Nii Simmonds is a leader in emerging and frontier markets who has held top leadership positions in corporate finance, entrepreneurial ecosystems, supply chains, and research commercialization. With Fortune 500 firms, Simmonds has previously held managerial and P&L responsibility (Big Pharma & Biotech, Consumer Products, and Strategy Consulting). These positions have mostly involved strategic and long-term planning for different business divisions and providing C-Level executives with competitive, joint-venture, and growth strategy advice.
Simmonds also consults with early-stage ecosystems in a variety of roles, including venture adviser, board observer, and entrepreneur-in-residence (EIR). Additionally, Simmonds advises and provides thought leadership on artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, as well as their impact on society in terms of innovation, policy, and accelerating impactful solutions to challenges.
For the World Bank Group, International Finance Corporation (IFC), and African Development Bank (AfDB), Simmonds has worked and provided consultation in the areas of private sector development, diaspora engagement, financial inclusion, and agribusiness. He developed a diaspora engagement program at the World Bank Group with the goal of incentivizing professionals in the African diaspora to contribute both human and financial resources to early-stage enterprises for job creation in Africa. With the help of corporate and diaspora mentors, Simmonds established a supply chain professional mentorship initiative at the AfDB as part of the Jobs for Youth in Africa initiative. Simmonds earned a B.S. in Management with a minor in Information systems and Statistical Analysis from Pennsylvania State University's Smeal College of Business. Simmonds completed his graduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.
