Corporate Council on Africa President and CEO

During his nine-year tenure as president, Stephen Hayes has established himself as a leading authority in Washington, D.C., on U.S.-Africa trade and investment issues.

Through strategic positioning and constructive dialogue, Mr. Hayes has led CCA to become effectively engaged in most business issues affecting commerce between the United States and the nations of Africa. These complex issues range from intricate trade legislation and small business development to workplace HIV/AIDS concerns.

Mr. Hayes astutely promotes CCA’s primary purpose, “… to increase and support US business involvement in Africa,” while creating a formidable organization that recognizes a “one world” concept through the provision of a credible international business forum.

Mr. Hayes’ career in international development began in 1968 with a volunteer stint in a Middle East refugee camp. He subsequently worked for Winnington Limited, a privately-owned European holding company, and Cohen and Woods, International, Inc.

In 1985, Mr. Hayes founded the American Center for International Leadership (ACIL), a non-profit organization that initiates dialogue between emerging leaders of the United States and other nations whose previous relationships with the U.S. were non-existent or poor.

Mr. Hayes’ efforts established dialogues with a network of emerging leaders in parts of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, China, Vietnam and Japan, as well as in Canada and Mexico. In 1995, ACIL organized the first delegation of Vietnamese leaders to visit the United States since the end of the Vietnam War. From 1993 to 1999, Mr. Hayes also made several trips to Libya to help lay the groundwork for the eventual resolution of the Pan Am 103/Lockerbie case.

Mr. Hayes is a tireless advocate of U.S.-Africa trade. He has traveled to more than 140 nations, underscoring his innate respect for peoples and cultures around the world.

He has received numerous awards for his international work and compelling leadership ability. Recently, the Africa Chamber of Commerce of the United States presented Mr. Hayes with its annual award for outstanding contributions to U.S.-Africa relations. In 2004, the Transnet Foundation, South Africa’s largest foundation, chaired by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, presented Mr. Hayes with the coveted Phelophepa Humanitarian Award in recognition of CCA’s contributions to economic development in South Africa.

Hayes also has been honored by the Hungarian Government for his work in “bringing down the Iron Curtain”, and by the Uganda YMCA for his work with refugees during the rule of Idi Amin. In 1984, AFS International recognized Hayes for his efforts to move AFS beyond bilateral programs by developing numerous multilateral programs. He has also received commendations the United Nations Development Programme.

Mr. Hayes was a principal founder of the Infant Formula Campaign, often popularly known as the “Nestle Boycott”. It remains the only successful global citizens’ campaign. The conclusion of the campaign was featured on the front page of the New York Times in 1983.

He resides in Maryland with his wife.