Biznis Africa: Africa50 appoints new Chief Operating Officer

Original article on BiznisAfrica.co.za

Africa50, the pan-African infrastructure investment platform capitalized by the African Development Bank, 23 African countries and two African Central Banks, is pleased to announce the appointment of Carole Wamuyu Wainaina as Chief Operating Officer.

She will lead a multi-disciplinary team on the non-investment side of the organization, including Investor Relations, Strategy, Communications, HR and Administration, and Environmental and Social Governance.

“I am delighted to welcome Wainaina to Africa50,” said Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Africa50.

She has substantial private sector experience and recognized global organizational leadership and team building skills. This will be critical as we continue to build Africa50 into a high performing investment platform for infrastructure project development and investment in Africa, with a diverse group of investors from African governments to the private sector.”

A citizen of Kenya, Wainaina is a well-respected senior executive with global experience in the private and public sectors at senior levels, including strategy formulation, leading multi-disciplinary teams, and driving organizational change.

Before joining Africa50, she served as the Assistant Secretary General for Human Resources of the United Nations, leading transformational initiatives for the Secretary General and member states. Prior to joining the United Nations in 2014, Ms. Wainaina held senior positions for more than two decades at multinational corporations in Turkey, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Kenya.

She served for three years on the Executive Committee of Royal Philips in the Netherlands as Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer. Prior to this, she worked for 13 years at Coca-Cola in senior roles, including Chief of Staff of the Chairman and CEO, Group HR Director Eurasia and Africa, and President of the Coca-Cola Africa Foundation. She started her career at Price Waterhouse Coopers in Kenya. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree from the University of Southern Queensland in Australia.

“I am excited about the opportunity to join Africa50 and contribute to the sustainable economic and social development of Africa, for which improved infrastructure is so important. Africa50 is in a unique position to work with government partners and institutional and private investors to increase the number of viable projects,” stated Wainaina “.

“Carole will be a key member of our executive team, applying her global experience and leadership skills to building a high performing organization as we reach our goal of mobilizing long-term savings from within and outside Africa to promote infrastructure development,” said Alain Ebobissé, Africa50 Chief Executive Officer.

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