Mimi Alemayehou
Managing Partner, Semai Ventures; Senior Advisor, Three Cairns Group
Mimi Alemayehou—has been a leader on development finance and investing in infrastructure in the public and private sectors for more than 25 years. She is a Senior Advisor at Three Cairns Group, a mission driven investment and philanthropic firm. Previously she served as Senior Vice President for Public-Private Partnerships at MasterCard and her portfolio included initiatives designed to catalyze social impact and financial inclusion in emerging markets. As Managing Director of the Black Rhino Group and Chair of Blackstone Africa Infrastructure LP, she advanced major energy and infrastructure projects across Africa. Previously she served on the board of Climate Change Crisis Real Impact, and on the board of Energy for Growth Hub, a research and advocacy network working to end energy poverty. Her government service includes serving as Executive Vice President of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, the U.S. government’s development finance agency, and as the U.S. representative on the Board of the African Development Bank. During her four-year tenure, OPIC tripled its Africa portfolio, and investments in renewable resources grew tenfold in three years to $1.5 billion. Her other board roles have included: Fin Dev Canada, the US African Development Foundation, and Twitter, Inc. She is currently on the board of the ONE Campaign whose mission is to end extreme poverty.
