My Story

David Gyampo is a public relations professional who is a passionate learner and a lifetime student of the international experience. Having studied, lived, and worked across five countries on three continents, he has learned the importance of adapting to diverse environments for effective, multicultural communication, which allows him to engage and thrive on any level. David is passionate about the development of Africa and her people and believes that this is only possible through strategic international cooperation in today’s globalized world.

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Growing up as the son of an international schoolteacher, he has been exposed to the complex yet beautiful tapestry that is the global village. David grew up with brothers and sisters from across the African continent, taking in the diversity of his surroundings from the SOS Hermann Gmeiner School in Ghana, to UWC Waterford KaMhlaba in Swaziland, to the African Leadership Academy in South Africa. David developed his passion for Africa through the deep connections and networks he formed in each of these environments. This passion became even more pronounced as a student at the African Leadership Academy, where he was challenged to build an entrepreneurial mindset towards approaching the continent’s problems. At the Academy, David also explored his leadership potential as house captain of Congo House and social media manager for student enterprise, Radio Skika.

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David graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York with a minor in political sciences. There, he engaged his passion for African development by helping to form the inaugural Skidmore Model African Union (MAU) delegation. He then participated in the New York regional MAU conference at Colgate University and won a leadership award for his role in the Peace and Conflict Council. He also participated in a policy writing competition at Yale in collaboration with Skidmore’s political science department. David also took the opportunity to study abroad in London at SOAS University, where he specialized in development studies and international relations of Africa. He immersed himself in student life there, raising £4000 as a fundraising coordinator for the SOAS African Development Forum, which has gone on to host figureheads like Amina Mohamed, Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations. Most notably, he served as senior adviser to the African Heritage Awareness (AHA) Club at Skidmore, facilitating the organization of one of Skidmore’s most popular club events, the AHA gala, which hosted 120 students both at Skidmore and from nearby schools such as St. Lawrence and Middlebury.

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In a class on International Marketing, he was introduced to “public relations” for the first time. It was a discovery of purpose, in which he had come to find the perfect intersection between his passion for international affairs student and his growing interest in business management. He was intrigued by the effectiveness of strategically crafted messaging through data-focused research to shape attitudes and mindsets, as well as the process behind building relationships between organizations and their publics. Through networking with Tanner Kaufman, a Skidmore alumnus, he worked for a leading investor relations company called Joele Frank in August 2019. There, he gained critical insight and experience in the operations of the financial markets. He drafted key communications materials for multiple blue chip clients across several industries in special situations, including a global pharmaceutical merger and the Chapter 11 restructuring process for an American dairy giant. He also conducted research, provided daily news clips, and disseminated information during client meetings, utilizing resources like the Bloomberg Terminal and Adobe InDesign. 

 

After a successful year with Joele Frank, David enrolled in New York University’s globally renowned Master of Science program in PR & Corporate Communications, opening up his experiences and understanding of the PR industry outside of investor relations. He consistently engaged in practical, team-work-based case studies which took him through the fundamentals of developing insights through research data and using them to craft thorough communications plans and messaging materials. He also learned about the tactics used to attract media attention, as well as the tools to create and execute campaigns across paid, earned, shared, and owned channels.

 

Outside of the classroom, David took on a leadership role as the Graduate Student Council (GSC) representative for the NYU PR League, acting as the information liaison between the GSC and the League and facilitating the League's community service initiatives. He also participated in a PR Hackathon in partnership with Ogilvy where his team created a communications plan to maintain audience engagement for the rescheduled Tokyo Olympic Games despite the COVID-19 attendance ban. David combined his passion for international affairs with his knowledge and experience in PR and corporate communications for his capstone thesis. He conducted a consumer-focused study that identified general trends among Ghanaian church-going youth and young adults through a Qualtrics survey. This study proved that Ghanaian Charismatic churches take advantage of strategic messaging, socio-economic gaps, and Ghana’s culture of religiosity to grow and maintain their oversized influence in the country. David's hard work was rewarded during his graduation in May 2022, earning an Academic Excellence Award for being the best performing student in the master's program. 

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David currently lives between New York City, Accra, and Johannesburg and has three younger siblings. He loves playing and watching football (soccer), enjoys political and economic literature, and has a deep fondness for 90s soul/RnB.