Following a short stint in investment banking, I have devoted my career to the international NGO world. I have worked for the Open Society Foundations, the British Council, Greenpeace and, since 2007, Habitat for Humanity International.
The World Bank estimates that around 2.8 billion people are living in inadequate or unaffordable housing across the world, a problem so large it will never be solved by one organisation. Our strategy focuses on solutions that can be scaled and sustained within housing systems through the private sector or public policy. We are famous for our volunteer-led home builds, which remain critical to our identity and our ability to inspire wider action for housing. But we are increasingly pursuing ways to support governments in finding policy solutions to local housing challenges; we work with private sector partners to design and scale new products and services that improve the performance of the housing supply chains, and we regularly test new ideas directly on the ground.
We are focused on driving our growth, creating even better integration strategies
For a decade we have been building up new practice areas and developing greater collaboration with our partners. However, in the next 10 years, we are focused on driving our growth, creating even better integration strategies, while expanding our influence through research and improving our position within the housing sector.
Finance plays a critical role in enabling this. We will require diversification in our donor markets, but new donors come with new compliance and reporting requirements. While we are building new capabilities and increasing our operational capacity, we are having to do it more efficiently. We have several initiatives under way to advance our goals in the finance function, including the introduction of new financial management systems, automation and re-engineering to improve the efficiency of our work. Ultimately, we want more resources channelled into the housing solutions we are pursuing.
One great benefit of building a career at a global NGO is the trust that you build throughout the network of affiliated organisations and partners. When implementing challenging projects with colleagues from different countries, they know my commitment to the organisation is genuine and that my focus is on long-term success, rather than completing yet another project that will look good on my resumé.
True transformational change can be achieved only when all the key actors are involved and aligned
I like this African proverb: ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together’. This resonates in both my personal and professional life. In a world that often emphasises individual accomplishments, it reminds me that when dealing with complex challenges in today’s interconnected world, true transformational change can be achieved only when all the key actors are involved and aligned. This is especially true of housing.
If I had law-making powers, I would like to see efficient and consistent enforcement of the existing anti-corruption laws, rather than new legislation. I have often witnessed how corruption cripples economic growth in Eastern Europe and in Africa.
What I enjoy most about my job is creating great personal relationships with people from many diverse countries, each with completely different cultural and social environments.
I think the biggest achievement of my career was to co-lead the merger of our Europe and Africa offices and then going on to lead the shared service function for those two geographical areas.
When the communist regime in Czechoslovakia collapsed in 1989, I was 16 years old with a plan of becoming a teacher. That all changed overnight with open borders, new academic opportunities and more diverse career choices.
In my own time, I am an avid admirer of classical music, especially the works of Dvořák and Verdi.
