AIESEC in Ghana Legends- Dr Felix Addo

Felix Elvis Addo, a distinguished Ghanaian business executive and certified public accountant, has held various prominent roles in his illustrious career. Since 2018, he has served as the non-executive chairman of Guinness Ghana Breweries. Prior to assuming this position, Addo held the chairmanship of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation. Dr. Addo boasts a rich professional history as the former Country Senior Partner for PriceWaterhouseCoopers in Ghana and a former member of the PwC Africa Governance Board.

As a leader and visionary in his field, Addo is the founding president of the Ghana Association Restructuring and Insolvency Advisors (GARIA). Currently, he serves as a Non-Executive Director at MTN Ghana. Dr. Felix Addo has also played pivotal roles in the non-profit sector, holding the esteemed position of Chairman Emeritus of AIESEC Ghana, a globally recognized youth-run organization. Additionally, he contributes to fostering international business ties as the Vice President of the Ghana-America Chamber of Commerce.

Interviewer (I)- you were in Switzerland in 1978?

Felix Addo (FA) — 1977

I- And you worked with?

FA- A company called SGS (Société Générale de Surveillance) in 1977. That was my first encounter with AIESEC. I was a local committee secretary in my first year (75/76). In 1977, I became the AIESEC in Legon President and then in 1978, I became the AIESEC national president.

In my first year in AIESEC, we brought the AIESEC general secretary, called Einstein, a Norwegian to Ghana. In the second year, we hosted the West African Coordinating Conference (WAFCO). We opened AIESEC in Liberia at the University of Liberia.

I- Were you one of the first people to become president of AIESEC in Ghana? I know of Haruna Isoko-

FA- He was the very first of many AIESEC legends. One is Fred Oware. He’s now the chief of staff of the vice president and his campaign chief. Then after him came Patrick, an entrepreneur par excellence. He was also a legend. Then after him came Sanmi Adetola from Nigeria. And after him came me.

After me came Dr Kumah, recently chairman of Standard Chartered Bank. Talk to the Alumni Association. They’ll tell you about all the great people who have contributed immensely to the development of Ghana’s financial sector. Now you have volunteering work and internships. What do you do in those development projects?

I- So what happens is, we get people, it’s a global volunteer program that we downscale from AIESEC International. People travel out of the country to support SDGs and NGOs.

FA- We’re not into NGOs but somehow you’ve gotten yourself into the NGO business. Why? It’s supposed to be hardcore financial business types working for banks, financial institutions, etc. That’s what you’re supposed to be doing. But now you’ve changed.

I- We’ve evolved.

FA- So you do a lot of volunteer work.

I- It’s part of what we do.

FA- It’s like 90% of what you do now. Instead of hard traineeships, you’re doing soft traineeships

I- Some other countries still do traineeships.

FA- But that’s what Ghana needs. We have proper needs like creating jobs and building businesses. Our needs in Ghana and other developing countries involve hardcore traineeships that can help create jobs.

I always say, think outside the box.

How do you create jobs? How do you help SMEs with IT systems and financial systems? That’s what I would like you to do.

I- How did AIESEC itself contribute to your personal growth?

FA- I will throw the question back to you. How has AIESEC contributed to your growth?

I- Personally, when it comes to managerial skills, because of the responsibilities I have in AIESEC, I’ve been able to manage talent and manage responsibilities much better than before AIESEC. I’ve been able to make an impact in the lives of people formally and informally. It has also helped me become more purposeful. My personal development has grown because of AIESEC. I’ve learned how to manage projects and impact the lives of others.

FA- Very good. When I was the local committee leader in the university, I was engaging the university authorities, and different HODs, all the way up to the VC. I was dealing with leaders, our sponsors, and even MDs of banks. By the time we came out of university, these were the movers and shakers I knew, so you can imagine the continuous growth from there. For 20 years, I was in the States. But when I came back, I was still able to pick up where I left off and those running key institutions became my peer group and I was able to leverage them.

AIESEC trains you to be a leader. You think globally. You think outside the box. Ghana is just a small place. So that’s how AIESEC helped me and is still helping me. One thing about leadership is that you keep building on the foundation. You don’t roll back, you keep moving forward.

I- During your time in AIESEC, did you have any mentors or role models?

FA- Yes, they were AIESECers also. They gave me ideas and directions, and they set the pace. They let me know that if I think out of the box, I would go places and so they impacted my life tremendously.

I- Can you share a specific story or instance where AIESEC itself through your involvement made a positive impact on a community and individuals?

FA- Well, we had the WAFCO, and then I went to Liberia to open up an office there. Then we had exchanges with Nigeria, Ibadan, Lagos and all. In my time we trained about 50–60 people all over the world. America, Europe. That’s how powerful AIESEC was at the time.

I- What advice would you give to current AIESEC members to make the most of their experience?

FA- You need to seize the opportunity AIESEC gives you. Make sure you’re able to connect the dots and leverage that opportunity. Don’t let it go. Okay?

You have to put in the work. Whatever you put in you’ll get out.

If you work hard you’ll come out very developed, without even realizing the effort and you do this by participating and organizing conferences and all.

I- Reflecting on your AIESEC journey, what words of gratitude would you like to express to the AIESEC community?

FA- Because of the leaders I had during my time who directed me towards AIESEC, I am what I am today. By the time I came out of AIESEC in Ghana, I had friends all over the world and it helped me in my future journey. It opened my eyes literally. We went to an AIESEC management conference in 1980 in Brussels, Belgium. Myself and Abiola were the only Africans at the conference. Now, such interactions when you come out of it, you get a vision of what you can strive to get. We got to interact with many leaders from Europe including the president of France.

When you get such headstarts, you’re as confident as they come in life. You can’t go back. Okay?

You can all do it. There’s no magic to it.