Franco-Gabonese self-made entrepreneur, Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard, is the Founder, Chairman and 100% owner of APO Group.
APO is the leading Pan-African communications consultancy and press release distribution service.
Nicolas created APO Group in 2007 while he was a journalist for online Gabonese media Gabonews and Deputy President of the Pan African Press Organization in France (APPA – Association de la Presse Panafricaine). He founded the company with a savings of €10,000, as start-up capital.
Motivation
Speaking to LEADERSHIP on his motivation for the creation of the group, he said:
“The objective was to provide international and African media access to reliable news about the continent’s economy, businesses, and investment. Since then, APO Group has helped communicators relay compelling, uniquely African stories to audiences, enabling a change in the African narrative to a more positive tone.”
The Success Story
APO Group, he said, currently works with more than 300 clients, ranging from governments to international institutions, prominent personalities and companies active in Africa. Some of APO Group’s prestigious clients, he stressed, include: Facebook, Dangote Group, Nestlé, GE, NBA, FIFA, Canon, DHL, Marriott Group, Ecobank, Siemens, Standard Chartered, Orange, Jack Ma Foundation, African Development Bank, World Health Organization, Islamic Development Bank, Liquid Intelligent Technology, Rotary International, Kaspersky, Greenpeace, among others.
“APO Group is also the Official Strategic Public Relations Partner of the African Union at the Expo 2020 Dubai, the Pan-African public relations agency of FIFA, the governing body of football/soccer, the Pan-African public relations agency of the NBA; the Pan-African public relations agency of the Basketball Africa League (BAL); the Main Official Sponsor of World Rugby’s African association, Rugby Africa, the governing body of rugby in Africa; the Official Partner of iconic French Football Club Olympique de Marseille’s African programme, ‘OM Africa,’” he pointed out.
During his time as CEO at APO Group, Nicolas said, he has been growing the company as well as serving and advising hundreds of multinational companies to invest and conduct business in Africa. As Chairman, he is focusing on delivering high-level counsel for the company’s clients and developing his investment fund dedicated to Africa.
Biography
Prior to founding APO Group in 2007, Nicolas served successively as Deputy-Director of the French regional daily newspaper Le Petit Journal, Director of FNSEA farmer’s Union in Tarn-et-Garonne (France), parliamentary assistant at the French parliament (Assemblée France), correspondent in Europe of the Gabonese press agency, Gabonews, and Deputy- President of the Panafrican Press Association in France (APPA). Pompigne-Mognard studied law at the Université de Lille (France) and speaks English and French.
Nicolas is a Senior Advisory Board member of The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business.
Nicolas was also a speaker at the Bloomberg Africa Business Media Innovators forum 2019, at the Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF) 2019, a moderator at the Africa Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF) 2019 and at AHIF’s Africa Tomorrow conference 2020.
Nicolas’ success story has been featured on CNN, in Forbes, in Forbes Africa, and on CNBC Africa.
He is married.
