Ivy Mwai

Ivy Mwai is a spirited and passionate advocate of education and youth. Her career in education spans over 10 years, over the course of which she has championed talented and emerging young African leaders committed to transforming the future of their continent. Ivy currently leads the Mastercard Foundation’s efforts to roll out Young Africa Works, Kenya Programs focusing on finding solutions to the youth employment challenge and reducing poverty in Africa. At Equity Group Foundation, Ivy successfully oversaw the management of over 6,000 scholars under the Wings to Fly secondary school scholarship program. Before joining Equity Group Foundation, she was instrumental in the recruitment of over 3,000 applicants for the African Leadership Academy in South Africa as director of admissions. Ivy joined the Mastercard Foundation in 2015, where she managed a portfolio of university and secondary school partnership in the Foundation’s Scholars Program. She also led the strategy development of Young Africa Works in Senegal. Ivy also published the first East African children’s magazine, Maneno Magazine, and oversaw various social responsibility programmes with corporates in schools. Ivy was in the communications industry for over 10 years as an Advertising Executive with McCann Erickson Advertising Agency in Kenya and South Africa. Ivy was the first woman invited to become a member of the Executive Reserve Club in Johannesburg, a business network organization. In Kenya, Ivy was a member of the Organisation of Women in International Trade (OWIT) – Nairobi Chapter. She has a passion for furthering education of the girl-child through association with Starehe Girls School and The Old Limuru Girls Association. She is also a Life Member of the Kenya Red Cross Society. She is a Dean’s list graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University with a double major in International Relations and French (Honors).