Kartik Jayaram

Kartik is a senior partner with the Nairobi office and leads the firm’s Public & Social Sector Practice in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EEMA). He previously led the North American Education Practice and was managing partner of the East African office. He started his career at McKinsey in the United States in 2000, working in many countries around the world including the United Kingdom, China, France, and Malaysia, before moving to Kenya.

Kartik focuses on economic development and sustainability topics with countries and social sector organizations. Some recent examples include developing national economic development strategies for multiple countries; supporting foreign direct investment transactions; driving green manufacturing development in multiple sectors; and developing voluntary carbon markets.

He also helps companies drive growth by building new green and digital businesses. Recent examples include developing and launching a digital retail business; supporting a fintech along its growth journey; and setting up a new renewable energy fund.

Kartik has also coauthored several acclaimed reports, including the Green Africa series, as well as a report about China’s economic influence in Africa. These have been featured on various media including BBC, Bloomberg, Economist, Financial Times, and others.

Outside of the firm, Kartik serves on the Advisory Council of the University of Chicago's Graham School. For several years, Kartik also chaired the Board of Generation Kenya, a non-profit dedicated to developing and providing career opportunities for youth.

Kartik earned a master’s in business administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He holds a master’s in operations research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology. He also taught business statistics at the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School.