Team

George Manu is CEO of Smith & Berkeley. He has 35 years’ experience in the private sector, academia and the UN and has carried out specialist assignments in 60 countries across 4 continents. Until recently, he was a Partner and head of International Development Advisory Services (IDAS) at KPMG in East Africa, where he was responsible for the firm’s IDAS engagements across Africa. During his tenure, IDAS managed over USD 1.5 billion in funds and grants on behalf of some of the biggest names in development finance. He was also the KPMG Africa Lead Partner for the World Bank and the Deputy Lead Partner for the African Development Bank. His technical skill set includes international development, marketing, policy and strategy formulation, entrepreneurship and SMEs, due diligence, programme/project design, management and evaluation, privatisation, capacity building, fund and grants management. Previous leadership positions include CEO of EMPRETEC Ghana Foundation, which provided business development services and finance to SMEs, and head of enterprise development at the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization (UN specialized agency) in Turin, Italy. Prior to joining KPMG, he founded and ran his own business which he subsequently sold. He has taught at Durham and Stirling universities in the UK and has been a Visiting Professor at China Europe International Business School (CEIBS). George serves/has served on the Board of several companies including as chairman of a private equity firm, an environmental sustainability business and an audit quality committee. He earned a Ph.D. in Business Administration from Durham University, UK and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing. He speaks several languages and holds a Private Pilot’s Licence.