Reshma has over twenty years’ experience on a broad and rare combination of expertise spanning Business Strategy & Performance, Risk Management, Finance, Tax and Sustainability. In the last fifteen years, her work has focused on the Extractives and Infrastructure Sector primarily in Africa and the Middle East.
Reshma brings practical experience of working in highly complex operating environments having led and worked on areas such as M&A; Government and third party negotiations; litigation and arbitration; new country entry; risk and performance management; shared infrastructure projects. She has also managed a number of Above Ground Risk areas such as Corporate and External Affairs, Local Content and Capacity Building, Land Acquisition, Water Resource Management, Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) studies, Security and Conflict Management and Shared Prosperity including strategic partnerships.
Her work to date has been at both corporate and operational levels with experience ranging from Board and Senior Leadership to working with communities on the frontline. Some of the corporates she has worked with include KPMG UK, Shell, BP, Tullow Oil Plc, Equity Group Holdings Plc as well as some small to mid-cap organisations. She is also a non-executive board member of the Kenya Shipyards Ltd.
Reshma’s career has shown her ability to both design strategy that embeds Sustainability in commercial businesses, from SMEs to large corporates, and also the ability to implement this from a risk management to driving increased impact. Given this experience, Reshma is a regular speaker at regional and international events including UNDP, UNFCCC and IFC Forums, Africa National Capital Alliance (ANCA), Global Association for Risk Professionals (GARP) and United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27 and COP28).
Reshma holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Manchester in the UK and an Executive MBA from École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées (ENPC) in Paris. She is also a UK qualified Chartered Accountant and a Chartered Tax Advisor. Reshma is also certified in Sustainable Finance from the University of Cambridge and in Green, Social and Sustainability (GSS) Bonds from the IFC and the International Capital Market Association (ICMA).
Antony is a dynamic Mechatronics Engineer with 7 years of experience in Information Technology and Project Management. He has a proven track record in delivering efficient IT solutions and managing projects across diverse environments. Antony has served as an Information Technology Consultant at FSD Africa under Define Africa, providing Tier 1 and Tier 2 technical support and overseeing administrative support for the IT team. Previously, Antony worked as a Project Assistant for Smart Apps London, where he successfully managed the development and deployment of Android and iOs applications.
Antony holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechatronics Engineering from Dedan Kimathi University of Technology. He is proficient in cybersecurity protocols and project management. Outside of his professional life, Antony is an avid climate champion, passionate about sustainability and environmental conservation. He enjoys hiking and crafting DIY projects, which reflect his love for exploration and hands-on creativity.
We are glad to announce that Shannon has joined us in the position of Assistant, Programmes with the Digital Innovation Pillar with effect from 22 May 2023. Shannon is an aspiring professional with experience in Finance and Administration. Her experience includes working with the Digital Economy Pillar at FSD Africa as an intern from June to November 2022. During her time here she provided administrative support to the pillar, with one of her key responsibilities being project onboarding and planning travel and event logistics.
Shannon holds a Bachelor of Business Science degree in Financial Engineering from Strathmore University and Certified Public Accountant (CPA) foundation level certificates.
Juliet is Director – Digital Economy at FSD Africa with 20 years’ experience in development in Africa, 15 of which have focused on financial sector development. Before her current role, Juliet held several other positions at FSD Africa since 2013, overseeing initiatives that cut across a variety of financial sectors and themes.
Prior to FSD Africa, Juliet managed FinMark Trust’s financial sector work in Zambia for eight years and, before that, led the Zambia office of a regional private sector development consulting firm.
Juliet holds an MA from the University of Cheltenham and Gloucester and a BSc from the University of Liverpool. She is married with two children and is based in Zambia, where she has lived since 1996.
Winnie has 8 years of experience in project and communications management drawn from offering technical and operational services in various donor-funded organisations. She has worked as a Programme Officer for FSD Kenya where she was tasked with offering operational support to various teams in project design and development, budgeting and timelines, media relations, event planning and management and also collaborated with multifunctional teams to implement high impact donor funded projects towards quality project deliverables.
Winnie holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from Daystar University, a higher diploma in Public Relations from Chartered Institute of PR( UK) and a certification from the International School of Advertising in Integrated Brand Communications.
Mary leads initiatives that strengthen the ecosystem for early-stage capital providers and entrepreneurs across the continent. Her work focuses on designing and managing catalytic programmes, supporting fund managers, and advancing innovative financing solutions, particularly in climate resilience, gender-smart investing, and sustainable development.
Mary brings a strong track record of designing and managing high-impact programmes across Africa. Prior to joining FSD Africa, she was the Global Program Coordinator at Living Goods, a leading community health organisation operating in Kenya, Uganda, Sierra Leone, and Burkina Faso. She has also worked in Kenya’s financial markets, and across a range of development programmes focused on inclusive finance, SME growth, and ecosystem-building.
She holds a Bachelor of Business Science in Financial Economics from Strathmore University and a Master’s in International Development Studies from Université Grenoble Alpes in France. She is also a certified PRINCE2 Practitioner as well as a Certified Expert in Sustainable Finance and a Certified Digital Finance Practitioner.
Mary is passionate about expanding access to opportunity and shaping systems that work better for people and the planet. Outside of work, she enjoys organising meaningful gatherings for loved ones and spending time in nature.
Elijah has over 13 years of experience in sustainable financing, carbon development, and ESG risk management. He has multisectoral experience ranging from financial services, manufacturing, and development institutions programme management and consulting across Africa.
His experience includes heading Equity’s Group Sustainability Operations and also managed the unit as an acting Group Sustainability Director. During his tenure at Equity, he integrated the Group ESG risk management across all six subsidiaries of the Bank, in East and Central Africa. He enhanced Sustainable Finance approaches by developing segment customer value propositions and forging strategic partnerships to support fundraising for climate financing and portfolio de-risking through guarantees and capacity building. He started the accreditation process under the Green Climate Fund and developed the Carbon Finance Framework for Equity. In addition, he positioned the Group’s disclosures by developing the Group Sustainability report in line with Global Standards, GRI, TCFD, and TNFD.
Prior to Equity, he was the Group Sustainability Manager for KCB Group, overseeing the development and execution of the Sustainable strategy across the regional markets where KCB operated. He saw the Group’s climate financing increase to 11% of the portfolio and the development of the first Green Climate Finance concept programme.
He also worked at Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) as AFD’s SUNREF East Africa Technical Assistance Programme Coordinator, where he oversaw a 120M USD programme across Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, working with financial institutions. He also worked as Green Growth and Climate Change Executive at KAM.
He worked at a consulting firm, Carbon Africa Ltd, as a Project Officer, where he was in charge of carbon project origination, project registration, and monitoring issuance supporting projects across Africa from Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Zambia, Mozambique, Ghana, Cameroon, Rwanda, in addition to working with regional governments in obtaining favourable opinions for project registration under both the compliance and voluntary carbon markets.
Elijah holds a degree in Environmental Horticulture and Landscape Technology from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology. He is a certified Carbon Analyst by the Institute of Environmental Management, UK, Certified Sustainable Finance Expert from Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, and is an associate Environmental and Social Impact Assessment expert by National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA), Kenya.
Kuria Wanjau is a Certified Public Accountant, with a degree in Economics from the University of Nairobi. He is currently working part-time for FSD Africas Forcibly Displaced People (FDP) Theme as the manager. Kuria is overseeing FSD Africas work to grow the supply of effective financial services for FDPs and refugees.
Sophie leads the FSD Network’s Collaborative Gender Programme, which works with FSDs to mainstream gender into their operations and support their capacity to deliver systemic gender impacts. She has over fifteen years’ experience in inclusive finance and gender in sub Saharan Africa and the Middle East. Prior to joining FSD Africa, Sophie worked on housing microfinance, gender and inclusive finance with a number of non-profit organisations. She holds a PhD from the London School of Economics and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wales.