Abenaa Hayes is a fellow at Coqual’s Global Lab and Founder of Elysée Consulting, a Brooklyn-based firm helping leaders and brands meet 21st-century mandates with conviction. She draws on over two decades as a senior communications strategist and executive, having led reputation, storytelling and inclusion practices and initiatives at global firms including Real Chemistry (W20), Edelman, and Ogilvy.

Abenaa partners with C-suite and executive teams to navigate complexity, align behavior with values, and lead through uncertainty. She has advised organizations across healthcare, financial services, and tech—including global multinationals, mission-driven startups, and U.S. firms under a range of environmental and business pressures.

She currently serves on the Advisory Council for Harvard Business Review and the Board of the Impact Communications Institute. She is a founding member of the Marble Collective and a member of Chief and Mixing Board.

Born in Canada and raised in Trinidad and Tobago, Abenaa is the daughter and granddaughter of women who were “firsts” in their fields—and the daughter of community health pioneers. As a lifelong outsider turned trusted insider, she brings both lived experience and deep expertise to every room she enters.

She holds a B.A. in English from McGill University and an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Southern California.