Teresa Clarke

Chair & CEOAfrica.com

Teresa H Clarke | Chair and CEO | africa.com

Teresa H Clarke is the Chair and CEO of africa.com LLC and one of the most respected and influential figures in African digital media and business leadership today. Teresa H Clarke brings decades of experience in finance, media, technology and international development to her role as the driving force behind africa.com's mission to inform, inspire and connect the world through authentic African storytelling.

Teresa H Clarke — Career and Leadership

Teresa H Clarke career spans investment banking, private equity, media entrepreneurship and international development making her one of the most versatile and accomplished business leaders working on the African continent today. Before founding africa.com, Teresa H Clarke built a distinguished career in finance working with leading institutions and developing deep expertise in emerging markets, cross-border transactions and strategic investment. Her transition into digital media was driven by a deep conviction that Africa's stories were being told inadequately and that a powerful digital platform dedicated to showcasing African achievement, innovation and culture could fundamentally change how the world understood and engaged with the continent. Under Teresa H Clarke leadership, africa.com has grown into one of the most trusted and widely read digital platforms covering African affairs for a global audience of millions of readers every month.

Teresa H Clarke — Vision for Africa

The vision that drives Teresa H Clarke work is straightforward but profound — Africa deserves a digital media platform that tells its stories with accuracy, depth, pride and genuine respect for the continent's extraordinary complexity and diversity. Teresa H Clarke believes that how Africa is represented in global media has real consequences for how the continent is perceived by investors, policymakers, development organisations and the general public around the world. By building africa.com into a platform that consistently delivers high-quality, authoritative and engaging content about African business, politics, culture, innovation and society, Teresa H Clarke has helped reshape the narrative around Africa in meaningful and lasting ways that benefit the continent and its people.

Teresa H Clarke — Business and Investment Expertise

Teresa H Clarke brings deep expertise in business and investment to her leadership of africa.com. Her background in investment banking and private equity gives her a sophisticated understanding of capital markets, deal structures and strategic frameworks that drive business growth and value creation. Teresa H Clarke has been a passionate advocate for greater international investment in African markets arguing consistently that Africa offers extraordinary opportunities for investors who take the time to understand the continent's diverse economies, governance environments and consumer markets. Her voice carries significant weight in discussions about African business development, investment promotion and the policies needed to create conditions for sustainable and inclusive economic growth across the continent.

Teresa H Clarke — Digital Media Innovation

As Chair and CEO of africa.com, Teresa H Clarke has been at the forefront of digital media innovation on the continent. Under her leadership africa.com has embraced new technologies, expanded its content offering, built strategic partnerships with leading knowledge and media organisations and grown its audience to millions of readers across the globe. Teresa H Clarke understands that digital technology is transforming how African stories are told, consumed and shared and has invested consistently in building africa.com's capabilities to ensure the platform remains at the cutting edge of digital journalism and content delivery for a global audience passionate about Africa.

Teresa Clarke is an internationally recognized business leader and champion for Africa, serving as Chair and CEO of Africa.com LLC, a digital media company that showcases African business, policy, innovation, and culture to a global audience. Under her leadership, Africa.com has grown to become a leading platform for curated African content, reaching millions each month through its Business Publishers Network and top-ranked newsletters.

Teresa has spent decades advancing Africa’s global narrative and expanding opportunities for the continent’s youth. She co-founded the Student Sponsorship Programme of South Africa (SSP) in 2000, an initiative that has transformed the lives of hundreds of academically talented students from low-income families by placing them in top-tier South African schools. Her vision: quality education should not be a privilege but a right — and a powerful lever for equity and progress.

Her dedication to human rights and justice in Africa is reflected in her role as Chair of the Friends of the Legal Resources Centre of South Africa, a U.S.-based nonprofit that supports one of South Africa’s most prominent public interest law firms. She also chairs the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art and serves on the Africa Advisory Committee of Human Rights Watch, helping to amplify African voices in global policy and advocacy.

Appointed by the Obama Administration, Teresa was one of 15 private-sector leaders selected for the President’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa, advising U.S. policy to promote sustainable economic partnerships on the continent. She is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Harvard Center for African Studies, and a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

She serves on the advisory board of the Digital, Data, Design Institute at Harvard Business School – a scaled think tank involving over 30 faculty from across the university at the intersection of AI & business.

Teresa’s deep connection to Africa is also creative. She directed and produced the documentary Africa Straight Up, and delivered a TED Talk titled Bridging the African Diaspora Divide, which explores the powerful ties between Africans and the global diaspora.

Before founding Africa.com, Teresa made history at Goldman Sachs, becoming the first African-American woman promoted to Managing Director in the investment banking division. She led corporate finance and M&A transactions across sectors including real estate and industrials.

She currently serves on the boards of two Fortune 500 companies — American Tower (NYSE: AMT) and Gallagher (NYSE: AJG) — both with operations across Africa and other emerging markets.

Teresa earned an A.B. in economics, cum laude, from Harvard College, an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Learn more about africa.com’s mission on our About Us page and explore our Knowledge Partnership and Media Partnerships programmes. For African business leadership insights visit the World Economic Forum and the African Union.