ARC’s core team is supported by a vast network of 3000 investigators and contacts spanning all 54 countries. This allows us to consistently and rapidly provide hard to obtain commercial and political intelligence for our clients. All are signed up to ARC’s code of conduct and anti-corruption compliance.
Tara O'Connor
Founder and Executive Director
Tara O’Connor is the founder of Africa Risk Consulting (ARC), ARC Briefing and co-presenter of The ARC Insider – Africa’s leading podcast on social and political affairs. She has provided risk management to corporates operating in Africa for over 25 years. Tara provides strategic advice based on a profound knowledge of Africa, its opportunities and risks. Her areas of expertise are Francophone and southern Africa. Since founding ARC in 2006, she has advised on pre-investment and expansion strategies for Algeria, Angola, Congo-DRC, Cote d’Ivoire, Congo-Brazzaville, Guinea, Nigeria, East Africa and the Horn (as a region); the Franc Zone (as a region) Gabon, Liberia, Libya, Senegal, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia. She has structured and managed due diligence investigations into companies and people, asset tracing, litigation-support, political profiling and political risk assessment. These also include more complex investigations, often spanning several countries. Formerly, Tara was Africa head of two of the largest global risk management firms. Tara’s career began as a political researcher with the Social Change Assistance Trust, a Norwegian and Commonwealth funded NGO based in South Africa, before moving into journalism. Born in Zimbabwe, brought up in Zambia, Tara is a graduate of the University of Cape Town.
The Right Honourable Lord Hain of Neath
Advisor
The Right Honourable Lord Hain of Neath is an advisor to ARC. Lord Hain has 12 years of senior UK cabinet and government experience including chairing the United Nations Security Council. Born in Nairobi and brought up in apartheid South Africa, Lord Hain was instrumental in leading Britain’s anti-apartheid movement. His professional experience in Africa has included conflict resolution and treaty negotiation placing Lord Hain on personal terms with many African leaders.
Eva Kavuma
Advisor
Eva Kavuma is an advisor to ARC. Eva brings 20 years’ experience in international business development, stakeholder management and business integration, and customer experience. She has led projects in over 20 emerging markets in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, including due diligence investigations and negotiations.
Kevin Teeroovengadum
Advisor
Kevin Teeroovengadum is an advisor to ARC. Kevin has a BSc in Economics, MBA and MSc in Finance from Leicester University, UK. He worked for KPMG, Deloitte, Ernst & Young in corporate finance and strategic consultancy before moving to Loita Capital Partners Group based in South Africa. He joined Actis in 2007 as a Director as part of their Africa real estate team where he led a number of transactions and exits. He is a frequent writer and speaker at conferences globally and currently serves on numerous boards of companies in Mauritius and also advises a number of companies in Africa.
Talya Parker
Managing Editor for ARC and ARC Briefing
Talya Parker is the Managing Editor of Africa Risk Consulting (ARC) and ARC Briefing and is based in Cape Town, South Africa. Prior to this Talya was a freelance country risk analyst and has additional experience in the business intelligence field where she assisted with due diligence and related projects across the African continent. Talya holds a master’s degree in political science from the University of Stellenbosch.
Jane Nicholls
Briefing's Editor
Jane Nicholls is ARC Briefing’s editor. Jane joined ARC at ARC Briefing’s inception and has worked with the ARC team to build a library of briefings covering politics, business and operations in 24 African countries. Jane has over 25 years’ experience in writing and editing articles and reports for individuals, private business and non-profit organisations.
Fiona Grant
Consultant
Fiona Grant is a consultant at Africa Risk Consulting (ARC) and has over five-years’ experience conducting political risk assessments and corporate investigations across Africa. Fiona joined ARC in January 2021 but prior to this worked in Oxford, UK establishing a transparent database of company records in sub-Saharan Africa. Fiona specialises in social, political and security challenges in East Africa with particular focus on the Swahili coast and holds a master’s degree in terrorism and political violence from St. Andrews University and an undergraduate degree in social anthropology from the University of Aberdeen.
Christopher Edyegu
Analyst
Christopher Edyegu joined ARC in October 2020 and is currently ARC Briefing’s correspondent for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Morocco, Nigeria and Algeria. He has lived in Uganda, Botswana and South Africa. He is currently based in Cape Town, South Africa, where was completing his Ph.D. studies in International Relations at the University of Cape Town (UCT). His Ph.D. thesis explored Chinese investments in African manufacturing. He also has a master’s degree in International Relations from UCT and from Stellenbosch University, South Africa, he has a bachelor’s degree in international studies, honours degree in history and postgraduate diploma in marketing.