The African Centre for Economic Transformation (ACET) has announced the appointment of Maura K. Leary as Director of Communications.
Maura will oversee ACET’s internal and external communications, working with all departments to refine and strengthen ACET’s messaging, engagement and advocacy strategies.
Reporting to the Executive Vice President, Maura will ensure that the institution’s analysis and advice are widely understood and readily available to stakeholders in Africa and around the world, to influence policy and accelerate economic transformation.
“This is a critical moment for African countries and the transformation agenda,” said ACET
President and Founder K.Y. Amoako. “Designing and implementing sound strategies for long-term, inclusive growth that improves lives is at the core of what we do. Maura will guarantee that the right people are getting the right knowledge at the right time. She brings invaluable experience, expertise and passion to ACET, and I am thrilled for her to join our growing organisation.”
Maura comes to ACET after 10 years at the World Bank, where she has developed impactful communications strategies which address risks and advance key policy positions, with a strong focus on thought leadership, economic progress and stakeholder engagement.
Since 2019 she has been the Senior External Affairs Officer responsible for economic issues in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2020 she served as Acting Manager for the World Bank’s Africa External Affairs team, implementing a dynamic communications and engagement strategy and leading a team of professionals across the African continent and in Washington, DC.
She previously advised the World Bank’s Chief Executive Officer on communications, risk and engagement; and prior to that she managed strategic communications and outreach on poverty reduction, equity and inequality as the Communications Lead for the World Bank’s Poverty and Equity Global Practice. She began her career at the World Bank as a partnerships and communications specialist on the Gender and Development team.
Before joining the World Bank in March 2011, she worked at George Washington University and Tufts University managing academic programmes in the United States and France for high school, university, graduate and adult students.
Maura is fluent in English and French. She holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs from the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University, and a B.A. in French from Connecticut College.
“I am thrilled to join Africa’s pre-eminent policy institution and to help ensure that communications and engagement go hand in hand with expert analysis and policy advice for greater impact,” said Maura. “ACET incubates and promotes African-driven solutions and thought leadership; those ideas and recommendations will be even more crucial to countries’ transformation efforts during and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. I look forward to contributing to this important agenda for Africa.”
She will join ACET officially on September 20.
