Dalberg Global Development Advisors (DGDA), also known as Dalberg Advisors, is a policy advisory firm which consults with governments and community organization on logistical, resource, and governance issues. The organization has offices in 26 countries and has served clients in 90 countries. ¹

Overview

Most of Dalberg’s work is apolitical, such as organizing financing for agricultural development or the construction of new schools in developing countries. ² However, DGBA sometimes supports left-of-center policy goals, such as increasing government efforts to combat climate change. ³

DGDA, along with six other for-profit Dalberg consulting firms, are owned by Dalberg Charitable, a left-of-center nonprofit organization charged with overseeing the firms and ensuring they continue to support global social development. ⁴ Collectively, the six firms and the nonprofit are known as the Dalberg Group.

Leadership

Dalberg Global Development Advisors was founded and is chaired by Henrik Skovby. Born in Denmark, Skovby was briefly a consultant for the United Nations Development Plan before working at the management consulting firm McKinsey and Company for two years. In 2001, Skovby founded DGDA, and in 2005, he established the Nordic Development Corporation, a for-profit consulting company that operates similarly to DGDA but focuses on Nordic countries. ⁵

James Mwangi is the executive director of the Dalberg Group. Mwangi has worked in various roles for Dalberg Group and previously worked for the international consulting firm McKinsey and Company.⁶

Daniella Ballou-Aares worked at DGDA for 15 years until 2019. She previously worked for Bain Capital and then was appointed by former President Barack Obama as Senior Advisor for Development to the Secretary of State. In that role, Ballou-Aares worked under both Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. While working at DGDA, Ballou-Aares became a young global leader at the World Economic Forum. In 2018, she stepped down as a partner at DGDA and became an advisory partner while she launched the Leadership Now Project, a left-of-center advocacy organization inspired by the Women’s Match in Washington D.C. ⁷⁸

1. “About Us.” Dalberg Advisors. Accessed April 26, 2021. https://dalberg.com/what-we-do/dalberg-advisors/.
2. “Recent Work.” Dalberg Advisors. Accessed April 26, 2021. https://dalberg.com/what-we-do/dalberg-advisors/.
3. “Our Manifesto.’ Dalberg. Accessed April 26, 2021. https://dalberg.com/who-we-are/our-manifesto/.
4. “Protecting the Mission.” Dalberg. Accessed April 26, 2021. https://dalberg.com/who-we-are/the-dalberg-trust/.
5. “Henrik Skovby.” LinkedIn. Accessed April 26, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/henrik-skovby-73467b/?originalSubdomain=dk.
6. “Team.” Dalberg. Accessed April 26, 2021. https://dalberg.com/what-we-do/dalberg-advisors/.
7. “Daniella Ballou-Aares.” LinkedIn. Accessed April 26, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniella-ballou-aares-b117a/.
8. “From State Department to Leadership Now.” Harvard Business School. June 29, 2017. Accessed April 26, 2021. https://www.hbs.edu/socialenterprise/blog/post/leadership-now-project.