AGAPI GESSESSE

Agapi Gessesse is an award-winning leader, strategist, and changemaker operating at the intersection of community, corporate, and government innovation. Known for transforming lived experience into systems-level impact, she has built a career turning vision into measurable change, advancing economic opportunity, leadership, and inclusion for underrepresented communities.

As Executive Director of the CEE Centre for Young Black Professionals, Agapi transformed the organization into a national force, forging cross-sector partnerships that created pathways to employment, leadership, and prosperity for Black youth across Canada. She positioned CEE as a trusted partner to governments, funders, and industry leaders, demonstrating how inclusive economic growth drives national resilience.

Agapi is also the Founder of Lehizibu Strategy and Consulting Group, advising organizations across sectors on embedding economic empowerment, accountability, and innovation into their strategies. A former Board Chair of Amnesty International Canada, she continues to champion human rights and systemic reform on both domestic and global stages.

Her leadership has been recognized through numerous awards, including the 2025 Gathering Spot Washington DC Powerhouse Award, WXN Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women (2024), the Harry Jerome Decade Leader Award (2023), and the YWCA Woman of Distinction Award (2023). Driven by faith, purpose, and legacy, Agapi’s work bridges power and people, shaping a future where economic empowerment is not an exception but the standard for leadership and impact.