Capital as a Catalyst
Using capital to unlock what would not happen otherwise
With over 30 years in international finance, including structuring the $100m Transform Health Fund and co-leading the Philips Foundation's transition to impact investing, I understand both the opportunity and the complexity of making capital work for impact.
You are already deploying capital for impact, through grants, investments, or a combination of both. You know what you want to achieve. The question is how to make that capital work most effectively: increasing its reach, its leverage, and its ability to enable sustainable, scalable impact.
This is rarely straightforward. Different stakeholders bring different expectations.
Funding often happens in silos. And capital is not always structured to support the full growth journey of the organizations it aims to serve. As a result, opportunities to unlock additional funding, attract co-investors, and build sustainable models may not always be fully realized.
The ambition is clear.
The path forward and how to translate it into action is where the real work begins.
Impact doesn't stall for lack of ambition. It stalls because capital isn't structured to enable it, or people aren't supported to act on it.
This is where I come in: working alongside you to shape the right path forward, from intention to action.
Where I typically come in
Shaping or sharpening your impact strategy
Sometimes the starting point is a strategic question: how can we use our capital more intentionally? Are we deploying it where it creates the most leverage? Is our current approach still the right one given where we want to go? I work with funders to shape or sharpen their impact strategy, creating the clarity needed before moving to structure and execution.
From grant-making to impact investing
Grant providers are increasingly considering adding investment elements, with the goal of addressing the so-called "valley of death" in early-stage scaling, and recycling and reinvesting their funds over time. This transition requires not only structural and process changes but also a shift in mindset and ways of working within the team. Having co-led this transition, I understand both the opportunity and the complexity involved, and can support you through both the strategic and implementation dimensions.
Structuring an impact fund or investment vehicle
When the strategy is clear and a dedicated structure is needed, the real complexity begins. Defining and safeguarding the impact scope while achieving alignment across a diverse set of investors, such as development finance institutions, foundations, impact investors, requires deep engagement and careful navigation. I have been part of the core team shaping, structuring, and realizing blended impact investment funds, including the Transform Health Fund, and understand what it takes to bring the right capital together around a shared impact goal.
Selected experience
A track record across impact strategy, blended finance, and capital mobilization — working with funders, investors, and development partners
Transform Health Fund
Co-designed and launched a $100m blended impact investment fund structured across three layers of capital to address the missing middle in financing African healthcare providers and related companies. Navigating complex stakeholder alignment across a global multinational, development finance institutions, foundations, philanthropy and impact investors around a shared impact goal. Since its launch, the fund has built a strong portfolio, with 50% of fund capital expected to be disbursed within the first 2-3 years.
Philips Foundation
Co-led the strategic and operational transition from pure grant-making toward catalytic capital and impact investing, navigating both the financial restructuring and the organizational and behavioral shifts required to make the transition real. Enabling social innovators to scale solutions and expand access to care for millions of people across Africa and Southeast Asia.
What others say
The structuring of the Transform Health Fund was particularly complex given the need to balance the requirements of multiple investors, including development finance institutions, impact investors, commercial investors and corporate investors, while creating an offering that was compelling and fit for purpose across these different investor groups. Annette played a critical role in helping us navigate this complexity, particularly in shaping the Fund's proposition for corporate investors and supporting us in bringing additional investors into the Fund. Her ability to understand what different investors were looking for, translate those requirements into a workable structure and bring stakeholders together was extremely valuable. I would highly recommend Annette to anyone looking for an advisor who can navigate complex blended finance structures including highly impactful ones, engage sophisticated institutional and corporate investors, and bring different stakeholders together around a compelling investment proposition.
Ziad Oueslati - AfricInvest Group / Executive Founding Partner
How I work
I work alongside you, as a thinking partner, and when needed, hands-on in making things happen. I start by understanding where you are, your ambition, your context, your challenges, before we explore what is needed and shape the right path forward, together.
Because moving from intention to action is never just about the structure, the people and behavioral side is equally important, and often where initiatives truly succeed or stall.
If this resonates, I'd welcome a conversation.
Whether you are reviewing your impact strategy, considering a transition to impact investing, or looking to structure a new vehicle, let's discuss your challenge.
→ Discuss a challenge with me