Michelle Kathryn Essomé (née Taylor)
is a former investment banker and the ex-
CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization.
CEOs find roles in variou ...
of the African Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (AVCA). She is also an ambassador of
Build Africa, an international development and education charity based in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
,
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
.
Early life and education
Essomé was born in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
in October 1968.
She was raised in Washington D.C. and also lived in
Niger
Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state Geography of Niger#Political geography, bordered by Libya to the Libya–Niger border, north-east, Chad to the Chad–Niger border, east ...
for a short period as a child.
Essomé was initially interested in politics, but, during her time at
Howard University
Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...
, her interest switched to finance. Consequently, she transferred to th
Howard University's School of Business where she obtained a
BBA in Finance
and was a recipient of a
Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
scholarship.
Later on, whilst working for
Goldman Sachs
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered in Lower Manhattan in New York City, with regional headquarters in many internationa ...
, she won an
MBA
A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular a ...
scholarship at
Columbia Business School
Columbia Business School (CBS) is the business school of Columbia University, a Private university, private research university in New York City. Established in 1916, Columbia Business School is one of six Ivy League business schools and one of ...
,
here she was
Robert F. Toigo fellow She graduated with an MBA in Finance from
Columbia Business School
Columbia Business School (CBS) is the business school of Columbia University, a Private university, private research university in New York City. Established in 1916, Columbia Business School is one of six Ivy League business schools and one of ...
,
Essomé is the inaugural recipient of the Columbia Business School Young Alumni of the Year Award (2014).
Career
Essomé's investment banking career has spanned over 30 years with roles in equities, fixed income and investment management. She has worked in the
US,
UK and
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
.
After university, Essomé started her career at
Merrill Lynch
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, doing business as Merrill, and previously branded Merrill Lynch, is an American investment management and wealth management division of Bank of America. Along with BofA Securities, the investm ...
in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
.
She later moved to
Goldman Sachs
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered in Lower Manhattan in New York City, with regional headquarters in many internationa ...
and, after business school, to
Chase
Chase or CHASE may refer to:
Businesses
* Chase Bank, a national American financial institution
* Chase UK, a British retail bank
* Chase Aircraft (1943–1954), a defunct American aircraft manufacturer
* Chase Coaches, a defunct bus operator in ...
, (later
JPMorgan Chase
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (stylized as JPMorganChase) is an American multinational financial services, finance corporation headquartered in New York City and incorporated in Delaware. It is List of largest banks in the United States, the largest ba ...
), where she spent time in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
in Global Syndicated Finance and on the Securitisation Team''.''
After leaving
JPMorgan Chase
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (stylized as JPMorganChase) is an American multinational financial services, finance corporation headquartered in New York City and incorporated in Delaware. It is List of largest banks in the United States, the largest ba ...
, she went to
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
and worked for a woman’s organisation, promoting women in business.
She was then recruited back to
Lehman Bros in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
in a strategic role to attract more women and ethnic minorities to the bank.
Afterwards, she moved to
Nomura
Nomura (written: 野村 "field village" or 埜村 "wilderness village") is a Japanese surname.
Notable people with the surname include:
* , Japanese volleyball player
* , Japanese-American baseball agent
* , Japanese voice actor, including in t ...
.
She was previously a Director at
Neuberger Berman
Neuberger Berman Group LLC is an American private, independent, employee-owned investment management firm. The firm manages equities, fixed income, private equity and hedge fund portfolios for global institutional investors, advisors and high-ne ...
In September 2011, Essomé was appointed CEO of th
African Private Equity and Venture Capital Association(AVCA), a pan-African industry body which aims to catalyse investment in
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
.
Personal life
Hobbies include running, swimming, reading and travelling.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Essomé, Michelle
1968 births
Living people
Howard University alumni
Columbia Business School alumni
American women business executives
American investment bankers
American women bankers
American venture capitalists
Women venture capitalists
Businesspeople from New York City
21st-century American women
Goldman Sachs people
JPMorgan Chase people