Born and raised in Kenya, James Irungu Mwangi earned an A.B. in economics from Harvard University and a mini-MBA from Dartmouth University before joining McKinsey & Company as a business analyst in 2000.

In 2002, he helped found Dalberg Advisors and went on to lead the firm’s expansion into Africa in 2007–2010. He served as Global Managing Partner of Dalberg Advisors from 2010 to 2014 and most recently as Executive Director of the Dalberg Group. During his tenure, James led the growth, incubation, or acquisition of many of the entities that today constitute Dalberg’s operational footprint in over 25 countries on six continents.

James also serves as an independent director on several boards, including the Skoll Foundation, the Global Centre for Pluralism, One Acre Fund, Old Mutual Limited, and Koko Networks.

He was a 2009 Archbishop Tutu Leadership Fellow of the African Leadership Institute, a 2013 Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum, and a 2021 Yale World Fellow. He currently serves as a member of the Global Entrepreneurs Council of the UN Foundation.

In 2021, James co-founded the Climate Action Platform for Africa with Carlijn Nouwen to help unlock Africa’s potential for economic transformation while playing a leading role in climate action.