Sidee Dlamini

Sidee Dlamini is the President/CEO of African Leadership University (ALU), a pan-African institution dedicated to developing ethical, entrepreneurial leaders who will drive growth and  transformation across the globe. As President, she directs ALU’s strategy, educational quality, operational strength, organizational culture, and long-term financial sustainability.

Sidee’s work in education started in her early career when she founded a project in Eswatini, Southern Africa to provide high-potential students with access to Mastercard Foundation scholarships, and later led research across Africa on the outcomes of international education for the Foundation’s African alumni.

Over the course of her career, Sidee has engaged and convened a broad range of stakeholders in service of a shared mission. As Director of Stakeholder Engagement within the African Leadership Group (ALG), she built a community of thousands of global stakeholders including heads of state, philanthropists, and entrepreneurs, and convened high-level gatherings across Mauritius, Rwanda, Ghana, and Kenya in support of the Group’s partnership goals. She engages students and first-time founders with the same effectiveness she brings to global leaders, connecting people and institutions across every level.

During an earlier decade at ALG, Sidee delivered transformative outcomes across the organization. She built and led teams that earned ALG recognition as Fast Company’s #1 Most Innovative Company in Africa, played a pivotal role in a landmark $350M+ fundraise built on trusted partnerships, and created and scaled several of the organization’s core functions – Human Capital & Talent, Fundraising & Stakeholder Engagement, Member Opportunities, and Key Accounts.

Prior to ALU, Sidee was Chief Ecosystem and Partnerships Officer at Delta40 Venture Studio, where she empowered entrepreneurs (particularly women) to build scalable, sustainable ventures across Africa. She strengthened ecosystem partnerships, guided founders through venture-building and fundraising, and connected global partners to the African innovation ecosystem, with a focus on entrepreneurship and climate innovation. This was an extension of her passion for Finance which developed when she began her career at UBS Wealth Management where she focused on options trading.

She holds an MSc in Development Practice from the University of California, Berkeley, and a BA in International Economics from Texas Christian University.