Ismael Nabe
Minister of Planning , International Cooperation and Development
Minister of Planning , International Cooperation and Development
Government of Guinea
Content Leads
In a world shaped by overlapping crises, from climate change to conflict and deepening poverty, the pressure on those committed to positive social impact is intensifying just as resources are shrinking. The challenge is stark: how do we achieve more, for more people, with less? At Business Fights Poverty, we see a clear determination across our community to remain ambitious despite these constraints. Our Partnerships Series, timed with FCDO’s Global Partnerships Conference, explored how organisations are responding. Two themes are emerging as critical.
First, the growing importance of systemic partnerships, bringing together diverse actors to pool resources, align efforts and tackle complex challenges at scale, while keeping trust and co-creation at the centre. Second, the transformative potential of AI to increase efficiency and unlock knowledge, alongside the need to ensure inclusion.
Thank you to our speakers, contributors, and community members for sharing insights on
how we can remain ambitious, even at a time of crisis and constraint.
This paper explores how organisations can stay ambitious in a context of overlapping crises, rising needs and shrinking resources. Drawing on insights from Business Fights Poverty’s Partnerships Series, it highlights two practical routes forward: systemic partnerships that align incentives, share risk and build trust; and human-centred AI that can unlock knowledge, increase efficiency and extend capability while protecting rights, inclusion and accountability.
MON 18 MAY
As part of the AI for Global Development Conference, hosted by the University of Cambridge Centre for Human-Inspired Artificial Intelligence, Cambridge Global Challenges, and Business Fights Poverty, this session explores how partnerships can unlock AI’s potential.
Global development faces rising needs and declining funding, creating urgency to deliver impact at scale. AI offers new ways to address challenges in health, education, climate resilience, and economic inclusion, but translating innovation into sustained outcomes remains difficult.
This session examined how to move from promising pilots to scalable impact, with speakers sharing real-world examples and insights. It highlights how cross-sector partnerships can bring together key actors to turn promise into practice.
WED 20 MAY
Getting Growth Right: a vision for global prosperity in the next decade
Organised by the London School of Economics, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and Business Fights Poverty, this official companion session to the FCDO Global Partnership Conference explored what it means to “get growth right” amid geopolitical fragmentation, AI, climate risk and demographic change.
Building on the Beyond GDP agenda, it examined how growth metrics must evolve to support shared wellbeing, sustainability and resilience within planetary and social boundaries.
Panellists from government, industry, academia and multilateral organisations discussed implications for policy, business and supply chains, and how countries can adopt credible, politically viable growth models.
WED 20 MAY
Ambition in the Face of Crisis and Constraint
In a context of overlapping crises, rising need and tightening resources, how can social impact leaders remain ambitious? This interactive Community Forum brought together the Business Fights Poverty community to explore practical responses to doing more with less.
Drawing on emerging insights, the discussion focused on two key areas: building effective, trust-based partnerships to drive systemic change, and harnessing AI to increase efficiency and impact while managing risks.
Participants shared experiences, challenges and solutions, with a focus on human-centred approaches that enable collaboration, innovation and meaningful progress in difficult times.
Ismael Nabe
Minister of Planning , International Cooperation and Development
Minister of Planning , International Cooperation and Development
Government of Guinea
Seema Malhotra MP
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Equalities) and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Indo-Pacific)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Equalities) and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Indo-Pacific)
Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office
Cailin Birch
Global Economist
Global Economist
The Economist Intelligence Unit (The EIU)
Asif Saleh
Executive Director
Executive Director
BRAC
Dr Jaishree Naidoo
Paediatric Radiologist , CEO & co-founder
Paediatric Radiologist , CEO & co-founder
Envisionit Deep AI
Professor Lord Nicholas Stern
IG Patel Chair of Economics and Government
IG Patel Chair of Economics and Government
London School of Economics and Political Science
Susan Brown
Deputy Head and UN Assistant Secretary General
Deputy Head and UN Assistant Secretary General
UNDP
Luis Fernando Sanabria
COO
COO
Fundación Paraguaya
Payal Dalal
Executive Vice President, Global Programs, Center for Inclusive Growth
Executive Vice President, Global Programs, Center for Inclusive Growth
Mastercard
Olayinka David-West
Associate Dean and Professor of Information Systems
Associate Dean and Professor of Information Systems
Lagos Business School
Louise Holden
Founder and CEO and Member
Founder and CEO and Member
Ad Pontem Advisory and Business Fights Poverty Global Expert Network
Rebecca Lekoko
Adjunct Professor, Dean of Academic Services, Defence Command and Staff College
Adjunct Professor, Dean of Academic Services, Defence Command and Staff College
University of Botswana
Karen Pillay
Resource Mobilisation Specialist
Resource Mobilisation Specialist
Cara Link Services
Lucile Robinson
Group Knowledge Manager
Group Knowledge Manager
Practical Action
Jim Emerson
Senior Advisor
Senior Advisor
The Power of Nutrition
Joe Griffin
Head of Strategy
Head of Strategy
Vodafone Foundation
Emilia McElvenney
Director, Programmes and Partnerships (Entrepreneurship)
Director, Programmes and Partnerships (Entrepreneurship)
Standard Chartered
Yahoska Berrios
Research Fellow
Research Fellow
Institute of development studies
Susan Myers
Founder
Founder
Impact Navigators
Orsolya Ihasz
Senior Lecturer, Director
Senior Lecturer, Director
UCL Global Health Business School
Lesley-Anne Long
Chief Strategist
Chief Strategist
Wonderfuture
Charmian Love
Global Ambassador
Global Ambassador
Natura
Lili Jia
Director of Sustainable Innovation
Director of Sustainable Innovation
CHIA, University of Cambridge
Jason Clevenger
Executive Director
Executive Director
Organization Development Network
Vanessa Adams
Founder and CEO
Founder and CEO
Level4International
Sinem Hun
CEO
CEO
Genderscope LTD.
Md.Masum Masum
Field Technical Specialist
Field Technical Specialist
International Development Enterprises
Wangiwe Joanna Kambuzi
Managing Director
Managing Director
Emerge Livelihoods
Julia Corvalan
Global Operations Manager
Global Operations Manager
Poverty Stoplight
Asaad Taha
Managing Director & Principal Advisor
Managing Director & Principal Advisor
S4F.Solutions
Aishwarya Choubey
Project Manager
Project Manager
Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN)
Jess Berliner
Co-founder & Director of Learning
Co-founder & Director of Learning
Learn Biomimicry
Rachael Clay
Founder Director
Founder Director
Ethicore
Kim Bettcher
Consultant
Consultant
Independent
Alex Millington-Jung
Cultivator Lead
Cultivator Lead
The Centre for Global Equality
Felicitus Okoko
Executive Director
Executive Director
GenerationUs Kenya
Steph Shankland
Director and Member
Director and Member
SAS Research and Business Fights Poverty, Global Expert Network
Alicia Jumman
Head of Strategic Partnerships and Sponsorship
Head of Strategic Partnerships and Sponsorship
War Child
Todd Kirkbride
Managing Director, Strategy and Partnerships and Member
Managing Director, Strategy and Partnerships and Member
The Scaling Community of Practice and Business Fights Poverty, Global Expert Network
Hina West
Managing Director and Member
Managing Director and Member
Climate Strategies and Business Fights Poverty, Global Expert Network
Rani Pooran
Senior Operations Officer and Member
Senior Operations Officer and Member
IFC, World Bank Group and Business Fights Poverty, Global Expert Network
Stuart Mills
Impact Leader
Impact Leader
Practical Acts
Philipp Küst
Social Impact Lead
Social Impact Lead
Reckitt
Annabella Skof
Socioeconomic Sustainbility Expert and Member
Socioeconomic Sustainbility Expert and Member
Annabella Skof Consulting and Business Fights Poverty, Global Expert Network
Paul Ellingstad
Member
Member
Business Fights Poverty, Global Expert Network
Natasha Kwakwa
Member
Member
Business Fights Poverty Global Expert Network
Marc Schleifer
Member
Member
Business Fights Poverty, Global Expert Network
Cymroan Vikas
Senior Manager, Market Intelligence
Senior Manager, Market Intelligence
auctusESG
Hesham Elzeftawi
Founder & CEO, and Member
Founder & CEO, and Member
EBRIIZ and Business Fights Poverty, Global Expert Network
Adam J. Tomášek
Executive Director
Executive Director
Debt for Nature Coalition
Lall Khan
Member
Member
Business Fights Poverty, Global Expert Network
Divya Kalychurn
Senior Partnerships Manager
Senior Partnerships Manager
Save the Children
Rachel Seftel
Head of Research and Impact
Head of Research and Impact
Cherie Blair Foundation for Women
John Bee
Executive Board Member and Member
Executive Board Member and Member
AOAC AFRICA SECTION and Business Fights Poverty, Global Expert Network
Sanjay Banka
Executive Chairman and Member
Executive Chairman and Member
Banka BioLoo Limited and Business Fights Poverty Global Expert Network
Anna Barford
Co-Director, Business Fights Poverty Institute and Principal Research Associate, Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics
Co-Director, Business Fights Poverty Institute and Principal Research Associate, Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics
University of Cambridge
Isabella Bunn
Research Fellow in Governance and Global Ethics, Regent's Park College
Research Fellow in Governance and Global Ethics, Regent's Park College
University of Oxford
