Abenaa Kessewaa Brown

Independent

Trainer

I am a professional with over thirty years of work experience in accounting, compliance, finance, learning, talent technology and people strategies across continents.

As an avid learner with a passion for growth of people and organizations, I am curious about behavior and culture. I have a strength in understanding risks and allergy for mediocracy. I hold a ba in accounting from Langston University, USA and pursued my certified public accountant certification in the USA and now a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana (ICAG). I obtained my EMBA from China Europe International Business School (CEIBS), Ghana campus. I am an advanced facilitator and gallup strengths coach from Standard Chartered Bank (SCB). In recent years, attended IFC’s Facilitating Face to Face learning course (2019), International Gestalt Organization and Leadership Development I-Gold Program (2017-18/19) and instructional design (ATD).

With parental roots of both Ghana and United States, my work experience spans over both cultures. I have served the Ghanaian banking industry for over 20 years currently completing my tenure as the principal of the National Banking College and a member of its governing council for past 5 years. My banking career in Ghana started as the head, internal audit and later as relationship management following my return to Ghana in 1995. I later joined a global emerging markets bank, SCB, giving me the opportunity to dive into operations, with my accounting background, positioning me as the head of customer service center which later transitioned to customer support for the West Africa (WA) Shared Service Centre (SSC) role serving 6 countries. Key focus was leading team to institute technology, systems and processes for improved efficiency to safeguard assets in the spoke countries.

My operations work experience exposed me to the knowledge gaps of talent igniting my curiosity and passion for the key driver for performance enhancement (knowledge). I seized the opportunity to head the organizational learning function in 2006 for WA region, leveraging on my relationships from my SSC role. My strengths were fully utilized in my key roles of administration and governance of the learning team, facilitator of numerous leadership, professional development, performance, and change programs. The icing on the cake was the opportunity to serve the executives and heads to develop and manage their talent development agenda. As the key liaison between group learning and regions, I led the roll out of group initiatives, all in the bid to grow talent and improve performance. In 2013, I was seconded to the New York office in a same role for the Americas region where talent management, compliance solutions and facilitation of leadership, diversity and induction programs.

I yearn to continue to disseminate knowledge and experiences gained over the years, to the growth talent and organizations in the Africa region.