About
I work with people and organizations to strengthen how they finance, measure, and improve their social impact.
Bio
At the University of Oxford, I lead the Impact Measurement Programme at Saïd Business School, enabling leaders to navigate the complexity of measuring and managing social impact, and teach in executive programmes on impact investing and innovative finance.
As a Senior Advisor at Impact Frontiers and IMM Lead at the Innovative Finance Initiative, I design knowledge initiatives and learning programs across multiple regions on fundamental frameworks, innovative models, and emerging practices for investors and practitioners.
As an independent advisor at Evalysis, I help organizations design strategies and structures for deploying impact investments and philanthropy, develop credible approaches to describe and evaluate social impact, and enhance organizational capabilities and learning.
My work is informed by two decades of global experience across sectors, regions, and organization types; board and advisory roles spanning nonprofit, investment, and field-building organizations; and a PhD from the University of Oxford.
Background
I have worked at the intersection of impact measurement, impact investing, evaluation, and philanthropy for over two decades. The first decade was grounded in Canada — ranging from community economic development and social enterprise through to workforce development and the social finance sector in its formative phase. I co-founded Purpose Capital (now Rally Assets), which became Canada’s leading impact investment advisory firm, and contributed to the early stages of market-building through research, advisory, and national capacity initiatives.
The last decade has been more global — focused on consulting, teaching, and field-building across North America, Europe, Africa, GCC, and beyond. I grew up in Kenya, and have worked or presented in over 20 countries. Across this work, I have engaged with organizations across the capital spectrum: ventures, impact funds, impact investors, government agencies, and industry / sector networks across a variety of sectors. Today, this takes the form of a “portfolio career” that allows me to tap into global trends, regional models, and local innovations.
Advisory, teaching, collaboration, and governance inform one another. I often work independently — as an advisor, evaluator, and researcher — but much of what I value most involves working with and through others: co-designing programmes, curating spaces for learning, and contributing to collective efforts.
At Evalysis, I work with organizations, investors, and other actors seeking to strengthen how they finance, measure, and improve social impact. I typically engage when the work is innovative, complex, or contested — with the goal for impact claims to be credible, useful, and worth standing behind.
This often includes sharpening impact goals and strategies, strengthening measurement approaches and systems, building internal skills and capabilities, and supporting learning and knowledge. I push for rigour and impact integrity without losing sight of what is practical and useful.
Through Oxford and other settings, I teach impact measurement, impact investing, and related topics — and I design spaces where practitioners can come together to learn from each other, work through shared challenges, and build on what they know.
I lead the Oxford Impact Measurement Programme at the Saïd Business School, and teach on the Oxford Impact Investing Programme and Oxford Impact Finance Innovations Programme. I also design learning programmes for investors and practitioners through Impact Frontiers and the Innovative Finance Initiative.
A significant part of the portfolio involves collaborative and field-facing work: contributing to frameworks, shared tools, practitioner initiatives, and newer efforts intended to strengthen how the field understands and approaches impact.
Currently I am a Senior Advisor to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, developing new frameworks on systems thinking for impact investing, and I contribute to practitioner initiatives and field-level efforts through Impact Frontiers, the Innovative Finance Initiative, and field-building convenings.
I have served in formal governance roles across different organizations. I’m currently on the Board (and Vice Chair) of CanadaHelps, Canada’s largest online charitable donations platform, and previously as an independent Non-Executive Director of the Arisaig Next Generation Fund (Article 9 ICAV) and on the Supervisory Board of the Impact-Linked Finance Fund Foundation.
I have also contributed to governance for field-building initiatives, including as Co-Chair of Ontario’s Impact Measurement Task Force, member of the G8 Impact Measurement Working Group, and co-founder of the Social Finance Topical Interest Group at the American Evaluation Association.
Now
Earlier Work
Provided strategic and technical advice on impact measurement, strategic learning, and evaluative thinking. Developed and evolved a new Innoweave Impact Measurement module (content and coaching) for non-profits, charities, and social enterprises.
Supported the Evaluation Office to understand and engage with the developments and opportunities for collaboration and market building in IMM. Led the design and implementation of plenary, workshop, and private sessions at prominent industry conferences.
Co-founded Canada’s leading impact investment advisory firm (now Rally Assets). Established and led the Impact Advisory Practice. Supported Canada’s first 100% mission-aligned portfolio and largest community foundation commitments. Published market research and articles that have been cited as reference materials within and beyond Canada. Exited 2017.
Managed and scaled innovative workforce development and job creation programmes across industries and regions.
Social Finance Research — Carleton Centre for Community Innovation (2008–2016) · Social Enterprise Consulting — Aperio (2008) · Junior Policy Analyst (human rights measurement), CIDA (2006) · Fellowship — First MicroFinance Bank (2004–2005)
Canada’s largest online charitable donation platform. Over $3.5 billion from more than 5 million donors.
Supporting knowledge, practice, and capital towards impact-linked finance.
Article 9 fund investing in emerging market companies seeking positive impact at scale.
National trade association for the Canadian responsible investment sector.
Nonprofit supporting knowledge and learning on impact investing outside Canada.
Pioneer in national grassroots-focused philanthropy using a crowdfunding model.
A part of the G8 Social Impact Investment Task Force, which developed global guidelines and a collective action agenda for subsequent initiatives.
Convened by the Government of Ontario, which developed a comprehensive action plan that led to the national Common Approach to Impact Measurement.
Supported the IMP in its first year, including reviewing and cataloguing over 100 impact measurement standards, methods, tools, and frameworks.
To advance learning, knowledge, and engagement of IMM at the American Evaluation Association, which grew over time to 200+ members.
Advising the Government of Canada (ESDC) on wholesalers for $755 million Social Finance Fund.
Member of the Widening & Deepening Impact Investing Market working group.
Founding Programme Director, Oxford Impact Measurement Programme (2017–present). Guest Faculty on Oxford Impact Investing Programme (2015–present). Guest Faculty on Oxford Impact Finance Innovations Programme (2021–present).
Work on the Impact Measurement Pillar, with a focus on meaningful measurement and systems perspectives.
Practice research and convening on impact measurement and impact investing in the UAE and GCC.
Co-Convenor: Impact Measurement and Management for Investors · Co-Convenor: Impact Investing in Africa.
Carleton Centre for Community Innovation.