Ben Payton is the Head of Africa Research at Verisk Maplecroft. He leads a team of six analysts in providing research on above-ground risks for oil and gas clients across 49 countries. Since joining the company in 2012, Ben has coordinated a wide range of research developments, ranging from project-level assessments into ESG risks affecting extractive operations to macro-level reports on the impact of emerging risk trends in Africa.

Ben is also responsible for Verisk Maplecroft’s South Africa coverage; he regularly appears on the BBC, CNBC and Al-Jazeera to discuss the country’s business environment.

Ben previously worked in the Public Sector Governance Unit at the Commonwealth Secretariat. He has an MA in African History from the School of Oriental and African Studies.