Yemi uses strategy, management and leadership expertise to design and deliver innovative solutions. As Deputy Head of Africa at the World Economic Forum Yemi worked directly with Presidents, Ministers, CEOs and leaders from all sectors. Yemi developed the strategy to diversify the Forum’s community of African business and political leaders and secured the strategic evolution of the Forum’s Africa meeting beyond southern Africa to rotating to countries across Africa. In the process, Yemi achieved record levels of business leader participation and fundraising for the activities of the division. Yemi secured a record level of female executive participation at the annual Africa Summit, this was matched by record female executive participation in the agenda and programme, with positive consequences that continue to this day. As Head of the Global Shapers Community, Yemi developed and executed strategy to empower youth by building the Global Shapers Community to over 450 cities in 170+ countries and territories. This included a presence in at least one city in every African country. Yemi designed and implemented a distributed leadership strategy securing over 7,000 members and impacting over one million lives through projects. To strengthen the voice of all young people he founded the Shapers Survey, a comprehensive survey that exceeded 30,000 responses from over 180+ countries and territories with the data available to the public.

As Technical Adviser for Economic Growth to the Nigerian Finance Minister, Yemi was responsible for the structure and content of the Minister’s regular State of the Economy briefings. He coordinated the work of research and policy units within the Ministry of Finance and was the liaison with the Office of National Statistics. Yemi proposed and evaluated reforms to remove barriers to growth and to improve national competitiveness. Yemi led the team that organised a National Workshop on Competitiveness and led the team that consulted key departments across all government ministries. Yemi also reviewed the Statement of Financial Accounts of the Federal Government, making technical recommendations to the Minister. Formerly working at GE (General Electric), Yemi developed software that automated his job. He went on to prepare the annual financial statements for 3 GE businesses. He led the Project Business UK team that won the Kingston Mayor’s Award for contribution to the community.

Empowering others by sharing knowledge is something that Yemi has done throughout his career, including through teaching and research. Among other engagements, Yemi serves as a Commissioner on the Youth Skills and Innovation Commission run by the Global Business Coalition for Education.

Yemi is an economist (Harvard University and Richmond University); a management scientist (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and a Chartered Accountant (ACCA). He regularly collaborates with corporations, governments, non-profit organisations and individual leaders.