Mitchell Elegbe

EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2024 Judge
Founder and Group Managing Director, Interswitch Group, Nigeria


Mitchell is driving payment innovation and social impact across Africa.

Photographic portrait of Mitchell Elegbe

Mitchell Elegbe is Group Managing Director, CEO and a member of the board of directors at Interswitch, which he founded in 2002. Under his leadership, the digital payments and commerce company diversified its business, broadened distribution channels and expanded into new markets across Africa, driving payment innovation and social impact.

Mitchell is a graduate of the University of Benin, Nigeria and an alumnus of the IESE-Wharton-CEIBS Global CEO Program. He is a people-centric leader who wants his colleagues to see value in themselves, their work and their team while relentlessly pursuing sustainable value for stakeholders. 

He has earned several awards, including the 2019 African Banker Icon by The African Banker. A Bishop Desmond Tutu fellow of the African Leadership Institute, Mitchell enjoys mentoring young entrepreneurs as a member of the board of Endeavor Nigeria. 

He was selected as EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2023 West Africa (Nigeria).