Esther Adem

Adem is a seasoned professional serving as the Senior Insights and Market Engagement Manager within the Connected Women programme. In this capacity, she collaborates closely with mobile operators to enhance the outreach to women micro-entrepreneurs, focusing on fostering digital and financial inclusion through informed research and strategic initiatives.

With an impressive career spanning over 8 years in both the Telecommunication and NGO sectors, Adem has cultivated a wealth of expertise. Prior to her tenure at the GSMA, she made significant contributions to organisations such as BRAC International, Safaricom PLC, and Sterling Capital. In these roles, she led process automations and worked on driving the expansion of digital financial services to empower women entrepreneurs, particularly those at the base of the pyramid in rural areas.

Her dedication and accomplishments have garnered international recognition, with the Global CIO Forum honouring her with the prestigious ‘Next Generation Global CIO’ awards for two consecutive years: 2022 and 2023.

She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in project management at Liverpool John Moores University (UK), building upon her strong academic foundation in Finance from Strathmore University, where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree. Additionally, she holds a CPA (K) qualification.