Daniel Hailu

Daniel Hailu is the Interim Chief Program Officer and Executive Director, Impact, Evidence and Learning at the Mastercard Foundation, one of the world’s largest private foundations. He provides strategic leadership and oversight across the Foundation’s programmatic portfolio while guiding its efforts to strengthen evidence generation, learning, and insight. In this role, he advances data-informed decision-making in support of the Foundation’s Young Africa Works strategy, which seeks to enable 30 million young people, particularly young women, to access dignified and fulfilling work by 2030.

Daniel has previously served as Executive Director, Pan-African Programs, Executive Director, Country Programs, and Regional Head for Eastern and Southern Africa. Across these leadership roles, he drove strategy implementation and program delivery across diverse geographies and a broad portfolio of initiatives.

With more than two decades of global leadership experience spanning the public and private sectors, Daniel began his career as an officer in the U.S. Air Force before holding senior executive positions in multinational corporations. He has led commercial and operational teams in the power generation and oil and gas industries across North America, Europe, and Africa. A passionate advocate for Africa’s development, he brings deep expertise in systems leadership, strategy execution, operational excellence, and partnership building.

Originally from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Daniel holds a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland and an MBA from Oklahoma City University.