Shannon Stroud

Chief Executive Officer in the U.S.

Shannon Stroud brings over 25 years of leadership experience in international finance, investment, and advisory services. She was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Invest Africa US in 2025, where she leads the organisation’s mission to connect investors with business and investment opportunities across the African continent.

Prior to joining Invest Africa, Shannon served as Director at the Milken Institute International, where she founded and led the Africa Leaders Business Council, spearheaded high-level dialogues alongside the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit and UN General Assembly, and expanded global investor partnerships. She also co-led the IFC–Milken Institute Capital Markets Training Program, which has built the capacity of more than 220 financial policy leaders from over 60 countries and is now hosted at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. In 2022, she helped launch a sister training programme with the World Bank Treasury at Bayes Business School in London, focused on strengthening governance and asset management practices among public pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and central banks.

Earlier in her career, Shannon was Managing Director at the Emerging Markets Private Equity Association (EMPEA), where she developed investor education programmes and convened global capital providers through flagship summits and conferences. She has also held senior roles in private equity, structured finance, and consulting at Pine Creek Partners, CapitalSource Finance, and Arthur Andersen LLP, and founded Finley Advisory, LLC, advising funds, family offices, and impact investors on capital introductions and fundraising strategies.