Viola Llewellyn

Fintech Entrepreneur, President of Ovamba Solutions, Founder of Prophaze Consulting, Global Trade Finance & Inclusion Leader

Viola Llewellyn’s Biography:

Viola Llewellyn is a globally recognised fintech innovator, trade finance specialist and keynote speaker, best known as President and Co-Founder of Ovamba Solutions Inc, an award-winning African TradeTech company. A powerful voice on financial inclusion, ethical investment and entrepreneurship, Viola has built a reputation for translating complex financial systems into practical strategies for growth. She is widely respected for her role in expanding access to capital for African SMEs and for becoming the first female African tech founder to speak at Slush Helsinki and Slush Tokyo, marking a defining moment in global technology leadership.

Born, raised and educated in the UK, Viola began her career in communications and finance, developing early expertise at the Investment Company Institute where she worked in public communications and media relations. She later gained exposure to high-level finance and global markets through roles at NM Rothschild’s, KPMG Consulting, BearingPoint and Unisys Corporation, where she supported public sector leadership and large-scale government contracts. These formative years sharpened her understanding of policy, investment structures and institutional decision-making, experiences that would later underpin her success in fintech and trade finance across emerging markets.

Viola’s leadership trajectory accelerated when she became Managing Partner at Praxis Management Advisors, advising governments, investors and NGOs operating across sub-Saharan Africa. In 2013, she co-founded Ovamba Solutions, leading the company as President for over a decade. Under her leadership, Ovamba secured nearly $11 million in debt financing, supported hundreds of SMEs and pioneered culturally attuned, Sharia-compliant financial technologies. Her impact has been recognised internationally, including being named to Innovate Finance’s Women in FinTech Power List for three consecutive years and Latice80’s Top 100 Women in FinTech. In 2018, Ovamba was selected as a World Economic Forum Global Technology Pioneer, earning Viola a seat at the Davos Summit.

Why Hire Viola Llewellyn?

Today, Viola continues to influence global business and social enterprise as Founder and CEO of PROPhaze Consulting, launched in 2025. Through this work, she advises investors, donors and leadership teams on sustainable growth, alternative finance and impact-driven strategy. As a keynote speaker, Viola is booked for her insight into fintech, investing in Africa, women in business and leadership under uncertainty. Her talks combine commercial realism with purpose-led thinking, grounded in decades of lived experience across public, private and non-profit sectors. Audiences value her clarity, credibility and ability to challenge outdated models, making her a compelling choice for conferences, leadership forums and global business events.

Viola Llewellyn’s Career Highlights:

Here are some of the key milestones that define Viola Llewellyn’s inspirational career in business and fintech:

• 2025 – Appointed Founder & CEO of PROPhaze Consulting
• 2024 – Named keynote speaker for the 25th Annual Charlottesville Business Innovation Council Awards Gala
• 2019 – Recognised in Latice80’s Top 100 Women in FinTech
• 2018 – Selected as a World Economic Forum Global Technology Pioneer
• 2018 – Delivered TED Talk, A New Model of Microfinance for Africa and Beyond
• 2018 – Featured in Vanity Fair as one of 34 Black women in the USA to raise over $1 million for a tech company
• 2016-2018 – Listed on Innovate Finance’s Women in FinTech Power List
• 2013 – Co-founded Ovamba Solutions Inc