Abebe Girmay, CIPM®

Abebe Girmay has a diverse work experience spanning various roles and industries. Abebe currently holds the position of Chief Business Officer at a Stealth FinTech Startup, starting in 2023. Prior to this, Abebe worked at Bloom (YC W22) as both a General Manager of Growth and a Chief Compliance Officer from 2022 onwards. From 2015 to 2023, they served as a Lecturer in IT Project Management at HiLCoE School of Computer Science & Technology.

Earlier in their career, Abebe held positions at Visa as a Senior Director from 2020 to 2022, at International Payment Services B.S.C. (C) as a Chief Operating Officer and Project Manager from 2019 to 2020, at Mastercard as a Country Manager and Business Development Manager from 2016 to 2019, at BPC Banking Technologies as a Project Manager and Payment System's Consultant from 2015 to 2016, and at Dashen Bank S.C. in various roles including Vice President of IT, Digital Banking, and Project Management Office from 2001 to 2015.

Additionally, Abebe's experience includes serving as the Chairman of the Technical Committee Project for the National Interoperable Switch Project at EthSwitch from 2011 to 2014, and as a member of the Legal Working Group for the National Payment Systems Modernization Projects at the National Bank of Ethiopia from 2008 to 2011.

Abebe Girmay has a diverse educational background with a focus on business administration, project management, and computer science. Their education history includes:

- From 2014 to 2016, Abebe Girmay attended Jimma University, where they pursued a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in Business Administration and Management, General.

- In 2014 and 2015, they also studied at the American Academy of Project Management, obtaining the certifications of Certified International Project Manager (CIPM®) and Fellow AAPM® in project management.

- From 2010 to 2012, Abebe Girmay attended HiLCoE School of Computer Science & Technology, where they completed a Master of Science (MSc) degree in Computer Software Engineering.

- In 2009 and 2010, they obtained a Certificate in Bankcard Management from The London Institute of Banking & Finance.

- From 2006 to 2009, Abebe Girmay pursued a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Computer Science at HiLCoE School of Computer Science & Technology.

- In 2001, they obtained an Associate's degree in Computer Science from Sheba University College.

- In 1997, Abebe Girmay also earned an Associate's degree in Information Science from Addis Ababa University.

In addition to their formal education, Abebe Girmay has obtained various certifications. These include:

- Introduction to Data Science certificate from Cisco obtained in June 2023.

- Certificate in Compliance Management from Udemy obtained in January 2023.

- Anti-Money Laundering Concepts: AML, KYC and Compliance certificate from Udemy obtained in November 2022.

- Building Islamic Credit Card Product and Services certificate from Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF) obtained in November 2019.

- Building High-Performance Team certificate from Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF) obtained in June 2019.

- IBM Blockchain Essentials certificate from IBM obtained in May 2019.

- Certified International Project Manager (CIPM) certificate from AAPM® American Academy of Project Management® obtained in September 2015.

- Customer Relationship Management (CRM) certificate from Ethiopian Airlines obtained in November 2013.

- Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS) Training certificate from NetHost Legislation Ltd obtained in November 2012.

- Strategy Formulation and Strategic Plan Implementation certificate from Galilee International Management Institute obtained in February 2012.

- Certificate in Bank Card Management from ifs University College obtained in January 2010.

Abebe Girmay has a strong educational background complemented by additional certifications in relevant fields.