Akinyi Ochieng is a director at APCO, where she advises leading corporations, foundations and nonprofits on their social impact initiatives. Based in New York, Akinyi partners with innovators and changemakers to design and scale programs that support economic mobility and inclusive innovation throughout North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
The best way to predict the future is to create it.
– Abraham Lincoln
Prior to joining APCO, Akinyi worked in the financial services industry, developing impact-driven campaigns and programs at high-growth start-ups including Nova Credit and WorldRemit. Her insights on business, culture, and geopolitics have been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, CNBC, NPR, BBC, African Business Magazine and the World Economic Forum’s Agenda. In 2019, she was recognized as one of the 100 Most Influential People of African Descent in media under 40.
With deep regional expertise, Akinyi has been a catalyst for African development. She has mobilized nearly $50M in public-private partnerships across East and West Africa and pioneered innovative platforms like the first Africa House at SXSW, elevating the continent’s entrepreneurial narrative on the global stage.
Akinyi serves as Board Chair of SOS Sahel USA, the U.S. branch of Africa’s oldest food security nonprofit and as a Trustee of Operation Fistula, a data-driven initiative improving maternal health in Africa. She is also a former Princeton in Africa Fellow.
She holds an MSc in Global Politics from the London School of Economics and a BA (with distinction) in Political Science and African Studies from Yale University. Additionally, she has certificates in strategic philanthropy and social impact from the University of Cambridge’s Judge School of Business and the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy.
