Mimi Alemayehou has been a leader on development finance and international development in the public and private sectors for more than 20 years. Mimi is currently Managing partner of Semai Ventures and a Senior advisor to Three Cairns Group, a mission driven investment and philanthropic firm focused on the climate crisis.
She previously served as the Senior Vice President for Public-Private Partnerships at MasterCard where 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. Her government service includes serving as Executive Vice President of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), 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.
Mimi has 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 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.