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Frannie Leautier

Partner, CEO of SouthBridge Investment

Kigali

Frannie leads the investment activities of the firm. She has experience in Asset Management, Development Finance, and Risk Management.

    Experience

    Prior to joining SouthBridge Frannie held senior leadership roles in prestigious international organizations.
    She was Chief of Staff to the President and Vice President at the World Bank Group and Senior Vice President at the AfDB.  She held various roles at The Trade and Development Bank (TDB) Group, including Vice Chair of the Board, Special Advisor to the President before becoming TDB’s first Chief Operating Officer.
    She also led the Asset Management business of TDB, including the recent launch of a unique product for trade finance in Africa. Frannie has extensive governance experience holding advisory and governance roles on several boards, including the UN Foundation, Orca Explorations, AZA Finance, and ARC (African Risk Capacity) Ltd.
    She is also a member of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Regional Advisory Group for Africa and has previously served as co-Chair for the Global Agenda Councils of the WEF.  Other advisory and board roles held include with MIT, OCP Group, African Economic Research Consortium (AERC), Institute for Security Studies (ISS), King Badouin Foundation US (KBFUS), and Nelson Mandela Institute for Science and Technology (NM-AIST).
    She has authored several books and articles and lectured at Sciences Po, MIT, Harvard, and University of Tokyo.

    Education

    • Ph.D. in Engineering
      Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
    • Master of Science in Engineering
      Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
    • Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering
      University of Dar es Salaam
    • Honorary Degree
      China National Accounting Institute, Shanghai, China
    • Doctor in Humane Letters, honoris causa, in recognition of contribution to Africa’s development in 2013
      North Central College
    • Doctor in Law, honoris causa, in recognition of contribution to infrastructure development around the world
      Lancaster University

     

     

     

    Expertises

    • Funds structuring
    • Asset management
    • Operational Advisory
    • Ratings Advisory

    Publications

    • Cities and Spaces of Leadership :  A Geographic Perspective, Springer Verlag
      Palgrave MacMillan : London, with Cristina D’Allessandro (2019) 
    • Leadership in a Globalized World :  Complexity, Dynamics and Risk
      Palgrave MacMillan : London (2014) 
    • « Capacity Development for Transformation »
      Oxford Handbooks Online (2014)
    • Cities in a Globalized World: Governance, Performance, and Sustainability,
      World Bank, Washington D.C. (2006)
    • How can Africa attract private equity to its SMEs? 
      The Nordic Africa Institute, NAI Forum, February 21, 2014.
    • La Régulation des Industries de Réseau est-elle en Crise? 
      Economie et Droit de la Régulation des Infrastructures:  Perspectives des Pays enVoie de Développement, Paris: LGDJ.  (2008).