Essie Yamoah

Essie brings over two decades of strategic leadership experience across management consulting, corporate strategy, and international development in North America and Sub-Saharan Africa.

She has held senior leadership roles at Capital One–driving initiatives in credit risk and field operations–and at McKinsey & Company, where she helped clients accelerate growth and improve performance. She has also worked with public and nonprofit organizations in Ghana and Kenya to strengthen agricultural value chains through high-impact strategies. She will be based in Accra and is passionate about advancing economic development by directing investment toward innovative businesses that deliver meaningful social impact and sustainable growth. She looks forward to continuing this important work at GDI.

She holds a BSc in Chemical Engineering, an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania, and a master’s in International Development from Harvard Kennedy School. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her kids, baking, playing chess (terribly), and learning to play the cello (also terribly).