Andy is Director of Alliance4Impact, Founder & CEO of Impact17, and Chair of the Board of the Sustainable Impact Association, all dedicated to supporting and building partnerships for social good.
Andy led the Private Sector Section at UN OCHA encouraging and engaging the private sector in coordinated humanitarian action.
He has 20 years of humanitarian experience in the non-profit sector, the United Nations and the World Economic Forum.
He is a Certified Professional Facilitator with the International Association of Facilitators, an alumni of the Partnership Brokers Association and a Board Member of the Martin Ennals Foundation.
David spent his early career in financial roles in manufacturing and publishing before a number of commercial roles in the advertising industry.
David is passionate about helping alleviate poverty with a commercial approach to humanitarian issues.
In 2007 David established Advance Aid, an international NGO creating aid and trade benefits by prepositioning locally sourced emergency items globally, including a 300- person manufacturing unit in Kenya, deployment of thousands of pre-positioned emergency kits and an environmentally friendly energy project which created significant local employment across East Africa.
The projects were completed following a rigorous analysis of humanitarian supply chains and how they might be improved.
David is a Founding Director of a leading social care agency in the UK.
Karen 巧琳Kreidi (Wong) is Director of Engagement at Impact17 and passionate about making the impact-driven connection happens.
She is a public-private partnership junkie with years of experience in fostering multi-sector partnerships in array of issues – from regional security, human trafficking to cybersecurity, you name it.
Karen is a cultural chameleon with an interesting multicultural background. She uses her cross-cultural/sectoral superpower to help organisations bridge their differences and work towards a common goal.
Her official credentials include a Masters in International Relations, a Journalism degree and a PMI-Project Manager certification. She worked at the World Economic Forum, RR Donnelley, Ricoh, and Sing Tao Newspaper in Hong Kong. She is a polyglot fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese, and English, and conversational Thai and French. She aspires to add Spanish and Arabic to her belt in the coming years.
When she is not above ground, she is dedicated to marine conservation and passionate about the protection of sharks, whales and coral lives. #SDG14 “Stop throwing plastics into the ocean!”
Beatrice is an expatriate, growth-oriented business professional with extensive international experience and demonstrable track record of success in positions across Brazil and the U.S. Over time, she has come to appreciate the power of private organizations as engines of economic growth. This realization led her to the conclusion that sustainability makes good business sense. She is interested in developing sustainable business strategies focused on product and brand development; project management; corporate sustainability and international private sector development.
Steve likes being at the bottom so he can feel like he supports all the other people.
He can be selfish like that.
Zhiyao (Allen) Yang is a Research Intern at Impact17, focusing relatively more on the Partnership Evaluation aspects of already-implemented partnerships and what lessons they can provide for future partnerships to thrive even more.
Zhiyao (Allen) was born in China but grew up in the United States. Currently, he is a Master of Arts student in International Affairs specializing in Global Security and Environment, Resources, and Sustainability at the Graduate Institute Geneva.
His bicultural ties have brought about hopes to strengthen cross-sector relationships in health and environmental global governance. In particular, he wishes to promote stronger cross-sector partnerships between both Chinese and American companies who would like to develop stronger partnerships with international organizations. Hopefully, these efforts will eventually pave the way for a fruitful and cooperative bilateral relationship between the United States and China.
Some of Zhiyao (Allen)’s hobbies are listening to music and traveling. He is also a food enthusiast and loves trying out local cuisines when traveling. After a workday, Netflix is his best friend and he will very likely be watching comedies such as The Office (U.S.) or Modern Family.
Reetta Delás Näsi is a Partnership Analyst at Impact17.
She is currently leading a Partnership Analysis project to help partnerships flourish and to reach their potential.
Reetta holds a Masters’ degree in Sociology from the University of Lapland in Finland. She has worked in several countries, including in Kenya with the Finnish Red Cross, in Turkey with the UNDP and in Iran as a Political and Commercial Affairs Trainee. Currently she is based in Geneva and works in the humanitarian sector.
Broad working experience including experience from the private sector has allowed Reetta to gain a broader view on partnerships and have highlighted the crucial importance of cross-sector collaboration in striving for a better world.
Lara is passionate about creating a more resilient and regenerative society. She believes a big part of this lies in bridging the gaps between the public and private sectors with partnerships.
She has a BA in international business management and sustainability management consulting experience. Lara hopes to facilitate positive transformation by supporting green business models and encouraging multi-faceted value creation.
Lara is researching partnerships that further smart and sustainable cities, connecting the dots between SDGs 7, 9, 11, 13, and 17. This area is rife with opportunities for stakeholders to collaborate on various inter-connected issues, and she’s excited to uncover trends to help guide others to build partnerships in this sector.
Emily is driven and dedicated to supporting communities impacted by infectious diseases. She believes that the only way to truly support communities is to break down the humanitarian and development siloes and create multisector partnerships, for a people-centered response.
Emily holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Global Public Health from Leiden University and a Master of Science (MSc) in Control of Infectious Diseases from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She also has experience in researching WASH and health partnerships and of integrating WASH and mental health support in emergencies.
Emily is researching health partnerships in humanitarian crises, looking at the nexus between SDGs 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 10.
Julia is dedicated to the promotion and protection of human rights and passionate about bringing education to all. She believes multisector partnering is a key enabler of effective cooperation between development actors and a chance to give our children the future they deserve.
Julia holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in International Relations from the University of Amsterdam and a Bachelor of Art (BA) in Fashion Design from Paris.
She is researching partnerships that ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
Alison is a life-long learner who is passionate about ocean health and climate change.
She has a keen interest in addressing environmental issues through education and partnering in the public, private and government sectors. To create the world that we want, not the world that we have. Focusing on SDGs 3, 4, 13, 14, 15, and 17.
Alison lives in Western New York with her family. She has a MSc in Sustainable Development from the University College Dublin and a MA in Earth Science Education from SUNY College Buffalo, with undergraduate as a Registered Nurse.
It is Alison’s hope to promote multi-stakeholder partnerships that will promote and sustain environmental health through the education of all stakeholders around the world while developing and promoting partnerships.
Prishanee values teamwork, innovation, and passion with a driven goal for impact.
Having worked in many fields over the past 20 years, Prishanee has recently ventured out of her comfort zone and is completing her MSC in Global Health at the University of Geneva. Her newfound enthusiasm in partnering for health, nutrition and improving our food systems for all.
Prishanee has experience of working in highly demanding environments, and in large-scale cross functional teams as well as small businesses.
With her passion for health and well-being, Prishanee’s research focuses on multistakeholder partnerships that improve food security and trade and that contribute to reducing poverty, achieve zero hunger, and health and well-being.
She believes health and nutrition is central to who we are and how we function and is at the forefront of making our world a better place for future generations.
Ruth Dresselgn Deneke is a passionate pan African youth activist and pharmacist with more than a decade of multinational experience in the Healthcare-Life science sector. She is a chartering member of the Rotary Club of Addis Ababa Arada and has held leadership roles in several African CSOs.
Rutth is currently a candidate in a Law and Business Master program at Bucerius Law School in cooperation with the WHU-Otto Beisheim School of Management in Germany.
Her research focuses on the intricacies of African regional integration and the African Continental Free Trade Area.
She is working with Impact17 to help multistakeholder partnerships contribute to a better world.
She is also part of the Bring Hope Foundation Advisory Board.
She believes that Africa has untouched potential and many resources, one of which is its people. She wants to play a key role in cultivating the potential of young people and work on human capital to achieve the promise and true potential of Africa.
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