Fred Swaniker

Fred Swaniker has a long and varied career in leadership and entrepreneurship. Fred began their professional journey in 1999 as a Business Analyst at McKinsey & Company. In 2001, they Co-Founded and served as Chief Operating Officer of Synexa Life Sciences. In 2004, they founded Global Leadership Adventures, a high school study abroad program, and African Leadership Group, a mission to develop three million entrepreneurial leaders for the continent by 2035. In 2019, they founded The Room, a platform to connect African leadership talent to each other and to other world-class talent.

Fred Swaniker received their MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business between 2002 and 2004. From 1995 to 1999, they obtained a BA in Economics from Macalester College. In 2018, they were awarded an honorary Doctorate from Macalester College, and in 2017 they received honorary Doctorates from both Middlebury College and Nelson Mandela University.