Sean Awoonor-Renner M’28 has spent much of his career thinking about what could go wrong. 

Across financial technology, telecommunications, and banking, his work as a Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) professional has involved identifying vulnerabilities, anticipating problems, and helping organizations strengthen the systems they rely on. The work has taught him to look beyond individual decisions and consider how one weakness can ripple through an entire organization. 

After years of asking what could go wrong, Awoonor-Renner poses a different question: What could go right if we built the right things? 

For him, the question is tied to Africa’s industrial future, particularly the potential of its manufacturing sector. He is interested in pharmaceutical manufacturing and the possibility of strengthening domestic production capacity so that African countries can rely less heavily on imported healthcare products. 

It is an ambition that has led him beyond risk management and toward entrepreneurship. Now a member of the Ashesi MBA Class of 2028, he sees the MBA as an opportunity to develop the technical competencies he needs to become a successful entrepreneur in the industrial manufacturing sector. 

As someone who believes in collaboration for successful entrepreneurial endeavors, he looks forward to engaging with like-minded individuals within the Ashesi community. That brings him back to the question that has begun to replace the one that shaped much of his career. 

“Perhaps, the strengthening of local industries that are creating opportunities for others and contributing to a stronger economic future for the continent,” he said.