Eric Kacou, WG'04 Managing Director OTF Group Rwanda

Wharton Speaker >> Biography

Mr. Eric Kacou is one of two Managing Directors of the OTF Group, a strategy and competitiveness firm, the only US-based, venture-backed firm focused on emerging economies. He oversees Strategy and Marketing for the firm, and the Africa region.

Eric leads the Rwanda National Innovation and Competitiveness (RNIC) Program, an initiative by His Excellency President Paul Kagame to upgrade the Competitiveness of Rwanda’s economy and foster Private sector development. In the rest of the world, Eric Kacou has also advised leaders of several countries including Nigeria, Uganda, Sudan, Mali, Burundi, Haiti and Burkina Faso. In addition, Eric currently oversees the Pioneers of Prosperity award program. It recognizes dynamic companies in emerging markets that can be an inspiration for future business leaders. The 2007 Pioneers of Prosperity Africa Awards was featured in the documentary “Unlocking Africa”, by Emmy-nominated filmmaker Jeff Zimbalist. The 2008 Pioneers of Prosperity Africa Awards registered the participation of 1,500 businesses from ten African nations.

Prior to joining the OTF Group, Eric worked a strategy consultant with Monitor Company in Toronto and Paris advising senior Fortune 500 executives mostly in pharmaceuticals, telecommunications and manufacturing. Eric earned his MBA at the Wharton School, and a B.A. in Finance at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales (HEC) in Montreal, Canada. A frequent speaker at international conferences, Eric is the author of several articles on competitiveness and private sector development in Africa. He is a contributor to an original book of essays, called “In the River they swim,” to be published by Templeton Press in the spring of 2009. He is author of a book about Africa’s economic transformation, due out in 2010.