Mishkah Jakoet is promoted to partner at Genesis Analytics

Genesis Analytics is pleased to announce at Mishkah Jakoet has been promoted to partner in the Evaluation for Development practice.

Congratulating her on her promotion, the chair and founder of Genesis, Stephan Malherbe, said: “Mish is an exemplar of everything we want to be as firm and we are delighted with her promotion to partner. With her deep experience and well-honed skills in making development interventions work – and 'work better' – she will be able to unlock tremendous value for clients and the region in her new role.”

Mishkah has been a key contributor to the growth and development of the Evaluation for Development practice since its inception in 2015, and has always unwaveringly been committed to the growth of colleagues, and continued strength of the team.

Managing partner Alyna Wyatt (pictured right with Mishkah) said: “Mishkah brings an evaluative lens to our work, asking the hard questions to be able to understand what is happening in any given circumstance, why this matters and what needs to be done to move forward for greater effectiveness and impact. Mishkah is able to present a cogent, succinct and client-friendly set of recommendations, all while bringing her client partners along the journey in a genuine and empowering manner.”

She added that Mishkah has built strong relationships with a diverse group of clients and is able to build the confidence of clients such that she is seen as a trusted advisor. She has generated enduring relationships that speak to Genesis’ reputation, including Harambee, The Rockefeller Foundation, Standard Bank’s Tutuwa Community Trust, and over the past year, PPGI. Much of her work has culminated in strong expertise understanding what it takes to help eliminate systemic barriers and create new jobs and economic opportunities in emerging markets.

Some of her most notable projects over her 10 years include being a member of the technical advisors to the South African government’s Jobs Fund, the world’s largest challenge fund, The Rockefeller Foundation’s Digital Jobs Africa Initiative, and establishing a close working relationship with their team founded on principles of co-creation and co-learning which continues to this day, and the evaluation of the South African Birth Registration Programme, which investigated why more than 30% of babies born in the country go unregistered, a significant failing against the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

She has contributed widely to the firm through G:Soc and Youth Committees in particular, but is always willing and often acts as a sounding board for many firm-wide initiatives. Mishkah joined Genesis in 2011 after she was awarded a bursary from the firm to do her master’s in Economics at the University of Cape Town.

She invests time on industry bodies including as a member of the ANDE South Africa Steering Committee and the American Evaluation Association’s International and Cross-Cultural Evaluation group. These engagements support Genesis’ contribution to broader industry knowledge, bring innovations from others back inhouse to Genesis to ensure we are always at the leading edge, and positions the firm as a thought leader and valuable partner.