Dr Steve Olusegun Ogidan, mni, serves as Managing Director/CEO of Successory Nigeria Limited and as Chairman of Global Knowledge Group, where he leads a pan-African development consulting and capacity-building practice spanning more than 18 countries. With 24 years plus cross-sectoral expertise in institutional development, business strategy, development finance, and governance, he has delivered high-impact assignments for the World Bank, AfDB, IFAD, UNDP, FAO, GIZ, and multiple agencies of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Recognized for his pioneering work in agricultural finance, MSME development, and institutional reform, Ogidan designed and launched the Togo Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (MIFA-TIRSAL), served as National Coordinating Consultant for NIRSAL Plc for seven years, and led three consecutive FGN/IFAD Supervision Missions. A Forbes Business Council member, Fellow of the UK Microfinance Association, President of the Turnaround Management Association of Nigeria, and Honorary Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, he holds executive education credentials from Harvard Business School, Wharton, and Columbia Business School.
Driven by a vision to build resilient institutions and empower communities across Africa, Ogidan believes that sustainable development is achieved when strategy, capacity, and integrity converge. His distinguished honor as a Member of the National Institute, Nigeria (MNI) reflects his enduring commitment to public governance and inclusive economic transformation—inspiring positive change across the continent.