Rafat Ali al-Akhali

Rafat Ali Al-Akhali is an experienced professional currently serving as a Partner at DeepRoot Consulting since 2023 and as a Fellow of Practice-Strategic Projects at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford since 2015. At Oxford, Rafat coordinates research and engagement activities in public administration, notably launching a Massive Open Online Course with Professor Sir Paul Collier that engaged over 130,000 learners. Previously, Rafat held the position of Minister of Youth & Sports in Yemen (2014-2015), implementing significant reforms during a challenging period, and served as Team Lead for Policy Reforms at the Executive Bureau for Acceleration of Aid Absorption and Support for Policy Reforms (2013-2014). Rafat's earlier career includes roles as a Senior Technology Consultant at PwC (2010-2012) and as a Senior Network Analyst at IBM Canada (2005-2009). Educational qualifications include a Master of Public Policy from the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford, an MBA from HEC Montréal, and a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Information Systems Management from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.