Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
Twenty years ago I took my first nonprofit posting and started learning, slowly, where the money actually goes. Not the line items in the budget. The real path. The hours field staff spend transcribing forms. The reconciliation work nobody costs into a proposal. The intermediaries every program quietly accumulates between the funder and the people the funder cared about. After enough years and enough countries, I stopped being surprised by it and started being annoyed by it. I founded Humanity Link to do something about it. We build EmpowerLink, the platform nonprofits use to communicate with, listen to, and pay the people they serve, directly. One system, no intermediaries, designed for the compliance and safeguarding constraints the sector actually operates under. 500M+ messages, $70M+ disbursed, 40+ countries. If your organization is rebuilding the same internal tools every program cycle, let's talk. DM me, or find me at https://humanity.link
• Built AI-powered comms infrastructure for humanitarian orgs — WhatsApp, SMS, and voice via Twilio • Shipped across 30+ countries; 500M+ messages facilitated, 5M+ individuals reached • Enabled $70M in aid distribution with end-to-end accountability (Libya, Venezuela, Ukraine + beyond) • Current focus: moving from bespoke services to repeatable product with procurement-friendly packaging — When I founded Humanity Link, it was born out of a persistent problem I'd seen across 20 years in the field: nonprofits struggling to communicate with the people they serve, especially in remote and crisis-affected areas. We secured angel backing in the Netherlands, partnered with Twilio to build secure messaging, voice, and real-time data collection tools — and deployed them into some of the most difficult operating environments in the world. The result: humanitarian organizations can now reach beneficiaries directly, respond faster in emergencies, and account for every dollar distributed. Every message sent, every partnership formed, pushes toward the same goal — help that reaches people exactly when they need it.
Throughout my career, I've been driven by a singular mission: bridging the gap between visionary investors and dedicated implementers to create impactful, sustainable solutions for humanitarian and development challenges. This passion led me to establish Humanity Link, a platform dedicated to fostering collaboration across the public and private sectors, using innovative and evidence-based programs to reach communities in rural, high-profile, and crisis-affected environments. My journey reflects a commitment to digital innovation and strategic guidance in complex settings. At IFRC, as a Senior Advisor on Digital Community Engagement, I advanced digital tools to enhance community connectivity. Concurrently, at the Norwegian Refugee Council, I shaped digital communication strategies to amplify humanitarian responses worldwide. The experiences accumulated from advisory roles with diverse organizations, including Tinkr, Mudzi, Dioptera, and MPowerd, have consistently reinforced my belief in the power of innovation and technology in humanitarian contexts. Whether guiding startups like Wateroam and Skylife Tech or advising larger entities such as Mercy Corps and Community Jameel, my focus has remained on creating measurable, meaningful change through strategic insight and digital transformation. In leadership roles like overseeing the Afghanistan Evacuee Response with IOM and contributing to collaborative platforms such as Connectivity Collective and Blue Delta Coalition, I've prioritized solutions that integrate both innovation and compassion. At Humanity Link, these experiences converge, fueling my continued dedication to linking expertise, investment, and innovation to build resilient, thriving communities worldwide.
Provide strategic leadership to advance digital transformation in the nonprofit sector by fostering partnerships between nonprofits and technology providers. • Strategic Partnership Development: Facilitated over 20 partnerships between nonprofits and tech companies, driving innovation and scalable digital solutions for social impact. • Cross-Sector Collaboration: Engaged with senior leaders across NGOs, private enterprises, and governments to align on shared goals and foster long-term collaborations. • Technology-Driven Innovation: Guided nonprofits in integrating pro bono technology solutions, resulting in enhanced operational efficiency and improved service delivery in underserved regions. • Advocacy & Thought Leadership: Promoted the adoption of technology in nonprofit operations through keynotes and advisory input, contributing to sector-wide digital transformation.
Chairman: Sawa World Society, Sawa World Association, Sawa World Foundation Provide strategic leadership and governance for Sawa World, an organization focused on eradicating poverty through locally driven solutions. • Strategic Leadership & Governance: Set and led the strategic direction of Sawa World across its Society, Association, and Foundation entities, ensuring alignment with long-term goals for poverty eradication through innovation. • Innovation Ecosystem Development: Championed grassroots innovation by identifying and scaling solutions developed by local leaders, empowering communities to achieve self-reliance. • Stakeholder & Volunteer Engagement: Built and maintained a robust network of volunteers and partners, fostering collaboration to amplify the impact of youth-driven solutions in extreme poverty regions. • Program Oversight & Impact Measurement: Established frameworks to assess the scalability and replicability of local innovations, ensuring measurable progress and sustainable outcomes.
Provide strategic advisory services to enhance operational capacity and risk management for international organizations and governments across sub-Saharan Africa. • Strategic Advisory & Capacity Building: Advised international organizations and government entities on enhancing operational capacity and implementing risk management frameworks, resulting in improved efficiency and compliance. • Solution Development & Innovation: Led the creation of tailored, context-specific solutions through Alamaya’s intermediary services, enabling effective project delivery in complex environments. • Stakeholder Engagement & Partnership Management: Engaged with cross-sector partners, including governments, NGOs, and private entities, to foster collaboration and ensure reputational integrity in high-risk regions. • Sustainable Development Outcomes: Promoted long-term sustainability by driving local capability development, empowering communities, and ensuring scalable impact across diverse sectors.
Provide strategic oversight for innovation funding, ensuring alignment with humanitarian goals and operational excellence. • Strategic Leadership: Lead the allocation of funding for high-impact innovation projects, ensuring alignment with critical humanitarian needs. • Financial Governance: Provide guidance on implementing robust financial oversight mechanisms, ensuring compliance with donor requirements and improving accountability across funded initiatives. • Stakeholder Engagement: Guide the committee on how to engage with cross-sector partners, including international NGOs, governments, and private sector actors, to identify and support scalable solutions. • Results-Oriented Oversight: Initiated evaluation frameworks to measure the success and impact of funded initiatives, promoting continuous improvement and learning.
The HIF is a globally-recognised programme leading on the development and testing of innovation in the humanitarian system. Established in 2011, it was the first of its kind: an independent, grant-making programme open to the entire humanitarian community. It now leads the way in funding, supporting, and managing innovation at every stage of the innovation process. The HIF’s portfolio of funded projects has informed a more detailed understanding of what successful innovation looks like, and what it can achieve for the humanitarian community. This work is leading the global conversation on innovation in humanitarian response.