Empowering Bold Change

The EmBold Development Foundation emboldens people, institutions and systems — giving them the courage, confidence, and tools to take bold action for lasting change, to innovate sustainably, and to create shared impact.

Founded by changemakers from Africa, Asia, and Europe, we are a purpose-driven, international non-profit foundation based in the Netherlands.

We bridge grassroots realities with global expertise to design and deliver innovative solutions that promote equity, climate resilience, and good governance. Through strategic advisory, programme implementation, capacity building, research, and cross-sector partnerships, we enable organisations and communities to strengthen local capacities, achieve measurable impact, and ensure the know-how imprint persists beyond the life of a project.

Guided by integrity, participatory approach, and a focus on sustainability, EmBold Foundation adds value by translating knowledge into action, amplifying local ownership, and fostering long-term progress across social, environmental, and economic dimensions.

As a non-profit foundation, we operate through partnerships and grants, ensuring that all resources directly serve our mission of sustainable and inclusive development. All income is managed transparently and reinvested exclusively into projects that advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ensuring accountability and impact.

Learn more about EmBold Foundation

Our Purpose

Our name reflects our belief: when people are empowered, they can act boldly and shape their own futures.

Explore Our Vision, Mission & Values

Our Work

Designing and implementing programs that strengthen the capacity of vulnerable communities to adapt to climate change and build sustainable futures.

Learn About What We Do

Our Focus

We work across interconnected five sectors where people, planet, and innovation converge — promoting inclusive, sustainable, and climate-resilient development.

Explore Our Thematic Areas & Technical Focus

Our Team

Meet our global impact team—executive board members and experts from Africa, Asia, and Europe, committed to creating sustainable impact.

Learn About Who We Are

Partner with EmBold Foundation

Collaborate with us to advance climate resilience, inclusive growth, and sustainable development across Europe, Africa, and Asia. Whether you are a donor, organisation, or changemaker, your partnership amplifies our collective impact. Connect today to explore ways to make a difference together.

Get in Touch

Mateja Bakker

Co-Founder & Chair

Mateja is a development and sustainability professional with extensive experience in international cooperation, organisational strategy, and stakeholder engagement. For over 15 years, she has worked in the development cooperation sector, coordinating and strengthening collaboration across a global network of consulting organisations and NGOs. With a strong background in advising organisations on sustainability transformation, ESG frameworks, and donor-funded projects, she works at the intersection of impact, governance, and long-term value creation. Mateja holds an MSc from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a BA from the University of Birmingham, and has completed an executive sustainability leadership programme at Imperial College Business School.

Aneesh Vijayan

Co-Founder & Secretary

Aneesh is a management professional with an MBA in Rural Management and over 19 years of experience across social inclusion, livelihoods, climate resilience, rural development, environment, agriculture, forestry, WASH, energy, education, health, and nutrition. He specialises in end-to-end Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E), including indicator development, M&E frameworks and strategies, monitoring, evaluations and impact assessments. Aneesh is adept in sampling design, tool development, stakeholder consultations, data quality assurance, and documentation of formative and summative M&E reports. He has extensively worked with multilateral/ bilateral funding agencies, civil society, and private sector organisations across almost all Indian states and union territories, and internationally in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, The Gambia, and Tanzania. He has also worked with private sector companies working in the Fintech, Edtech, Agtech space and with new age technology companies like Google, UBER, Facebook, Amazon etc. on regulatory and competition related aspects.

Himanshu Dube

Co-Founder & Programme Director Asia-Pacific

Himanshu is a management post-graduate with over 30 years of multi-sectoral and multi-country experience as an M&E Specialist, Project Performance Management Specialist, and Institutional Development Specialist. He specialises in end-to-end design and delivery of M&E systems, including evaluation frameworks, M&E strategies and protocols, capacity building, and mixed-method assessments. He has extensive experience in sampling design, data collection tools, stakeholder consultations, data quality assurance, and preparation of high-quality formative and summative evaluation reports. His sectoral experience spans social inclusion, livelihoods, agriculture, climate change, forestry and environment, rural and urban development, and education. Himanshu has worked with major donor agencies including USAID, the World Bank, ADB, UNDP, FAO, KfW, and GIZ across almost all Indian states and union territories, as well as internationally in Afghanistan, Egypt, and Sri Lanka.

George Mihael Manea

Co-Founder & Programme Director EMEA

George Mihael is a development and international cooperation professional committed to advancing the UN SDGs and MCR 2030 agenda. With a strong focus on societal resilience, he combines strategic vision with hands-on experience to design impactful mechanisms, tools, and partnerships that generate measurable results across Europe and beyond. A Certified Professional Business Continuity Practitioner and IVLP Alumnus, he has a proven track record in leading multidisciplinary teams, managing complex projects, and fostering sustainable growth through collaboration with multilateral development banks and donor agencies.

George Mihael has previously worked at the European Commission and within the EU Delegation to Gabon, São Tomé and Príncipe, Equatorial Guinea, and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS). He also coordinated civil security programmes and contributed to high-level crisis response efforts, including major global emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic, Hurricane Dorian, the Beirut port explosion, and humanitarian assistance for Ukrainian refugees.

Academically, George Mihael holds a PhD in Political Science from the West University of Timișoara (Romania) and has further strengthened his expertise through studies at the College of Europe (Poland) and the Université Libre de Bruxelles (Belgium). His research interests are centered on EU policy, resilience, innovation, and active engagement across Horizon Europe clusters.

Aden Diis

Co-Founder & Treasurer

Aden is a legal and corporate-finance specialist with 13 years’ multi-sector experience across East Africa and Europe. He advises on regulatory and policy matters and specialises in corporate and blended-finance transactions and impact investing, with a focus on transaction structuring, investor engagement and deal documentation. Aden has advised on sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) regulation and regional market-integration frameworks and led legal and governance assignments including consortium and partnership frameworks, regulatory reviews and programme quality-assurance. He also oversees treasury and financial governance—managing cash and banking relationships, budgeting, internal controls and donor reporting—leads long-term financial planning, supports audit readiness, and helps shape business development and blended-finance partnerships with DFIs, foundations and local banks. Aden holds an LL.M. in Law and Business and has worked with multilateral and bilateral agencies, national governments, civil-society organisations and private investors across Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Germany and Luxembourg.