Maryana Iskander

Chief Executive Officer, Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator

Biography

Maryana Iskander has served as Chief Executive Officer of Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator since 2013. She brings a track record of scaling organisations through partnership models, data-driven delivery, talent management and technology innovation. Harambee has partnered with over 500 African businesses in South Africa and Rwanda and provided over 175,000 jobs and work experiences to unemployed youth. In 2019, Maryana led Harambee to receive the prestigious Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship and the Concious Companies Award.

Previously, she served as Chief Operating Officer of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, a US$1 billion organisation that is America’s largest provider of women’s healthcare. Maryana was an associate at global consultancy McKinsey & Company, and a law clerk on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

She earned a B.A. magna cum laude from Rice University, an M.Sc. from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, and a J.D. from Yale Law School, where she received a Distinguished Alumna Award. Maryana is a Henry Crown Fellow and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. She also serves on the board of World Education Services, a leading institution in the field of education and professional development.

Regional Focus

Eastern and Southern Africa