• Helen has over 20 years’ international experience spanning the corporate and non­‐profit sectors with a focus on developing international sustainable agriculture supply chains, particularly those involving smallholders. She is passionate about working at the interface between global supply chains and agriculture smallholders, developing innovative approaches to improve access to finance for SMEs and brokering partnerships. Helen has extensive Sub Saharan African experience including Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, South Africa, Zambia, Ethiopia, Ghana and Sudan.
• She led the private sector engagement for the Rockefeller Foundation Yield wise Initiative which aims to cut food losses in SSA by 50% with a focus on Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania and Ghana. Helen worked to improve value chain efficiencies by creating market linkages between smallholder farmers and local African companies (aggregators and processors, technology transport and logistics) and multinationals.
• As Vice President of the Initiative for Global Development, Helen led a number of impact assessments for Chevron (Nigeria), Visa (Rwanda) and Pearson (South Africa).
• Helen also worked at SABMiller with a focus on sustainable agriculture value chains and was influential in local product development utilising locally produced supplies including cassava and sorghum across SSA. Previous roles have included Business Action for Africa and PwC Sustainability.
• Helen is a chartered accountant and lawyer by background and holds a post graduate certificate in cross sector partnerships from Cambridge University and LLB (Hons).