Who We Are / Our Team /

Our Team Members

Sadia Ali joined the SHF team in September 2023. She brings more than 12 years experience in Procurement while working with various International Development Organizations. Before joining SHF, Sadia worked with UNDP Pakistan for seven years supporting various critical projects. In the past, she held Procurement and Administrative positions at Save the Children, USAID funded projects and UNICEF.

Sadia believes in Integrity, Professionalism and Respect for Humanity. She holds an MBA in Banking & Finance and is CIPS certified. She is a Pakistani national and is married with four children.

As Finance Advisor, Sandra works closely with the Country Portfolio team to develop investment cases and partnerships, while leading on SHF’s innovative finance activities to leverage funding and scale impact.

Prior to joining SHF, Sandra was engagement manager in corporate finance/restructuring advisory at KPMG Zurich (including a client secondment at the Novartis Group M&A department). Before relocating to Switzerland in 2018, Sandra worked at PwC Vienna in strategy & operations as well as corporate finance, specialising in valuation & economics, financial due diligence and restructuring & refinancing. In addition, she advised Ashoka for the set-up of a scaling agency for social entrepreneurship (Impact Transfer). Sandra has studied in the UK, Austria and France, holding a Master’s degree in International Management from the University of Bath as well as a Bachelor’s degree from the Vienna University of Economics and Business.  

Sandra is passionate about creating impact through innovative finance solutions to scale social entrepreneurship and is convinced that SHF’s vision is vital for achieving the SDGs given its wider implied effect on health, education, the environment and economic development.

Adrian brings extensive experience in market based approaches and Menstrual Health and Hygiene (MHH) to the team at SHF. He has fulfilled a senior leadership position in a leading menstrual product company and led UN wide efforts to mainstream MHH. This resulted in expanding the availability of reusable menstrual products to millions of women across sub-Saharan Africa, co-authoring the world's first national MHH policy, developing a thorough understanding of challenges for market entry of menstrual product innovations and fulfilling a key role in the development of national, regional and global product standards and UN specifications.

Adrian leverages a diverse set of skills and experiences from corporate, consulting and entrepreneurial roles, with a strong focus on market development, innovation and scaling. These include a senior advisory role to Google's Start-ups for Sustainable Development Program (SFSD) program, the company's flagship program to support and scale start-ups working to tackle the SDGs; founder of a machine learning and community driven data initiative targeting COVID-19 in LMICs; and executive advisor to leading impact scale-ups. He will apply his insights to SHFs work and together with the team execute our ambitious action plan to drive systemic change in the menstrual hygiene market place. 

Sophia (Sonia) Grinvalds is a social entrepreneur and an expert in menstrual health and hygiene (MHH). She is the co-founder of AFRIpads, an award-winning menstrual health company that has brought life-changing reusable menstrual products and education to over 6 million women and girls across 40+ countries.

With expertise in menstrual product innovation, inclusive business models, Africa-based manufacturing, and market-driven solutions, Sonia has helped to shape the global MHH landscape. Her work spans from business strategy and product development, to scaling strategic partnerships, to communications and advocacy.  In 2021, Sonia was awarded the Meritorious Service Cross by the Government of Canada for the transformative impact of AFRIpads in improving the health, dignity and opportunities of millions of women and girls globally. Sonia is also the co-lead of the Africa Coalition for Menstrual Health (ACMH) Taskforce on Menstrual Products, Standards and Value Chain. 

A graduate of McGill University (Montreal, Canada), Sonia earned her Bachelor of Arts in Environment & Development, graduating magna cum laude, with a Minor in Medical Anthropology.

Sonia is married and is the proud mom of two daughters, Tessa (9) and Ophelia (7). In her free time, Sonia loves spending time with family and friends, and enjoying the great outdoors to do hiking, biking, running, camping and other adventuring.

Anton leads SHF's sanitation economy activities and projects focusing on the private sector, innovative financing, and strategic partnerships in SHF's target countries and on a global level.

Prior to joining SHF, Anton worked for a decade in the private sector in Europe and Africa. His most recent role was as the Chief Financial Officer and Board Member of Kasha - Africa's largest femtech enterprise focusing on B2B commerce in women’s health. During his time at Kasha, Anton led multiple fundraising rounds from venture capital funds, impact investors, and large DFIs, while guiding Kasha's strategic direction, making Kasha one of Africa's fastest-growing enterprises. Before Kasha, he worked as a venture capital investor focusing on early and growth-stage companies in Africa and Europe, and at EY's corporate finance advisory, advising entrepreneurs and corporates with strategy, fundraising, and M&A transactions.

Anton holds an MSc in Economics and Business Administration (finance major) from Aalto University School of Business. Anton firmly believes that by addressing the sanitation value chain with a comprehensive approach together with the public sector, the development sector, and the private sector stakeholders and financiers, SHF can contribute to the creation of sustainable sanitation value chains that provide access to safe sanitation, increase gender equality, and have a substantial positive impact on the climate.

As the Operation Senior Manager, Anna is in charge of driving a cost-effective business model for the SHF alongside shaping a ‘value for money’ culture. 

Her areas of expertise include extensive experience in local economic development, working with international development institutions and programme management, and the ability to improve relationships with stakeholders and the socio-economic development of host communities with specific reference to African countries.

Anna strongly believes that women and young girls are essential stakeholders for the eradication of poverty, promotion of goodness, values and human rights at large and is eager to contribute to the important work SHF is doing to improve access to sanitation, hygiene and menstrual health and hygiene.

Anna Konaté holds an Msc in Social Business and Entrepreneurship from London School of Economics-LSE after a Master’s degree from HEC Rabat. 

Pauline leads on the financial management for the SHF. She works collaboratively with cross-functional teams to develop and implement financial strategies that are aimed at maximizing financial performance.

Originally from Kenya, Pauline Speaks English and Swahili and has over a decade of experience in the international non-profit sector having worked with various organizations including the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry, Action Against Hunger USA, Danish Refugee Council, Save the Children International, and Population Services International. Her expertise spans financial analysis, budgeting, reporting, planning, forecasting, accounting, audit, and management. Leveraging her profound knowledge of finance and financial information systems, Pauline is committed to utilizing data-driven insights to inform decision-making.

Pauline holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics, complemented by a master's degree in financial economics from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology. She is a certified public accountant and is currently pursuing an MSc in Green Energy and Climate Finance at the Berlin School of Economics and Law. 

Ludivine joined the SHF team in January 2022 to support on the ED and DED office on administrative issues. 

With an educational background in travel management, Ludivine has been working for more than 20 years in the private and international sector. She joined UNOPS in July 2019 as a Travel Manager, and worked in collaboration with multiple organisations.

Before joining UNOPS, Ludivine worked for the French Foreign Affairs Ministry and OECD's travel agencies in Paris. 

Originally from France, Ludivine arrived in Geneva in 2009, and began her journey as a supervisor of the travel agencies for UNOG, WIPO, UNHCR, WMO and UNICEF for more than 10 years.

Ludivine speaks French and English. She loves art, dance and music, but really found her peace as a mother. As she brings up her daughter, she is keen to do her part in supporting the world's most vulnerable, especially women and girls, gain access to life-changing services and opportunities.