Akinyi Ochieng

Akinyi Ochieng is a senior associate director at APCO Worldwide and is based in the New York office. She advises non-profits, foundations, corporations, and governments in designing and implementing programs and partnerships to improve economic and social outcomes for vulnerable communities. Ms. Ochieng works across a broad range of issues including education, gender equity, racial justice, and economic mobility in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Outside of APCO, Ms. Ochieng has worked at several organizations focused on accelerating financial inclusion and improving supply chain sustainability. Most recently, she led brand and communications at Nova Credit, the premier cross-border consumer credit bureau, and managed corporate communications and social impact efforts at WorldRemit, a global leader in international remittances.

Ms. Ochieng is also passionate about African affairs. Over the course of her career, she has mobilized multi-million-dollar public-private partnerships, most notably the Sustainable Shea Initiative, which aims to expand access to economic opportunity for millions of women across West Africa. Her perspectives on business, culture and politics in the region have been featured by Forbes, CNBC, BBC, Quartz, African Business Magazine, and the World Economic Forum. She sits on the U.S. board of SOS Sahel, one of Africa’s oldest food security nonprofits, and Operation Fistula, an organization dedicated to improving maternal health in Africa. She is also a former Princeton in Africa Fellow.

Ms. Ochieng has an MSc in Global Politics from the London School of Economics and a BA in Political Science and African Studies from Yale University. She also holds a certificate in Strategic Philanthropy from the University of Cambridge’s Judge School of Business. In 2019, she was named one of the 100 Most Influential People of African Descent in media under 40.