After five transformative years leading ESSA, Dr Lucy Heady will step down as CEO at the end of July.

Lucy joined ESSA in 2019 and was promoted to the CEO position in 2020. She has been a driving force behind the organisation’s growing impact, building a stronger team, deepening partnerships, and amplifying African voices in education research. Her leadership has set ESSA on a path of greater influence and sustainability. We are delighted to announce that Dr Pauline Essah, currently ESSA’s Chief Impact Officer, will assume the role of CEO. 

“The last five years leading ESSA have been the most rewarding of my professional life. As I step down, I would like to thank ESSA’s dynamic and committed team, from whom I learn something new every day, and our wise and supportive board, whose guidance has been critical to our success. I couldn’t be more thrilled to be handing over to Pauline, who has worked alongside me to mould ESSA into the organisation it is today and brings an extraordinary network and depth of experience in research in Africa,” said Lucy. 

Commenting on this, Pauline said, "Lucy has done a remarkable job leading ESSA, and it has been a real privilege to work alongside and learn from her since I joined the organisation in September 2020. As I step into the role of CEO, I am deeply honoured and excited to lead our incredible team and continue working closely with our Board, partners, and funders. Together, we will build on ESSA’s strong foundation to deliver on our mission: using data and evidence from Africa to improve the quality of education and empower young people across the continent." 

Pauline has a rich history in research leadership. Before joining ESSA in 2020, she was a Senior Manager for Global Health at the UK’s National Institute for Health Research, where she oversaw a portfolio of global health grants for international development. Furthermore, Pauline played a pivotal role in establishing and managing the University of Cambridge’s Cambridge-Africa Programme from 2009 to 2018, fostering collaboration and capacity strengthening between African and UK researchers. 

Pauline holds a BSc in Agriculture from the University of Ghana and earned her MPhil and PhD in Biological Science from the University of Cambridge. In 2022, she received a Global Women in Leadership Award in recognition of her work advancing the Sustainable Development Goals in sub-Saharan Africa. She has been a member of the International Scientific Advisory Board of the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (since 2020) and has been a member of the Board of the University of Suffolk, UK, since 2019. Furthermore, Pauline has held several other voluntary trustee roles in the international development sector, and she is currently a judge on the MIT Solve Global Learning Challenge for 2025. 

Commenting on this, Patrick Dunne, ESSA founder and board chair, said, "We thank Lucy for her outstanding vision and commitment, and are excited by Pauline's appointment to lead ESSA into the next phase of our development, continuing to increase our impact, including strengthening African-led research for better education outcomes. Pauline has worked very closely with Lucy and our leadership team for some time now, helping to build a strong team, a tremendous group of supporters and partners, and this natural evolution is a sign of our growing bench strength."