Gwen Ansah Smith

Gwendolyn Ansah Smith is a global institutional investment executive with nearly three decades of experience spanning capital allocation, African markets, investment strategy and technology.

Most recently, she served as Managing Director and Head of Global Strategic Engagement at Invesco, a $2.5 trillion global asset manager, where she led enterprise-wide strategic engagement and advised senior leadership on geopolitical and regulatory matters.

Previously, as Managing Director for Africa, Gwen developed and led Invesco’s Africa market expansion strategy across institutional distribution and investment opportunities. She built relationships with sovereign wealth funds, central banks, and public and corporate pension funds; structured onshore and offshore partnerships; and worked with emerging markets investment teams on market and investment strategy. She also co-authored Invesco’s Africa: A Continent of Opportunity thought leadership series.

Earlier, as Managing Director of Global Institutional & Alternatives, she developed global growth strategies across institutional and alternative investments. Her leadership at Invesco also extended to technology, where she led the firm’s largest technology transformation for global institutional distribution enablement, spearheaded its first global institutional client experience initiative, and developed its first AI prototype for the institutional business.

Before Invesco, Gwen served as Deputy Chief Financial Officer for the City of Atlanta and Interim Chief Financial Officer of Invest Atlanta, overseeing multibillion-dollar investment portfolios and capital markets activities. She previously worked in emerging markets private equity at AIG Capital Partners, with a focus on Africa, and in leveraged finance and financial sponsors at Deutsche Bank Securities.

Gwen has also served as Chair of the Africa Institutional Investor Advisory Council of the National Association of Securities Professionals. She holds an MBA from Columbia Business School, with concentrations in Finance and International Business; an MA in International Affairs from the University of Ghana; and a BA in American History and Political Science from Manhattanville College.

As Founder and CEO of Pivot57, Gwen is establishing a new standard for African investment intelligence.