Mitchell Elegbe, Founder and Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Interswitch Group, has been re-appointed as the only African entrepreneur on the global jury of the 2026 Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur of the Year Awards.
- +Interswitch CEO among nine-member EY global jury
A statement from the firm stated that the awards, which are held annually in June in Monte Carlo, Monaco, will mark the third consecutive year Elegbe will serve on the jury following his inaugural appointment in 2024.
A statement from the firm stated that the awards, which are held annually in June in Monte Carlo, Monaco, will mark the third consecutive year Elegbe will serve on the jury following his inaugural appointment in 2024.
According to EY, the World Entrepreneur of the Year Hall of Fame is an elite group of individuals recognised for outstanding entrepreneurial achievements. The organisation said that for 40 years, since 1986, its Entrepreneur of the Year programme has celebrated innovation and leadership among business founders globally.
“The programme has recognised more than 10,000 outstanding entrepreneurs for their vision, innovation, courage, and leadership in building and growing successful businesses — businesses that influence the way people live, the products and services we depend on, and the economic vibrancy of our local communities and global markets,” EY stated.
In June 2023, Elegbe, alongside 48 other entrepreneurs from 45 countries, was inducted into the 2023 World Entrepreneur of the Year Hall of Fame. He remains the only black African global finalist and inductee into the Hall of Fame, as well as the only entrepreneur in the 40-year history of the awards to have won in both the emerging and master categories at regional level in West Africa.
For the 2026 edition of the awards, EY global leadership has re-invited Elegbe to join the global jury as one of nine former finalists who form the judging committee. The panel comprises entrepreneurs drawn from Australia, Brazil, Germany, Hong Kong and China, Nigeria (Elegbe), Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Mitchell Elegbe is widely regarded as one of the key figures in Nigeria’s payments innovation sector and is recognised for his contributions to the development of financial technology infrastructure across Africa. Through Interswitch, he has played a significant role in advancing digital payments and commerce solutions for individuals, financial institutions and governments.
A multiple award-winning business leader in the information technology and financial services sectors, Elegbe has received several recognitions, including the Harvard Business School Association of Nigeria Leadership Award (General Management Category), the African Banker Icon Award in 2019, the CNBC/Forbes All African Business Leaders Award (West Africa), and the Payments and Transfer category at the Fintech Africa Awards in 2016, among others.
He is a Bishop Desmond Tutu Fellow of the African Leadership Institute, an Endeavor Entrepreneur, and serves on the Board of Endeavor Nigeria.
Elegbe founded Interswitch in 2002 to address inefficiencies in Nigeria’s payment systems. The company has since grown into a leading payments and digital commerce infrastructure provider, supporting transactions and technology services across Africa.
