Akeem Ayeni is co-founder and managing partner of Anova. He has over 20 years of experience leading operational and strategic improvement efforts in several companies across many industries. Akeem began his career at Citigroup as a Corporate Finance Associate structuring asset-backed securitization deals and numerous financing deals for global transportation clients.  After business school, Akeem joined McKinsey & Company where he consulted for clients facing difficult market transitions.  He later joined EHS Partners where he focused on operational turnarounds.

Akeem holds an MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business, an MA in International Development Economics from Stanford University and a BA in Applied Mathematics from Harvard University.

Abraham Wu is co-founder and managing partner of Anova. Previously, Abe spent over 20 years leading multi-quarter profit improvement efforts in small and large companies across a variety of industries, including five years with McKinsey & Company in Los Angeles and Asia. Abe began his career as a systems engineer with Boeing Aerospace and Systems Research and Applications Inc.

Abe holds a PhD in Political Economics from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, MA degrees in Education and Political Science from the Stanford School of Education and Humanities and a BS in Electrical Engineering with Distinction from Stanford University.

David Howe has over 20 years directly leading or advising companies through profit improvement programs. His distinguished professional career is composed of highly successful endeavors in the public and private sector. Most recently, Mr. Howe serves as the Chief Operating Officer of the Civitas Group, a strategy consulting and investment firm focused on the homeland security market. He has also served as Special Assistant to the President of the United States and Senior Director of Emergency Preparedness. His private sector career includes serving as CEO of a start-up software company.

Mr. Howe worked for four years at McKinsey & Company focusing on profit improvement efforts in energy, healthcare and other commercial sectors.

He holds an MBA from Wharton Business School and a BA from Harvard University.

Steffen McKernan is an experienced leader of operational improvement efforts in the banking, technology, and entertainment industries. His professional experience has ranged from leading profit improvement efforts at Fortune 1000 companies to shepherding a start-up nanotechnology company from conception to full operation including multiple rounds of financing. Mr. McKernan’s profit improvement track record includes companies such as: Union Bank of California, Mellon Financial and Old National Bancorp. He has also led M&A and technology transactions in Asia, the Middle East, Canada and the US during his time at Conexant Systems.

Post doctorate, Mr. McKernan spent over three years with McKinsey & Company focusing on operational improvement and strategy in the technology sector.

Mr. McKernan holds a PhD in Physics from Princeton University and a BS in Engineering Physics from the University of California, Berkeley.

Shawn Weidmann has directly led the successful transformation of several large and medium size companies. His distinguished career includes successful operational improvement efforts at PNC Bank, Heinz, Union Planters Bank, Dow Chemical and Praxair. He has also held operating roles at Public Storage, Teleflora, Industrial Solutions and Progressive Insurance, and served as an officer in the U.S. Army.

Following business school, Mr. Weidmann spent 4 years with McKinsey & Company focusing on companies in the chemical, oil & gas, and financial services industries.

Mr. Weidmann holds an MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business, an MS in Systems Management from Golden Gate University and a BS in Civil Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Fredy Weling has advised CEOs and the executive teams of numerous companies across several continents. His strategic and operational improvement recommendations have been successfully followed by many corporations including: Intel, Ballard Power Systems, Deutsche Bank, Daimler Chrysler, Starwood Hotels, BellSouth and Deutsche Telekom.

Mr. Weling was formerly with PricewaterhouseCoopers in San Francisco and Arthur D. Little in Cambridge, MA and Berlin, Germany.

Mr. Weling holds a PhD in Physics from the University of Cologne, Germany, and an MS in Physics, summa cum laude, from the University of Louvain, Belgium.