Nafissatou Ndiaye Diouf
Biography
Nafi is a dynamic, results-driven senior communications and external relations executive with 25+ years of experience specialising at the intersection of corporate communications, public relations, journalism, and digital media. She has a comprehensive communications background, including management experience, leading the development and delivery of compelling campaigns within global PR and advertising firms. With a keen ability to translate corporate vision into actionable strategies through compelling storytelling, Nafi has led cross-functional teams to maximise brand visibility. She leverages a background in international journalism to advocate for economic growth and social impact within an ever-changing, fast-paced competitive sustainability landscape.
Before moving into the position of senior adviser, Nafi was director of communications in charge of strategy and overall coordination of the AB Communications Unit.
In her previous role as the acting director of communication and external relations and division manager at the African Development Bank Group, Nafi built an award-winning team of professionals that consistently exceeded expectations.
Over the past two decades, Nafi has led global communication campaigns in partnership with top-tier public relations and advertising agencies, including H&K Strategies and Weber Shandwick.
She has equipped various public institutions and multinational corporations with dynamic communication strategies, supporting industry leaders such as Google, Airtel, Zain, Luminate (part of the Omidyar Group), Samsung, and the World Lung Foundation. Other clients include the Rockefeller Foundation, the Kofi Anan Foundation, the Mastercard Foundation, and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). With a keen aptitude for cross-cultural leadership, Nafi has managed PR professionals, account managers, and country representatives across several African countries, including Gabon, Niger, Chad, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Congo, and South Africa.
A former journalist for the Associated Press, Nafi has a passion for strategic storytelling and has written numerous breaking news stories featured in global news outlets.
A native French speaker, Nafi pursued continued education in the UK, where she earned a master of arts in interpreting and translation from Salford University. She also holds a bachelor of arts (hons) in applied language studies from Thames Valley University and a diploma in journalism and news writing from the London School of Journalism. As part of her undergraduate studies, she spent one semester at the University of California, Los Angeles and one semester at Moscow State University.
