Interswitch Founder Mitchell Elegbe Makes History, Rejoins EY World Entrepreneur Awards Global Jury for Third Consecutive Year
Only Entrepreneur Globally to Win Both Emerging and Master Categories Returns to Prestigious Monaco Panel
LAGOS, Nigeria – June 1, 2026 – Founder and Group Managing Director/CEO of interswitchgroup.com�, Mitchell Elegbe, has once again been appointed to the global jury of the prestigious EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards, marking his third consecutive year on the panel.
The 2026 grand finale of the awards will be held this June in Monte Carlo, where Elegbe remains the only entrepreneur from Africa selected to serve among the elite global judges. His latest appointment follows his inaugural jury role in 2024 and further cements his standing as one of Africa’s most celebrated business leaders.
Elegbe’s return to the jury comes on the heels of a remarkable achievement that has etched his name into the history of the awards. He remains the first and only entrepreneur worldwide to have won both the Emerging and Master Entrepreneur categories within any region during the 40-year history of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year programme.
According to ey.com�, the World Entrepreneur Of The Year Hall of Fame recognizes exceptional entrepreneurs whose vision, innovation, courage, and leadership have transformed industries and economies. Since its inception in 1986, the programme has honoured more than 10,000 entrepreneurs across the globe for building businesses that shape communities, markets, and everyday life.
In 2023, Elegbe joined 48 distinguished entrepreneurs from 45 countries as an inductee into the World Entrepreneur Of The Year Hall of Fame. He stood out as the only Black African finalist and inductee that year, further reinforcing his influence on the global entrepreneurial landscape.
For the 2026 edition, EY’s global leadership has once again invited him to join an exclusive panel of nine former finalists serving as judges. The international jury comprises accomplished entrepreneurs and previous regional winners from Australia, Brazil, Germany, Hong Kong and China, Nigeria, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Widely regarded as one of the architects of Nigeria’s digital payments revolution, Elegbe has earned global recognition for his pioneering contributions to financial technology and economic development across Africa. Through visionary leadership and innovation, he has played a key role in transforming how millions of Africans access and process digital payments.
A highly respected technology entrepreneur and business leader, Elegbe has received numerous accolades, including the Harvard Business School Association Nigeria Leadership Award in General Management, the African Banker Icon Award, the CNBC/Forbes All Africa Business Leaders Award (AABLA) for West Africa, and the Fintech Africa Award for Payments and Transfers. He is also a Fellow of the African Leadership Institute’s Bishop Desmond Tutu Fellowship, an Endeavor Entrepreneur, and a board member of Endeavor Nigeria.
Since founding Interswitch in 2002, Elegbe has led the company’s evolution into one of Africa’s leading payment and digital commerce firms, providing innovative payment infrastructure and technology solutions for individuals, financial institutions, businesses, and governments across the continent.
His continued presence on the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year global jury underscores both his personal achievements and the growing influence of African entrepreneurship on the global stage.