HELLEN FISSIHAIE
CEO/MD
Aborn-entrepreneur, Hellen Fissihaie is passionate about the growth and potential of emerging markets especially in her native continent of Africa. As an Eritrean born in Sudan and raised in Dallas, Texas, Hellen is an international consulting professional who has worked across the globe in a variety of strategic capacities. As the founder of F3 Global Advisory Group LLC, a capacity building, strategic planning, and market entry firm based in Washington, D.C., Hellen helps her clients grow and scale their organizations by executing customized services focusing on people, programs, platforms, and partnerships. With vast experience in health, agriculture, and entrepreneurship for private and public sector clients in U.S., Africa, Middle East, and Caribbeans servicing women and youth, she has continuously invested her skills and resources to deliver value-added services for clients. Today, Hellen is well-recognized for her work across Africa as a result of F3 Global’s private sector projects in partnership with country specific stakeholders in Tanzania, Ghana, South Africa, Nigeria, Uganda, Oman, Bahamas, St. Maarten, the U.S., and Ethiopia.
As part of her life-long support of the African diaspora in the U.S., Hellen has remained committed to help drive diasporans into the continent to ensure that experts return to their homeland and bridges are built for Africa with other international actors and markets. She also continues to support innovative millennial entrepreneurs disrupting markets in Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Nigeria by fundraising, investing, and connecting partners and business actors. Currently, Hellen serves as a City Commissioner for the D.C. Mayor’s Office on African Affairs (MOAA), Advisory Board Member for Diaspora RiseUP!, and Grid2Grid and mentors a variety of youth and Mandela Yali Fellows annually.
We see the bigger picture and facilitate success by identifying opportunities and helping organizations leverage resources.
Passion for Africa and Emerging Markets
Africa is not just a place that Hellen calls home but also what fuels her passion. She believes that it has the potential to self-sustain, become a profitable marketplace, and innovate around its problems. After studying degrees centered on world politics, anthropology, sociology, the history of the market and its engagement with the world; she is serious about ensuring that Africa and its diaspora in the U.S., Caribbean, Afro-Latino nations, etc. are no longer considered to be rising but embrace its role in the world as a major player.
Recognizing limitations and key barriers, she understands that it will take building bridges, pipelines, and relationships locally, within the diaspora, and internationally with other countries to help the continent reach its goal.
She also believes that attention must be paid to inclusion of youth and women within the marketplace, as the data proves that they will soon populate these economies. Her specialty is in working across sectors, demographics, and all levels of power to ensure outcomes are measurable and successful.
She specializes in helping nations and organizations truly connect the implementation dots when focusing on diversifying goals, markets, agenda, or vision plans. The Africa of today is no longer the Africa of yester-years and will not and must not be driven by old monolithic thinking but rather must become inclusive of all knowledge, actors, and goals; only then can the continent truly become the shining example of economic prosperity.
Like other communities around the world, Hellen takes a personal approach to business in Africa; she recognizes that the future of her generations depends upon a healthy and financially successful Africa. She approaches all emerging markets with this same held belief and desire to connect the vision and implementation gaps.