We're delighted to be working with our #DestinationZero mentors
Bringing a wealth of expertise, they are working with our #DestinationZero finalists to help them take their innovation ideas to the next level.
Audrey Desiderato
Audrey is Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer for SunFunder. Founded in 2012, SunFunder's mission is to pioneer and scale financing for distributed solar in emerging markets to solve energy poverty and climate change. Audrey is based in Nairobi where she is responsible for developing SunFunder’s people and operations to meet the company’s vision for growth. Today, SunFunder has provided debt financing to 50 solar companies and impacted more than 7 million people with improved access to clean energy in 21 countries. Prior to SunFunder, Audrey did research and analysis in energy efficiency, impact investing and forestry sectors. She has a Master’s degree in International Energy Management & Policy from Columbia University’s School of International Affairs, and a Master’s degree in Environment and Sustainable Development from Sciences Po Paris.
Lisa Armstrong
Lisa is an award-winning innovation strategist having spent four years working on high profile global projects at PublicisSapient one of the world's leading digital transformation agencies. Projects ranged from high profile collaborations with film director James Cameron to digital projects for financial services brands. After which she went on to set up ChewingRice, a strategy and innovation collective. Lisa’s goal is push the boundaries of inclusive innovation, reforming conventional working structures and using technology to change lives.
Adrian Dongus
Adrian has a diverse background, combining public and private sector experience to address social problems ranging from climate change to menstrual health and COVID-19. As part of the leadership team at the social enterprise AFRIpads, he scaled the impactful business model that addresses the menstrual health and hygiene needs of women and girls across sub-Saharan Africa, by building long term partnerships with INGOs and UN-Agencies. As the founder of SymptoTrack, he works with academic institutions and national governments to develop a tool that assists Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs) in tracking and predicting the spread of COVID-19. Finally, as global Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) in Emergencies consultant for UNHCR and UNFPA he is tasked with strengthening interagency and inter-sectoral coordination on this important topic. Through these experiences Adrian brings to the table a deep understanding of entrepreneurship; inclusive business models; scaling impactful enterprises; building teams to scale; go to market strategies and market shaping in the global south; private public partnership; and humanitarian action from a public and private sector perspective.
Ben Ahmed
Ben focuses on the artifical intelligence (AI) and machine learning technologies that make an impact specifically for the renewable energies sector, wind, solar, battery, carbon-offsetting and electric vehicles. He's currently working with BP Launchpad, a subsidiary of the parent company BP, where he mentors and coaches start-ups that are incubated into BP.
Tim Deeson
Tim has more than twenty years of experience as a CEO, board strategy advisor and coach for technology product and services companies including company founding, scaling and successful exits. His most recent venture was London-based conversational AI firm GreenShoot Labs, acquired by The Panoply plc in February 2019.
He has consulted on technology and digital experience strategy, execution and team management for more than a hundred organizations including Johnson & Johnson, BDO, Southbank Centre, Euromoney, the Royal Household, and ITV.