Melissa T. Cook, CFA, is Founder and Managing Director of African Sunrise Partners. She is a tireless traveler, relentless networker, and prolific generator of ideas, research, and connections. She is particularly skilled at making lateral connections between sectors, past and future trends, and geographies.
After a 25+ year career in Wall Street, Melissa turned her attention to sub-Saharan Africa. A few trips as a tourist made it clear that an economic transformation is under way on the continent. Melissa founded African Sunrise Partners LLC in 2011. ASP is an independent research and advisory boutique dedicated to bringing investment to the continent.
Melissa was appointed to the U.S. President’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa (PAC-DBIA) in November 2014, for a two-year term. The 15 PAC-DBIA members advised President Obama, through the Secretary of Commerce, on strengthening commercial ties between the U.S. and Africa.
Melissa has 25-plus years’ experience in global equity research. She has covered sectors including media, cable, entertainment, broadcasting, industrials, and consumer. At CLSA/Crédit Agricole, she was Head of AsiaUSA Strategy—analyzing the global impact of China’s rise. At Lazard Asset Management, she was a Managing Director and Head of Global Research.
Melissa has an A.B. degree in History from Dartmouth College and M.B.A. in Finance from the Stern School of Business at New York University. A CFA charterholder, she has FINRA Series 7, 16, 24, 63, 86, and 87 licenses.
