EmBold Foundation exists to embolden people, institutions and systems

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

Our Vision

A world where every community has the power, capacity, and courage to create an inclusive, sustainable, and climate-resilient future.

We envision societies where individuals have the agency to shape their futures, institutions are responsive and accountable, and systems work together to create lasting social, economic, and environmental resilience.

Our Mission

EmBold Foundation exists to embolden transformative change by strengthening people, institutions, and systems to deliver equitable, resilient, and sustainable outcomes.

We make this happen by:

Empowering local actors through capacity building, knowledge exchange, and equitable opportunities—ensuring communities are equipped to lead change from within.

Connecting global expertise with grassroots innovation to co-create context-specific solutions to complex social, economic, and environmental challenges.

Advancing climate resilience, sustainability, and good governance through evidence-based approaches that translate research, policy, and practice into measurable impact.

Championing equity and systems change through advocacy, diplomacy, and cross-sector collaboration that addresses root causes and shifts power toward inclusive outcomes.

Facilitating ethical and sustainable partnerships grounded in transparency, shared learning, mutual accountability, and respect for local leadership.

Our Core Values

Our values shape how we work, how we partner, and how we pursue lasting change. They guide our decisions, inform our relationships, and anchor our commitment to ethical, impactful action.

Expertise

We apply grounded, context-driven knowledge and practice, combining local insight with global expertise to design solutions that are credible, relevant, and effective.

Courage

We take principled, informed action in the face of complexity, challenging the status quo and advancing meaningful change where it is most needed.

Sustainability

We pursue long-term solutions that balance social, environmental, and economic considerations, ensuring positive outcomes for both people and the planet.

Collaboration

We partner across disciplines, cultures, and sectors to co-create lasting solutions. We connect actors and align incentives to address complex challenges collectively.

Integrity

We uphold transparency and trust in all that we do. Integrity shapes how we work with partners and communities, ensuring a commitment to doing what is right, even when it is difficult.

Empowerment

We enable individuals and institutions to act decisively and confidently, building capacity, strengthening leadership, and supporting locally led change.

Our Cross-Cutting ESG Commitments

Our Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) commitments guide every aspect of our work – from project design and delivery to organisational governance and partnership ethics.

Environmental Responsibility — Advancing low-carbon, circular, and regenerative approaches that protect ecosystems and promote climate resilience.

Social Inclusion — Prioritising gender equality, youth empowerment, and equitable access to opportunities, ensuring no one is left behind.

Partnership and Participation — Empowering local leadership and fostering meaningful cross-sector collaboration rooted in shared ownership and respect.

Evidence-Based innovation — Integrating data, research, and technology into sustainable practice—strengthening learning, accountability, and impact over time.

Join Us in Driving Impact

Discover how the EmBold Development Foundation is advancing climate resilience, strengthening local capacities, and promoting inclusive, sustainable development. Partner with us to co-create transformative solutions or learn more about our mission to empower communities and systems for lasting, meaningful change.

Connect With Us

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.

Our Purpose