Speakers

James is Director at Ecorys UK and mainly works in the social enterprise and social investment thematic areas. In these areas he has provided support and analysis to social enterprises, NGOs and governments, both in the UK and internationally.

James leads on Ecorys’ social impact bond work, including overseeing three SIB evaluations (Commissioning Better Outcomes Evaluation for Big Lottery Fund, Youth Engagement Fund Evaluation for DCMS and Turning the Tide Evaluation for North Somerset Council), and Ecorys’ consultancy work in helping organisations understand the evidence base and potential savings linked to SIB interventions (for example for Family Lives and Catch22).

James holds a BA and MA in Geography from the University of Cambridge. In his spare time he is a Governor at Barkston Ash Catholic Primary School.

Jemima is Senior Advisor in the Private Sector and Capital Markets Department at FCDO. She has ten years’ experience in the UK Government across roles including civil service efficiency & reform (Cabinet Office), economic diplomacy (Foreign and Commonwealth Office), and trade policy (Department for International Trade). Before joining the civil service, Jemima worked on global health funding at the Wellcome Trust. She has an MA in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge.

As Village Enterprise’s Chief Impact Officer, Celeste Brubaker leads organizational social outcomes contracting work streams and oversees continued excellence in impact measurement programming. With 15 years in international development, she specializes in monitoring, evaluation, research, and innovation to drive transformative change.
In her previous roles at Village Enterprise, Celeste oversaw the design and roll-out of our state of the art monitoring and adaptive management systems and our robust yet streamlined multi-phase approach to innovating. She has a strong background as an International Development practitioner with monitoring, evaluation, research and learning technical expertise.
She holds an MA from American University in Development Economics and a BA from Manhattan College in Economics. Prior to joining Village Enterprise, Celeste worked at IREX providing technical M&E support across their education programs divisions. She has also held positions with the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation, Search for Common Ground, the Inter-American Foundation, and WorldTeach.

Milena Castellnou is Chief Programmes Officer at the Education Outcomes Fund (EOF), a fund hosted by UNICEF. With over a decade of expertise in designing and implementing outcomes-based financing programs, Milena is a recognized thought leader in innovative financing for education and employment. At EOF, she leads the Programme Team, driving a global portfolio of groundbreaking initiatives, including two of the world’s largest education-focused outcomes funds in Ghana and Sierra Leone. Her work spans critical sectors like early childhood care and education, basic education, and skills for employment, with ambitious programs launching soon in Sierra Leone, Rwanda, and Tunisia and South
Africa.

Prior to joining EOF, Milena was an Associate Partner at Instiglio, an advisory firm where she worked closely with governments and donors to support their efforts in launching outcomes-focused initiatives. In recognition of her expertise, she was selected as a Visiting Fellow of Practice at the University of Oxford’s Government Outcomes Lab for two consecutive years (2022 and 2023). She holds degrees from Sciences Po Grenoble and an LLM from the University of Nottingham. Milena remains committed to shaping the future of education and employment through her deep commitment to evidence-based impact, cross-sector collaboration, and innovative financing strategies that unlock sustainable change.

Ali works with the Social Outcomes team at Bridges Outcomes Partnership to support the development of an international portfolio of impact bonds, with a focus on investments in education.

Prior to joining Bridges, Ali worked with Ark’s Education Partnership Group to drive process improvements in public and private organisations in West Africa and South-East Asia.

Earlier in his career, Ali worked with the World Bank and McKinsey on improving management and financial practices in the public sector. He has also led a tech-based startup, funded by Google, specialising in using technology for increased operational efficiency. Ali holds an MBE from London School of Economics.